Hi there. Can someone possibly help out a Connecticut member ?

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alexxn

Junior Member
Hi there. Can someone possibly help out a Connecticut member ? **FIXED !!**

Hey guys,

I am a member of ClubSi and a fellow member suggested I reach out to you guys for some help....below is what's goin on...

Hey everyone,

I have been trying to help out a friend with a 92 Civic LX that died and we can't get any spark out of it. See below:

http://forums.clubsi.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=6992266&an=0&page=0

I was wondering if there is ANYONE reasonably close to Norwalk CT that would have a good ECU that I can try on this car before we go and buy one....it would be GREATLY appreciated and worth lunch !
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Anyone ?? Thanks !!!


Any help would be GREATLY appreciated !!!!
 
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hey, I remember ClubSi.. My hair stood on end the moment I saw the link.

No ECUs here, but I can help if it's gonna be down for much longer (Schedule is packed tight for the next, prolly week)
 
Step one. Got get a length of wire that will reach from the starter to the positive teminal to the battery.

Step two. Place the ignition swith in the run position...the place that the key snaps back to after you get the car started...and leave it there.

Step three. With the car in park or out of gear, jump the starter with the battery to make the starter turn. It;s the little signal wire that you want to jump to the + side of the battery.

Step 4. If the car run's, then take your ignition switch apart and clean the ozone and corrosion from the contacts...put it all back together and relax.
 
Airjockie said:
Step one. Got get a length of wire that will reach from the starter to the positive teminal to the battery.

Step two. Place the ignition swith in the run position...the place that the key snaps back to after you get the car started...and leave it there.

Step three. With the car in park or out of gear, jump the starter with the battery to make the starter turn. It;s the little signal wire that you want to jump to the + side of the battery.

Step 4. If the car run's, then take your ignition switch apart and clean the ozone and corrosion from the contacts...put it all back together and relax.
Click to expand...

Hey I remember you ! You came to the BBQ I had for Mark 3 years ago when he left for Cali...see the pics below of your car - mine was the blue Si next to you....anywhoo the starter spins the engine over just fine - just no spark at the plugs at all - tried a new distributor, nope, then I thought maybe because it was a reman one something was bad so I did some tests and got a brand new igniter from Honda and nope, still no spark.....:confused: I'm bangin my head against the wall here...coil tests good also and there is power to the dist. with the key on....
 

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yea alexxn i was there as well, either in a 240sx or a maroon mitsu mirage.
 
the starter will spin fine when using the key...but thats not the problem. over years of arking the spark inside the ignition switch, the ozone produced will corrode the internal contacts...and if you look at a wire diagrame, the only time the starter is operated is when your starting the car, the contact that is also right next to the starter wire circuit is the run curcuit, they must over lap to get the car to spark...for that breif time during the start up of the car, both curcuits are used, but one curcuit will pull a higher amp, and a tiny arc can be produced...and then you'll have a dead spot on the contact. so thats why I say fallow the above steps. If that doesnt get the car running, then your problem is else where...but if you buddy jumped in the car, started it and drove it a few blocks...and then the problem came back, then that means that he manipulated the key in the ignition just right that the contact with the dead spot just made enough contact to kepp the run system on when the start system cut out.

people with heavy keychains wear down the ignition switch faster than people with a normal key.
 
Airjockie said:
the starter will spin fine when using the key...but thats not the problem. over years of arking the spark inside the ignition switch, the ozone produced will corrode the internal contacts...and if you look at a wire diagrame, the only time the starter is operated is when your starting the car, the contact that is also right next to the starter wire circuit is the run curcuit, they must over lap to get the car to spark...for that breif time during the start up of the car, both curcuits are used, but one curcuit will pull a higher amp, and a tiny arc can be produced...and then you'll have a dead spot on the contact. so thats why I say fallow the above steps. If that doesnt get the car running, then your problem is else where...but if you buddy jumped in the car, started it and drove it a few blocks...and then the problem came back, then that means that he manipulated the key in the ignition just right that the contact with the dead spot just made enough contact to kepp the run system on when the start system cut out.

people with heavy keychains wear down the ignition switch faster than people with a normal key.
Click to expand...

Ahh gotcha...makes sense, thanks for the explanation ! And come to think of it she has a MILLION things on her keychain...LOL...
I'll give it a shot ! I guess I should also mention that when the car first died she called me and I didn't realize that the starter turned the engine over so I had her have someone push the car and they tried to "jump it" by popping the clutch with the key on...effectively wouldn't this be the same as trying what you said with the jumper wire ?

P.S. Did you check out the pics ??
 
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yup...

Untitled

I wish the Z looked as hot as it did...it's time for a paintjob....
 
Wow those brought back some memories.....now if I could only get that damn car started.....

P.S. I edited my last post...
 
it's actually a simple fix, just take a little time....if that ignition switch is the problem...

just take the switch off the car, take it apart, note where everything is when you take it apart, when you get access to the contacts, then brush them lightly with 1000 grit sandpapper, and blow the dust out of the switch, then re-install. Take only about 30 minutes from start to finish..
 
That's cool, but like I was sayin wouldn't jumping the car by popping the clutch pretty much be the same ? Cause that didn't work...
 
well, if the electrical curcuit is not being completed in the switch properly, then you can stuff the exhaust pipe with T-N-T...and it still won't run...it would be funny to watch, but it won't run. Make sure the electricals are fine...ie...every ground is grounded right, no dead spots on any contacts, and once you know that part of the system is good...cuz it's free to fix it DIY with sandpapper...than you can start looking for other problems that will need money to fix.

I blew up an 89 Gulf...I hit a speedbump kinda hard, and the car died, I went thru weeks of buying all kinds of parts and even shelled out $700 for an ECU, I was going nuts. took everything apart,...nothing. So I called up this one lady who ran a used VW parts place...and she asked if I had a heavy keychain...I said yes, and she told me to come buy this tiny plastic peice that fits in the ignition...I did, and the car started right up. But while I was screwing around with everything else, I guess I leaned on the plastic fuel rail and cracked it...so fuel was puddling on the intake...and after the car got to tempurature...it caught on fire... -1 vw from the world.

And I had a neighbors freind that his car died on the side of the road, so I went to go look at it. IT would crank, but just wouldn't kick over...except it would try to kick over when I released the key from the start position. It was an accord. So I held it right at the point on the keys travel that the starter and ignition were both trying to happen, and when the car started, it would live until I let the key go...so I had to drive it to my house while holding the key with one hand, and shifting with the left hand...it was a few blocks away, but it wasn't easy. I popped the ignition apart, and yup...contacts were corroded...I cleaned them up a little, gave the the rounded humps the best I could, slapped it together...and worked and ran like a new car.

When you consider the amprage thats going thru the ignition switch, age, condensation, ozone, dust...and heavy keychains will give you a bad day at the wrong time. 30 minutes of tinkering will save you a few hundred dollars for a new switch and to have a service mechanic to change it at $75 an hour...

Food for thought.

I wonder if you have the clutch safety switch as well that you have to have the clutch depressed before you get ignition power. I have seen that too, the clutch switch was bad, and that interupted the curcuit as well....take a peek under the dash, and see if the plunger on the clutch switch is not binding up stuck or at an angle.
 
Ahh right...all good points...it is worth it to take it apart and clean things up first...I'll try and give it a shot this weekend...I am assuming taking out the igniton switch is pretty straight forward after taking the plastic off the column ?
 
Except that if the clutch safety switch was bad, the starter wouldn't turn.
 
alexxn said:
Ahh right...all good points...it is worth it to take it apart and clean things up first...I'll try and give it a shot this weekend...I am assuming taking out the igniton switch is pretty straight forward after taking the plastic off the column ?
Click to expand...
yup.

I don't know the wires on the car of that year, but maybe the starter doesn't turn cuz it cuts juice from the switch....:huh:
 
** UPDATE **

So I just finished trying a few things....I took apart the ignition switch, didn't look bad really but I did sand / clean all of the contacts and once I put it back together I had the diagram of what wires needed to have continuity when the key was in certain positions, checked it all out, all had continuity in the right places. Tried to start the car, NOPE still no spark.....just for the hell of it I also took off the upper timing belt cover and distributor cap, everything was lined up where it was supposed to be...

So back to sqaure one, I'm still at a complete loss here....
 
for that year of car...I'm clueless.

if it was an older honda, I would say to check the ignitor, coil, and all the wires for them, and to re-ground all the grounds and check the main relays.
 
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