Ok, I keep posting about the problem I’ve been having with my car not starting. Basically, the fuel system checks out ok, so that’s not the issue. The problem is I can’t get spark. I’ve replaced the stock coil with an MSD Blaster3 (and also used a generic coil to test with as well). I have a digital 6 installed, but have never used it because I’ve been having this problem since before I installed it (I was hoping it would help me figure out the problem). I tested the digital 6 and coil by tapping the trigger wire to the ground like MSD says to do, and I get spark, a very strong spark. Now, I’ve replaced the ignitor twice, figuring that must be the problem, since everything else checks out ok. But it still doesn’t spark. I also got a used ecu from a junkyard and tried that, and still no luck. I also tested to make sure the white wire (white on 90-91, yellow/green I think on 92-93) between the ecu and the ignitor was good, and continuity tested great. I’m also getting proper voltage (battery voltage) at the black/yellow wire to the ignitor and to the digital 6. I checked the voltage at the trigger wire (white/blue wire stock, white wire MSD), and the MSD side put out around 11.98 volts, which is a teeny bit less than battery voltage. The ignitor side read 7.88 volts or so. Is that supposed to read that? This was with the ignition on obviously, but without the engine cranking. One of the guys on here told me to wire a test light up to the trigger wire I believe, but I forget exactly how he said to wire it, whether to treat the ignitor connector as positive or negative. I just tested it with a test light, but hooked the test light up between the ignitor terminal and the wire from the digital 6 that goes to the ignitor terminal and tried cranking the engine twice, and got no flash or anything from the test light. I tend to think that wasn’t right. So anyone have any info as to how I can test it? I may just call the guy on here who was helping me before again, but I don’t want to pester him too much, since he was kind enough to help me in the first place. Anyone have any info? Thanks
Oh, I haven’t checked the tach wire going to the ignitor, but a problem with that wouldn’t cause the engine not to spark would it? Oh, and also, is the rotor supposed to touch the spark plug wire terminals? I know the cap makes contact with the rotor center (which is how it provides charge to the rotor), but is the contact on the rotor (the part on the outer edge of the rotor) actually supposed to touch the spark plug terminals on the cap? Mine doesn’t, I put on a new msd cap and am using a new stock acura rotor. I don’t think the rotor touched the new stock acura cap contacts either, but I just wanted to make sure it wasn’t some stupid problem with my MSD cap. Oh, also, could it be the other sensors in my distributor causing problems? like the TDC sensor, etc? Thanks
Have you tried having a shop or the dealer have a crack at it? Sounds like you’ve done just about everything. I’m sure it’s a mission for you now, though. I posted a few suggestions to you awhile back in the Tech Forum on this same problem. I had the EXACT same problems, mine was just a PGM FI main relay combined with a fried starter, though- which I know you’ve already replaced. Good Luck, bro.
Originally posted by spikius
[B]Ok, I keep posting about the problem I’ve been having with my car not starting. Basically, the fuel system checks out ok, so that’s not the issue. The problem is I can’t get spark. I’ve replaced the stock coil with an MSD Blaster3 (and also used a generic coil to test with as well). I have a digital 6 installed, but have never used it because I’ve been having this problem since before I installed it (I was hoping it would help me figure out the problem). I tested the digital 6 and coil by tapping the trigger wire to the ground like MSD says to do, and I get spark, a very strong spark. Now, I’ve replaced the ignitor twice, figuring that must be the problem, since everything else checks out ok. But it still doesn’t spark. I also got a used ecu from a junkyard and tried that, and still no luck. I also tested to make sure the white wire (white on 90-91, yellow/green I think on 92-93) between the ecu and the ignitor was good, and continuity tested great. I’m also getting proper voltage (battery voltage) at the black/yellow wire to the ignitor and to the digital 6. I checked the voltage at the trigger wire (white/blue wire stock, white wire MSD), and the MSD side put out around 11.98 volts, which is a teeny bit less than battery voltage. The ignitor side read 7.88 volts or so. Is that supposed to read that? This was with the ignition on obviously, but without the engine cranking. One of the guys on here told me to wire a test light up to the trigger wire I believe, but I forget exactly how he said to wire it, whether to treat the ignitor connector as positive or negative. I just tested it with a test light, but hooked the test light up between the ignitor terminal and the wire from the digital 6 that goes to the ignitor terminal and tried cranking the engine twice, and got no flash or anything from the test light. I tend to think that wasn’t right. So anyone have any info as to how I can test it? I may just call the guy on here who was helping me before again, but I don’t want to pester him too much, since he was kind enough to help me in the first place. Anyone have any info? Thanks
Oh, I haven’t checked the tach wire going to the ignitor, but a problem with that wouldn’t cause the engine not to spark would it? Oh, and also, is the rotor supposed to touch the spark plug wire terminals? I know the cap makes contact with the rotor center (which is how it provides charge to the rotor), but is the contact on the rotor (the part on the outer edge of the rotor) actually supposed to touch the spark plug terminals on the cap? Mine doesn’t, I put on a new msd cap and am using a new stock acura rotor. I don’t think the rotor touched the new stock acura cap contacts either, but I just wanted to make sure it wasn’t some stupid problem with my MSD cap. Oh, also, could it be the other sensors in my distributor causing problems? like the TDC sensor, etc? Thanks [/B]
Why dont you run the two wires from the ignitor straight to the coil completely eliminated the msd6.If you have spark.You have a defective msd6.email me with your phone number if you dont understand
Hey, integralife, I’m pretty sure you were the one helping me over the phone. Thanks! I didn’t want to call you again since you had helped so much already, I didn’t want to waste more of your time. I’ll maybe give you a call wednesday, I’ll try bypassing the digital 6, but the MSD test MSD suggests doing is basically manually triggering the ignition by tapping the trigger wire to ground. And that did work to trigger the ignition. I think I may also see about picking up a new distributor at a junkyard as well, to see if maybe somehow the sensors in the distributor are bad and causing my problem somehow (although I think the ecu would throw a code or something if that happened). Ya, I did replace the pgm-fi relay, and tested my old one, and both worked fine, it was something that was keeping voltage from getting to my fuel pump which made me think the fuel pump was bad (I haven’t fully investigated this, but I suspect what happened is that since I have a totally stripped interior, some friends of mine were helping me work on stuff, and we pulled the driver’s seat out, and I think that maybe when they put it back in, they may have nicked or cut one of the wires going to the fuel pump. I’m going to check the wiring on that part soon too, just in case something there could be causing this problem.) Oh, also, one other thing occured to me, could my auto be stuck in gear or something? I’m not sure exactly how the ecu corrects for this, and I would think my key would get locked in the ignition, but some solenoid like thing underneath the shifter on the driver’s side clicks sometimes when I turn the ignition on. I can’t figure out why or what it does, but it’ll start clicking, is this a sign that maybe it’s in gear or something is messed up with the tranny/shifter system that maybe is causing the ecu to not allow the engine to spark to allow it to start up? I wouldn’t think it would be allowed to crank if that were the case, but I dunno (I’m thinking it would be possible to crank with the car in gear since it uses a torque converter rather than a clutch). I also tried using the shift lock release mechanism to try to make sure it was in park or neutral (tried to start with both). I will probably just have to end up taking it to the acura dealer, I just don’t want to deal with the headache of getting it towed there, and then probably towed back (I doubt they’d fix it anything like cheaply.) I’m also not sure what else there is to check. Thanks
