92 Civic Won't Fire Plugs

[jim (archive)]

I thought it was because the window was rolled down?

I know what you say is the problem and the dealer appears to be happy to oblige your foolishness.

 

[jd]

I know what you say is the problem and the dealer appears to be happy to oblige your foolishness.

I rolled the window up.

 

[jd]

I don't know a better way to describe the problem.

In 2009, I had a loud screeching noise coming from my distributor like the bearings were going bad so the local Honda dealer rebuilt the distributor. Everything seemed to be fine.

Six months later, the car would turn the engine but it wouldn't start. It was like there was no power to the spark plugs, however, when I giggled the key in the ignition, it started with no problem.

The problem got worse over time but giggling the key in the ignition seemed to fix the problem, temporarily. It might go a week or a month but every time it wouldn't start, giggling the key in the ignition fixed it, again temporarily.

Local Honda dealer replaced the ignition switch and problem went away for about three months. But, then it returned.

Now the car won't fire the plugs and the local Honda dealer is not sure why. I think it is the rebuilt distributor. The only other item they replaced was the "oil pressure switch."

I don't think the problem was the ignition switch but neither myself or the local Honda dealer can figure it out. They have tried new relays and that didn't fix the problem.

Any ideas? Or should I just junk this 18 year old Honda and try another brand, like a Mazda CX9?

JD is at his wits end and the the local Honda dealer doesn't seem to have a clue as to how to fix the problem.

It's a 1992 Honda Civic hatch, if that's any help. It has less than 40,000 miles. I don't drive much.

Thanks for reading this far.

The repairs cost $1,226.04 for parts, labor and sales tax on the part.

The car has been at the dealer since the middle of June.

The dealer did not charge me for the second ignition and labor: $523.72

The dealer did not charge me for the new igniter and coil in the distributor: $308. I have no idea what their labor would be for that but they didn't charge me for that either.

They didn't charge me for any of the above because none of that fixed the problem.

They did charge me $325 for diagnostics and to replace a part and they charged me $75 for the tow to the dealership since the problem was not from their earlier repairs. So labor was $400.

They charged me $866.04 for a new Engine Control Module and sales tax on the part.

I've only driven the car home. It didn't stall and it started but it's done that for up to three months until it fails. So time will tell. The technician says he was able to have the problem occur on a regular basis by starting the car and then letting it come to operating temperature and letting it set for 15 minutes and then it wouldn't start. He said it no longer does that.

The dealer kept me appraised of the situation and never charged me for anything until I agreed to the price.

If you don't hear from me then the problem is fixed. May be a few months before I know for sure.

Now I don't want to sell it. It drives like a little sports car. SOB is fast and responsive for an 18 year old car.

Thanks to everyone that tried to help.

 

[jim beam]

The repairs cost $1,226.04 for parts, labor and sales tax on the part.

The car has been at the dealer since the middle of June.

The dealer did not charge me for the second ignition and labor: $523.72

The dealer did not charge me for the new igniter and coil in the distributor: $308. I have no idea what their labor would be for that but they didn't charge me for that either.

They didn't charge me for any of the above because none of that fixed the problem.

They did charge me $325 for diagnostics and to replace a part and they charged me $75 for the tow to the dealership since the problem was not from their earlier repairs. So labor was $400.

They charged me $866.04 for a new Engine Control Module and sales tax on the part.

I've only driven the car home. It didn't stall and it started but it's done that for up to three months until it fails. So time will tell. The technician says he was able to have the problem occur on a regular basis by starting the car and then letting it come to operating temperature and letting it set for 15 minutes and then it wouldn't start. He said it no longer does that.

that sounds typical for main relay. $45 and about 10 minutes to diagnose /IF/ you know what you're doing. if you paid them with your credit card, you can use the credit card company to dispute the charge if they've misdiagnosed. time will tell.

 

[jd]

that sounds typical for main relay. $45 and about 10 minutes to diagnose /IF/ you know what you're doing. if you paid them with your credit card, you can use the credit card company to dispute the charge if they've misdiagnosed. time will tell.

I guess I forgot to mention that. They replaced the main relay and it did not solve the problem. The ECM was their last choice. I'm sorry that I'm not a Honda savant but even with all the recent repairs this 18 year old Civic has cost me less than $900 a year. That isn't bad.

The dealership guarantees their work for 3 years or 50,000 miles. As you say, time will tell.

 

[jim beam]

I guess I forgot to mention that. They replaced the main relay and it did not solve the problem.

vital info!

The ECM was their last choice. I'm sorry that
I'm not a Honda savant but even with all the recent repairs this 18 year old Civic has cost me less than $900 a year. That isn't bad.

The dealership guarantees their work for 3 years or 50,000 miles.

good. at your mileage, it should serve you another 18. enjoy!

 

[jd]

vital info!

good. at your mileage, it should serve you another 18. enjoy!

Thanks!

I've thought it was repaired before. It took about four months before the problem reoccurred. The dealer repair guy said he was able to reproduce the problem with consistency and the only thing thing didn't work properly was the ECM. Something about incorrect voltage coming out of the ECM? I have a second car so I can test the Civic without being stranded too far from home.

If I don't post back then it's good to go.

 

[Dillon Pyron]

The repairs cost $1,226.04 for parts, labor and sales tax on the part.

The car has been at the dealer since the middle of June.

The dealer did not charge me for the second ignition and labor: $523.72

The dealer did not charge me for the new igniter and coil in the distributor: $308. I have no idea what their labor would be for that but they didn't charge me for that either.

They didn't charge me for any of the above because none of that fixed the problem.

They did charge me $325 for diagnostics and to replace a part and they charged me $75 for the tow to the dealership since the problem was not from their earlier repairs. So labor was $400.

They charged me $866.04 for a new Engine Control Module and sales tax on the part.

I've only driven the car home. It didn't stall and it started but it's done that for up to three months until it fails. So time will tell. The technician says he was able to have the problem occur on a regular basis by starting the car and then letting it come to operating temperature and letting it set for 15 minutes and then it wouldn't start. He said it no longer does that.

The dealer kept me appraised of the situation and never charged me for anything until I agreed to the price.

If you don't hear from me then the problem is fixed. May be a few months before I know for sure.

Now I don't want to sell it. It drives like a little sports car. SOB is fast and responsive for an 18 year old car.

At this point you need to get another $1300 worth of driving out of the sucker.

Thanks to everyone that tried to help.