The Issue: While driving my car shut off like I stalled out, then it would not start while I was cranking the engine on the side of the road. Still it cranks but does not start.

The Car: 1995 Honda Del Sol 1.6 SOHV VTEC 5spd.

What I Have Done: Installed the following hoping the car would work:

1. New distributor with ignition coil.
2. New rotor
3. New spark plugs
4. New battery
5. Re-soldered the main relay joints under the dash.

Someone PLEASE help me get my Del Sol back up and running! I bought a multi-meter to test some things :P

 

I believe I did not disrupt the distributor at all, as far as placing the rotor 180 degress off. It seems it only goes back on one way, since the water of the rotor is flat and the top is round, so I dont think the timing is off : / I dont know, Please help a girl out!

 

Pull the brake handle up. Turn the key on but don't crank. The Check Engine light should come on for 2 seconds and then go out. The Oil, Battery, and BRAKE lights should be on. Now crank. The BRAKE light should stay on.

If that passes, disconnect one of the plug wires and test for sparks with a spare plug.

 

He should make sure the ground electrode is solidly connected to ground. The coil needs to always fire into a load (grounded plug).

 

Check to see if your timing belt eather A broke or B jumped and threw your timing off

 

Try this out and see if it helps you find your problem

How To Retrieve Check Engine Light (CEL) Codes/List of OBD1 CEL Codes - Honda-Tech

 

My timing belts look ok, no cracks I can see. See if they have jumped?

 

SO fella's, I check the spark plugs to see if I was getting spark and I kinda am? I pulled spark plug 4 (closest to the left while looking at engine bay) and it sparked. oooook good!
Then I checked cylnder 3,2,and 1 and none of the others where sparking. I then rechecked the the initial plug 4 and it sparked once, then did not spark again.

-I checked for spark by removing the plug from the wire, taking the spark plug out, then connected it to the plug. Attached jumper cable negative the the plug and the positive to the + battery cable.

I might want to add that cylinder 2 and 3 both gave a small puff of smoke when the spark plugs where out and tried starting the car.
HELP!!!

 

Well, if you're not getting spark, it seems like you found the problem. Have you checked/replaced your spark plug wires?

Edit: Have you tried testing the spark by grounding the plug to the cylinder head? That's how I've always tested in the past. Your jumper cable method may not be making enough contact to allow enough current to flow for proper spark. Just make sure you're not touching the cyl head / block / grounded bits of the car when you do it or you're in for a nasty shock!

 

Do you have the rotor screw in place? Unlike most cars, it doesn't just push on. It has to be secured with the screw in the side.

Take the upper timing belt cover off and rotate the crank by hand to TDC1. Confirm that the crank reaches TDC at the same time the marks on the cam pulley line up. Then take the distributor cap off and confirm the rotor points to wire #1.