Civic Won't Spark
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Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 7
Civic Won't Spark
I’m lost with this one and could use some ideas. I have a 1995 Civic DX 3-door with the D15B7 engine. It was running absolutely great when I decided that it was very overdue a timing belt change. I have changed the timing belt on this car before with absolutely no problems. I changed the timing belt, water pump and the belt tensioner. Also installed new spark plugs and adjusted the valves. Now the engine cranks but will not start. It does not fire at all. I checked the belt timing 3 times and it’s right on. I checked for a spark using a Philips screwdriver stuck in the plug wire plug to several grounded surfaces and get no spark at all. I can not see any electrical plug that I may have knocked off or any broken wires. I checked all the voltages and ohms readings the manual says I should have on the primary and secondary sides of the coil and on the ICM and everything is right to spec. The rotor and cap look fine. What could I have done that would have affected the ignition system. Even if the valve timing was way off I should still get a spark, right? What does this engine use to tell the coil to fire the spark plug? Is it just a rotating interrupter in the distributor or does it have some sort of crankshaft position sensor that I don’t know about? I can’t see one. It would be really weird if something decided to fail at the same time I was changing the timing belt. Any ideas you guys can come up with would be great. I need some fresh ideas. Thanks all and have a great holiday. JC
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Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 10,023
RE: Civic Won't Spark
Timing is all triggered by sensors in the distributor. Make sure that your distributor rotates when you crank. Check for codes in the ECU and if any write them down, then clear the ECU. Then crank the engine for about 30 seconds straight and check again for codes in the ECU.
If you can get only weak sparks from the output spring on the coil, the coil is probably bad. If it is completely dead it's probably the module.
If you can get only weak sparks from the output spring on the coil, the coil is probably bad. If it is completely dead it's probably the module.
Thread Starter
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Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 7
RE: Civic Won't Spark
Well I did check to see if the rotor was pointing to the #1 post when I timed the belt but never had the cap off while cranking. I'll check that. I'll also run a test wire right from the coil high tension spring and check for a spark. Now I'm wondering if my screwdriver was making contact with the spark plug wire. The coils secondary resistance per the Haynes manual is supossed to be between 12.8 and 19.8 k-ohms @ 70degF and I got about 11.5 k-ohms @ 80degF. I blew that off as close enough with mycheap meter and the 80degF. I did all the checks in the Haynes manual for the ICM (Ignition Unit) but there are a few more in the check that RonJ reply has that I will check.
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 11
From:
RE: Civic Won't Spark
Ck your ground strap to the valve cover. Also, please let me know if and how you solve this problem. I have a similar problem:
I changed the manual transmission on my 90 Honda Civic LX (1.5L) and replaced it with a 1988 tranny. I therefore had to replace the clutch, pressure plate AND flywheel. That installation went fine. I started the engine and it ran fine.
When I test drove the car I didn't get a mile before I lost power badly and could hardly get the engine up to 3000 RPM. I barely made it back to my house. I thought maybe I blew a head gasket, but I've checked compression and I'm getting 180 PSI+ consistent on all cyls.
I then checked cap/rotor/plugs. All were worn so I replaced them minus wires. Nothing changed. I only gotvery little improvement in power. Then, I replaced the coil and the module. Still no improvement. I replaced the coolant sensor. Nothing. I replaced the whole computer! Nothing. Then I replaced the distributor thinking it was the pickups. Now the car won't even start! I still need to check the timing.
I have been getting spark, but it seems to be missing on one cylinder unless I unplug the wire. Then I get spark (all checked with timing light). I am at the end with this thing. It's acting like a blown head gasket, but I have good compression. Any ideas out there??
Dave B.
I changed the manual transmission on my 90 Honda Civic LX (1.5L) and replaced it with a 1988 tranny. I therefore had to replace the clutch, pressure plate AND flywheel. That installation went fine. I started the engine and it ran fine.
When I test drove the car I didn't get a mile before I lost power badly and could hardly get the engine up to 3000 RPM. I barely made it back to my house. I thought maybe I blew a head gasket, but I've checked compression and I'm getting 180 PSI+ consistent on all cyls.
I then checked cap/rotor/plugs. All were worn so I replaced them minus wires. Nothing changed. I only gotvery little improvement in power. Then, I replaced the coil and the module. Still no improvement. I replaced the coolant sensor. Nothing. I replaced the whole computer! Nothing. Then I replaced the distributor thinking it was the pickups. Now the car won't even start! I still need to check the timing.
I have been getting spark, but it seems to be missing on one cylinder unless I unplug the wire. Then I get spark (all checked with timing light). I am at the end with this thing. It's acting like a blown head gasket, but I have good compression. Any ideas out there??
Dave B.
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Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 9,453
From: Houston, Texas
RE: Civic Won't Spark
ORIGINAL: cdblack1990
Ck your ground strap to the valve cover. Also, please let me know if and how you solve this problem. I have a similar problem:
I changed the manual transmission on my 90 Honda Civic LX (1.5L) and replaced it with a 1988 tranny. I therefore had to replace the clutch, pressure plate AND flywheel. That installation went fine. I started the engine and it ran fine.
When I test drove the car I didn't get a mile before I lost power badly and could hardly get the engine up to 3000 RPM. I barely made it back to my house. I thought maybe I blew a head gasket, but I've checked compression and I'm getting 180 PSI+ consistent on all cyls.
I then checked cap/rotor/plugs. All were worn so I replaced them minus wires. Nothing changed. I only got very little improvement in power. Then, I replaced the coil and the module. Still no improvement. I replaced the coolant sensor. Nothing. I replaced the whole computer! Nothing. Then I replaced the distributor thinking it was the pickups. Now the car won't even start! I still need to check the timing.
I have been getting spark, but it seems to be missing on one cylinder unless I unplug the wire. Then I get spark (all checked with timing light). I am at the end with this thing. It's acting like a blown head gasket, but I have good compression. Any ideas out there??
Dave B.
Ck your ground strap to the valve cover. Also, please let me know if and how you solve this problem. I have a similar problem:
I changed the manual transmission on my 90 Honda Civic LX (1.5L) and replaced it with a 1988 tranny. I therefore had to replace the clutch, pressure plate AND flywheel. That installation went fine. I started the engine and it ran fine.
When I test drove the car I didn't get a mile before I lost power badly and could hardly get the engine up to 3000 RPM. I barely made it back to my house. I thought maybe I blew a head gasket, but I've checked compression and I'm getting 180 PSI+ consistent on all cyls.
I then checked cap/rotor/plugs. All were worn so I replaced them minus wires. Nothing changed. I only got very little improvement in power. Then, I replaced the coil and the module. Still no improvement. I replaced the coolant sensor. Nothing. I replaced the whole computer! Nothing. Then I replaced the distributor thinking it was the pickups. Now the car won't even start! I still need to check the timing.
I have been getting spark, but it seems to be missing on one cylinder unless I unplug the wire. Then I get spark (all checked with timing light). I am at the end with this thing. It's acting like a blown head gasket, but I have good compression. Any ideas out there??
Dave B.
Recognized HCF Member
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 9,453
From: Houston, Texas
RE: Civic Won't Spark
ORIGINAL: Helimech
Well I did check to see if the rotor was pointing to the #1 post when I timed the belt but never had the cap off while cranking. I'll check that. I'll also run a test wire right from the coil high tension spring and check for a spark. Now I'm wondering if my screwdriver was making contact with the spark plug wire. The coils secondary resistance per the Haynes manual is supossed to be between 12.8 and 19.8 k-ohms @ 70degF and I got about 11.5 k-ohms @ 80degF. I blew that off as close enough with my cheap meter and the 80degF. I did all the checks in the Haynes manual for the ICM (Ignition Unit) but there are a few more in the check that RonJ reply has that I will check.
Well I did check to see if the rotor was pointing to the #1 post when I timed the belt but never had the cap off while cranking. I'll check that. I'll also run a test wire right from the coil high tension spring and check for a spark. Now I'm wondering if my screwdriver was making contact with the spark plug wire. The coils secondary resistance per the Haynes manual is supossed to be between 12.8 and 19.8 k-ohms @ 70degF and I got about 11.5 k-ohms @ 80degF. I blew that off as close enough with my cheap meter and the 80degF. I did all the checks in the Haynes manual for the ICM (Ignition Unit) but there are a few more in the check that RonJ reply has that I will check.
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 11
From:
RE: Civic Won't Spark
I have dual point injection. The primary injector is dumping gas like it's full-throttle. It does this even if the check engine light is off. And some history: the check engine light did start coming on at times BEFORE I parked the car when the tranny broke. But the engine still ran fine (well, fine for over 200K miles). But nothing like what's going on now.
Also, I ran the usual Haynes tests on several sensors including O2, Intake Air, MAP, Throttle Angle, etc. They all seemed to be fine. The coolant sensor was replaced by a shop where I had taken it to have it hooked up to a machine. I realized right away that they were ripping me off so I went there and towed my car back home. The next thing they were going to "try" was the ECU (for an additional $500). NO THANKS! I did it myself. And I can take it back if I want to.
The only sensors that seemed to fail were the Crank Angle sensor in the distributor. The book says I should have continuity to ground through all four leads on the DISTRIBUTOR side of the connecting harness. I have no continuity to ground using an Ohm meter. That was on the distributor I removed. I haven't checked the one on there now.
Also, I ran the usual Haynes tests on several sensors including O2, Intake Air, MAP, Throttle Angle, etc. They all seemed to be fine. The coolant sensor was replaced by a shop where I had taken it to have it hooked up to a machine. I realized right away that they were ripping me off so I went there and towed my car back home. The next thing they were going to "try" was the ECU (for an additional $500). NO THANKS! I did it myself. And I can take it back if I want to.
The only sensors that seemed to fail were the Crank Angle sensor in the distributor. The book says I should have continuity to ground through all four leads on the DISTRIBUTOR side of the connecting harness. I have no continuity to ground using an Ohm meter. That was on the distributor I removed. I haven't checked the one on there now.
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Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 10,023
RE: Civic Won't Spark
CDblack, first put the old dizzy back on. There should be no continuity to ground from any of the angle sensor wires. But if the ECU is consistently setting the code for one of the angle sensors, it could be bad.
Then if it starts you really should check your timing. Sometimes an old timing belt will jump a tooth. It appears you never replaced the spark wires. It could be a bad wire especially if the problem seems to be related to one cylinder.
No gas should come out the injectors if you crank with them unplugged. If it does you have a bad injector.
Then if it starts you really should check your timing. Sometimes an old timing belt will jump a tooth. It appears you never replaced the spark wires. It could be a bad wire especially if the problem seems to be related to one cylinder.
No gas should come out the injectors if you crank with them unplugged. If it does you have a bad injector.
Chubby Chaser
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 4,681
From: whitwell,Tn 37397
RE: Civic Won't Spark
CDBLACK there is 2 ground wires 1 on the trans. and 1 on the valve cover and check fuse box for bad fuses.
i did a swap on my 91 hatch 1 time and forgot to put ground on trans. did the same thing fixed and it ran great.
i did a swap on my 91 hatch 1 time and forgot to put ground on trans. did the same thing fixed and it ran great.
