Well, shucks. A while back I drove the little black Honda home one
evening, it was running fine.[*] The next morning I jump in it, turn
the key and it cranks and cranks and cranks but doesn't start. So
I start trying to track down the problem with this '87 Civic Si.
At this point, I have checked out the fuel system, the engine is getting
gasoline at the appropriate volume and pressure. I replaced the crank
sensors in the distributor, and sort of made some progress. Before the
sensors were replaced, the car might fire up when cranking and cranking,
run roughly for a bit and them either die or run perfectly normally
for a bit. Now with the new sensors in place it will attempt to start
every time, but sounds like the timing is way off, like 60 degrees or
something. And as part of the debugging process I did make sure that
at TDC the distributor rotor is in the correct position and the new plug
wires are all on the correct plug.
Perhaps some of you who are more familiar with Hondas might have some
further advice for me to track down the problem. Before I go and spend
$200 or so on a new ignitor for the distributor, on the chance that *might*
be the problem, what else should I check?
Thanks,
mjb.
*: Actually, now that I think about it, the tach was starting to twitch
while cruising down the highway, usually a sign of an ignition problem,
like the ignitor starting to fail. Hmmm...
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