1990 civic quits occasionally

Our 90 civic DX (200k+ miles) loses power, then dies. Has started doing
this occasionally since the weather has turned cold.
Wont restart unitl it has set for hr or so. This seems to occur about the
time the engine has warmed up (4 mi or so).
Garage replaced the fuel pump and filter. Has happend again. Any ideas on
what to look at next would be greatly appreciated.

thanks

mike moorman

 

Dying only after warmup, then re-starting after cooldown, is
consistent with a failing ignition coil, for one.

Is your Civic's current coil OEM? How old is it?

Help with checking the coil and looking at other usual
suspects are listed here:
http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/faq.html#startrun

 

any codes on the computer?

 

Do the dash lights come on when the car dies?

 

The electical system seems to function normally. I replaced the ignitor
coil several years ago. There are no computer codes. My daughter reports
that when it dies it feels like there is a major drop in power, then it
stops altogather. She is in school in OK, I am in NC so this is by
remote control.

Thanks,
mpm

 

the igniter is different to the coil. the early honda igniters were
unreliable so that may have been what you replaced before. and if it was
bad, you may have cooked the coil, which is what the current symptoms
sound like. suggest replacing with an oem coil [aftermarket are
unreliable]. unlikely to find in junkyards as this is a common failure
item, so buy new.

a leak in the ht coil doesn't give a code on this computer unfortunately.

 

one more thing - if you're still using the original distributor, the
condenser may be on its way out. suggest replacing that too - old ones
have a remarkable impact on weakening the spark.

 

Hi,
Always on a problem like this you have to figure out whether it is fuel
or ignition problem. Did you have a valid reason to replace those two
parts? I'd rather suspect ignition problem since it is heat related.
Do you have spark when engine dies? Trouble-shooting with shot gun
method can be very wasteful.

 

Is it likely that a failing coil would produce the loss of power
immediately before dying? Where is the coil on a 90 civic? Since the car
and the car manual are in Ok, I cant look for myself. I replaced the
igniter 10 or so years ago, Think that I replaced the condenser at the
same time. Guess that I should tell my daughter to get one of those
flashing neon spark indicators to see if there is a spark.

thanks,
mpm

 

Fuel pump wouldn't have been my first choice. However my daughter is at
school in OK and I am in NC. Heat is relative, The car is starting out
at 20 deg F and apparently getting to the point of being warmed up.
Since the loss of power is somewhat gradual I asumed that fuel problem
was more likely. May have to get her to buy a spark indicator to verify
that it is not the problem.

thanks,
mpm

 

I'm not as familiar with the Honda ignition parts as others here, but
mid-80s Volvos often gave these symptoms when the ignitor was poorly heat
sunk; loss of power followed by stalling. Remounting the ignitor on a
cleaned surface with fresh heat sink compound was the cure for that.

If the ignition is failing the tach will drop before the engine speed does,
and the tach will not "kick" a couple times a second when the engine is
cranked.

Mike

 

yes. the insulation inside the coil breaks down and there's internal
flash-over inside the coil.

inside the distributor housing. if you remove the cap, it's right in
front of you at the top.

just use an old spark plug. the problem is though, there can be
intermittents. check tegger.com and browse for his words on coil failure
- a very good summary.

 

The FAQ is a great help. Will have my daughter test for a spark
at the next failure and proceed from there.

Thanks,
mpm

 

that reminds me; is the coil in the 92-95 SOHC D series engine (D16)
the same as the coil in the same vintage DOHC B engine (B16)? i have a
very vague recollection of some place that said they were different,
but i can't find it