'92 Accord won't start at all

Recently the radiator hose in my '92 Honda Accord busted, showering th
engine. I had the car towed and the radiator hose replaced. Now i
won't start. I put in a new battery, just to make sure it's enoug
juce. I tested for spark; there was none. I replaced the ignitio
coil; still no spark on cranking. There also is no spark from the coi
wire when held about a quarter inch from ground. There is voltage o
the two center connectors of the ignitor. I tried to test the EC
connector on the ignitor (without removing the wire) by putting an LE
(with 650 Ohms in series) between that contact and the plus of th
battery. On cranking I think it first blinked a few times and then i
stopped blinking. Did I mess up the ECU by doing that? The plasti
covers on the ignitor connectors appear to be brittle, like they took
lot of heat. What should I do next? Replace the ignitor? Can I do
test to check the ECU? How do I obtain trouble codes from the ECU (
see comments about bridging two wires, but I don't know where the
are.)
When I turn the ignition key, one step before the cranking position,
hear what appears to be the fuel pump relay for a few seconds. Ye
when I check the spark plugs after cranking, they appear quite dry. I
that as it should be?

Any help is much appreciated

-
pjs

 

==================

pjs7,

Remove the distributor cap and make sure the rotor is turning when you
crank the engine. It is driven by cam, which is driven by the timing
belt :-(

Report back to group.

'Curly'

 

Thanks, Curly.

Yes, the rotor is turning.

Since the problem started right after the busted radiator hose, I a
wondering whether that (the flood of water) might have anything to d
with it. BTW, I checked all fuses, they are all good

-
pjs

 

This may sound off the wall.......in the old days after we washed the
engine we ran the engine to dry off all the electrical items.

I suggest you use a hair dryer on their exterior to heat up and dry
the inside the electrical components where water could have entered.

Assuming your wife will let you use her hair dryer, if it works, it's
a cheep fix.

 

Great idea--excellent post--keep up the great work.
I don't know where the air cleaner is located on a 92 Accord--check it and
make sure it is dry. A vehicle won't start if the air cleaner is saturated
with water. I learned this valuable lesson after washing a motorcycle. I
was not aware that the cover on the air cleaner allowed water to flow into
the air cleaner. Also, you might want open the distributer and dry off
everything.

 

If none of that works, do this: Take a paper towel and thoroughly wipe out
the inside of the distributor cap making sure to get all particles of trash
out of it, and off of contacts. Then, after that, take a can of WD40 and
spray a THIN film inside the distributor cap. (DO NOT overdo this. You
should have NO excessive "run" whatsoever) Don't wipe out the film of WD40.
Leave it in there. Replace distributor cap and try to start. I had to do
this on my 1990 Civic LX after my dad "washed" the engine. He sprayed GUNK®
cleaner on the engine and then hosed it off. It absolutely would not start.
After I did what I mentioned above, it started up immediately. The engine
will not fire at all if there is so much as a single molecule of
condensation is inside the distributor.

Good Luck!

Jonathan

P.S. If this doesn't work the first time around, spray WD40 on the paper
towel, re-wipe inside of distributor cap, then re-wipe with dry paper towel,
then spray thin film of WD40 again. If it doesn't work after 3 tries, then
moisture inside the distributor cap is not the problem.

 

Any comments on the ignitor and/or ECU

-
pjs

 

Ignitor is a common problem, the ECU is not.

NAPA carries the ignitor for about $90 US, although you may find it cheaper
at other sources. There have been recent threads about how to check the
ignitor, but if you are stuck guessing it is the top suspect for sudden
ignition failure. (I assume you checked and found no spark.)

Mike