Help Please!!

[1badacc]

OK so here is the problem...the other day i drove to the city and then came back car ran fine didn't give me a prob... so the next day im warming it up park it on the other side waiting to go somewhere... i go inside and come out but don't hear the car running i ask my girl why did it shut off she had no idea she didn't touch it ......

so i turn it on runs fine i drive somewhere local then out of no where the motor dies so i pull to the side it wouldn't turn on again so me and my boys check the normal fuses, spark, fuel, timing belt we decided maybe the external msd coil went bad so i change it out for a blaster SS still no dice

so we take off the dizzy cap and everything is turning but no spark so i tow it home and wait to get a igniter thinking that was the prob...so i take off the dizzy and i got one from a friend last night i installed it before the storm but nothing.. wont start for nothing me and a member checked it a little while ago but no clue whats up with it.....

there is fuel, igniter changed, timing belt fine, coil changed, fuses checked, plugs wires and cap new, ... any help would be appreciated thanks in advance and sorry for the long story

as for what it does it just keeps turning but wont turn on

[JaK FRoSTWhiTE]

So there is fuel, and there is spark?

[1badacc]

there is fuel and as for spark i havent checked since i put the ignitor but there wasnt the day it broke down

[turbo90accord]

how did you verify there is fuel?

[1badacc]

dont know exact name lol but the bolt next to the fuel rail

[JaK FRoSTWhiTE]

there is fuel and as for spark i havent checked since i put the ignitor but there wasnt the day it broke down

Check to see if it has spark.
Also check to see if the spark is strong.
Just because you switched the ignitor doesnt mean it was a good one.

[1badacc]

alright i will in the morning it was f@ckin cold as hell out tonight i barely got to work on the CB or the corolla

[BLUBB2]

Well Im not really sure how to check for fuel neither. I always just listen for the ticking from the injectors but Im sure there is a proper more conclusive way to do it.

[turbo90accord]

removing the service port on the fuel rail if there is one and connecting a hose to it and verifying fuel flow when the ignition is turned on is the propper way. Listening for injector click is not a good way because if the fuel pump is dead the injectors are still going to click they just wont be flowing any fuel.

[BLUBB2]

removing the service port on the fuel rail if there is one and connecting a hose to it and verifying fuel flow when the ignition is turned on is the propper way. Listening for injector click is not a good way because if the fuel pump is dead the injectors are still going to click they just wont be flowing any fuel.

Thanks for that info. Ill remember that for future reference.

[1badacc]

im pretty sure fuel wasnt the prob more of the spark being it since thats what we noticed when tryna crank it no spark..... oh well tomorrow ill check it again to see ill keep you guys posted thanks for all the help

[1badacc]

problem solved it was getting spark its that when my friend and i took the distributor and noticed that the thing that spins in the middle of the dizzy was backwards so thanks for all the help its all good now

[lokuputha]

I don't care what this thread is about, but that sig is awesome



glad you fixed everything.

[WilliamW]

problem solved it was getting spark its that when my friend and i took the distributor and noticed that the thing that spins in the middle of the dizzy was backwards so thanks for all the help its all good now

What? HUH?

I've missed something here. so your car died for no reason. OK, you took off the dizzy (or distributor for the technical term). You didn't see anything. You replaced the igniter unit. OK. You tried a new coil. OK. Where was the problem?

For the " thing that spins in the middle of the dizzy" to be backwards is impossible. They have a notch cut out of the shaft so they only go on one way. AND! For that to be the problem. Your car wouldn't have run at all. You'd be throwing spark to the wrong cylinder and your car wouldn't have run in the first place.

You really have not solved the issue you're having with your car dying. The next time this happens (there probably will be a next time) this is what you should do. Check to see if there is spark. Take a screw driver and put it into a spark plug wire that you take off of #1-4 cylinder, hold it close to the engine for a ground for the spark to jump to. You can not test spark with the distributor cap off. It's impossible unless you touch it *this is a bad idea.*

Next is fuel. You need to buy a noid light set. These test the electrical signal to the injectors. You will need a small pocket knife to pry off the clip of the fuel injector plug and all you do is stick this Noid light in. Crank the engine and see if the device lights up. If so your injectors are receiving a pulse. To check the fuel pump just prime the system. Stay really quiet and listen for your fuel pump when the car is clicked into the accessory position. If that's good then all that's left is compression and you'll have to do a compression test.

Things that could lead to a dying engine could be an igniter untit. Usually your RPM's can bounce around if it's going bad but not always. Other than that A main relay could be the problem.


PLEASE try and be more clear on your descriptions. It's very hard to understand what exactly is happening.

[1badacc]

I don't care what this thread is about, but that sig is awesome



glad you fixed everything.

thanks lol

What? HUH?

I've missed something here. so your car died for no reason. OK, you took off the dizzy (or distributor for the technical term). You didn't see anything. You replaced the igniter unit. OK. You tried a new coil. OK. Where was the problem?

For the " thing that spins in the middle of the dizzy" to be backwards is impossible. They have a notch cut out of the shaft so they only go on one way. AND! For that to be the problem. Your car wouldn't have run at all. You'd be throwing spark to the wrong cylinder and your car wouldn't have run in the first place.

You really have not solved the issue you're having with your car dying. The next time this happens (there probably will be a next time) this is what you should do. Check to see if there is spark. Take a screw driver and put it into a spark plug wire that you take off of #1-4 cylinder, hold it close to the engine for a ground for the spark to jump to. You can not test spark with the distributor cap off. It's impossible unless you touch it *this is a bad idea.*

Next is fuel. You need to buy a noid light set. These test the electrical signal to the injectors. You will need a small pocket knife to pry off the clip of the fuel injector plug and all you do is stick this Noid light in. Crank the engine and see if the device lights up. If so your injectors are receiving a pulse. To check the fuel pump just prime the system. Stay really quiet and listen for your fuel pump when the car is clicked into the accessory position. If that's good then all that's left is compression and you'll have to do a compression test.

Things that could lead to a dying engine could be an igniter untit. Usually your RPM's can bounce around if it's going bad but not always. Other than that A main relay could be the problem.


PLEASE try and be more clear on your descriptions. It's very hard to understand what exactly is happening.

first of all yes the problem is fixed and the car starts and i drove it to go eat somethin.....

Day 1: now as for what happened in as short explanation as possible i was driving the car and it died on me, my friends and i tested for spark by taking a tool i had and sticking it into one of the plug wires and cranked the car while it was close to a ground hence (THE NO SPARK) we thought it was the msd external coil that maybe went bad so i changed it for a blaster ss and still nothin so i towed it home..... we also checked to see if fuel was coming to the motor by priming it and it did through the nut explained above that was loosened

when i got it home i did some research and found out about the ignitor and how they most of the time are the culprits to what exactly happened to my car sooo...... i called oneoffaccord (Larry) to make sure and thats what he thought as well, by the time i was done with that it was cold and dark and my friend had been working and couldnt give me the part anyway since it was snowing....

Day 2: the next day went by and that night i took off the "dizzy" because once again my friend was home but had the ignitor with him, so me and another friend went to his house to go put it on and not strip the screws it had holding it in... i get home put on the distributor and yes as much as you might say "no it cant fit" it did thats where i messed up the thing that spins whatever the correct name for it is went in with no problem the car didnt start so i left it for the next day........

Day 3:the next night me and Larry took a look at it and tryed to crank it it just turns and putts out of the IM and no start he couldnt figure it out since none of us thought that that thing would go in backwards it was friggin cold so i called it a night....

Day 4: Me and a friend started messin with it checking and rechecking when he noticed that when i was crankin it, it was rocking the "dizzy" from the top so he says to me hold on, i snapped the top bolt off the head that holds the "dizzy" in place on top so he take it off and he says, now i know the problem it was backwards we turn the spinning peace in the middle put it back on crank it an wahhlaahh fixed and has been for the rest of the day

so if i may i dismiss my case and hope for all who were confused (+1) that all is well thanks for the help and good day

ps. im learning as i go, first time taking off a distributor and i new a little about it but didnt think it could go in wrong as in the middle piece, im not a total noob but at times need asst. thats what the site is for