Grant Fralick Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Ok like to start by saying i been to several honda forums no one has replied out vof 200+ views ugh well the car ran like a champ got great gas mileage, and its the single over head came engine lol the slowest prelude ever made i think haha , but one day was going down the road it puttered out like out of fuel but had 3 quarters of a tank of fuel, ok well 2 days later it fired up like nothing happened what the crap man??? but then does this all over again but this time i wake up had something to do, it would not fire up, so i pulled a spark plug wire out stuck a phillips head in the boot told my girl to start it up didnt pop me, i even put the spark plug in the boot grounded the threads and nothing so i then went to the coil tried to get it to pop my self again nothing so i said ok great just need a new coil after checking fuses all were fine dunno if any relays there control fire but i bought and mounted new coil correctly and nothing REALLY! !!! then the next day it fired up again now today it wont start if anyone can help me that be great thank yall so much! !!! p.s. only trouble ive had out of this car since my pa's bought it brand new lol, oh and if it's the ICM can u tell me were it's at i cant find it no were????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Matteu Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Uh, carb'ed Preludes didn't have ICMs. You're going to have a hard time finding someone who knows anything about Honda CVCC systems. All my knowledge comes from having owned and worked on my '86 Honda Accord LX which had the CVCC A20 motor. First, a can of break cleaner for finding leaks and a hand vacuum pump with gauge for putting vac and measuring it are the only special tools you need. If I remember correctly, you should have a Ignition Advance Diaphragm mounted on the distributor in lieu of an Ignition Control Module (ICM). Check the line going to it for vac and apply vac to it to make sure the diaphragm isn't damaged. I cannot remember whether or not you even have an electronic pick-up in the distributor and am having a really hard time remembering how exactly the Ignition Coil gets a signal to fire. The Fuel Pump can fail intermittently as a sign that a complete failure is on the horizon. A fuel pressure gauge is what would suggest to take out the guess work but the problem is 1/4"NPT adapters for Hondas work on the low side Banjo bolt found on PGM-Fi Hondas and those have the filter mounted in the engine bay. My Accord had its filter mounted next to the fuel tank and I don't think it had a high pressure Banjo bolt connection. In fact, I remember now, it had regular hose clamps and generic fuel lines with that red braided cloth wrapping. So, I don't know where you would want to measure fuel pressure, sorry. I gave my Helms away with the car when I sold it, so I cannot even look this up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Matteu Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Okay, yeah. You do have an "electronic" pick-up. I use that term loosely since it is the same mechanical system used in ODB-0 PGM-Fi Hondas but instead of sending the signals to the ECU yours should connect via #15 directly to the Ignition Coil's Primary Winding (somebody please check this on a wiring diagram, I am really unsure). Your pick-up appears to be a mechanic switch type, but I'm not sure. I do know the cog #14 creates a signal as it spins in the presence of the magnet #13. Your CVCC version of an ICM is the Advance Diaphragm #5 and spring loaded weights #8. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grant Fralick Posted November 13, 2012 Author Share Posted November 13, 2012 lol i knew had a pickup or ignitor or w/e but i screwed up, i didnt mark the rotor when i took everything apart i replaced the ICM or ignitor, and well some were along the line i turn the motor by the crank nut and got the distributor out of time with the engine, how do i get the distributor back in time??? i worked on plenty of vehicals but my first time on messing with a distributor always had coil packs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Matteu Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 You'll need the Helms for that: the book shows what marks to follow. Internally, the Distributor gets set to #1 Spark position. Externally, once the distributor is aligned, the distributor shaft is set to Top Dead Center with the motor at Top Dead Center. Then a timing light is used to make a finer adjustment to the distributor. I like to take some white chalk and color in the timing marks on the Crankshaft Pulley, it makes them easier to see; just wipe the excess chalk off with your finger and the indentations should have a good contrast. Again, use the Helm Inc Honda Service Manual. I've only laid out the broad strokes for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grant Fralick Posted November 13, 2012 Author Share Posted November 13, 2012 You'll need the Helms for that: the book shows what marks to follow. Internally, the Distributor gets set to #1 Spark position. Externally, once the distributor is aligned, the distributor shaft is set to Top Dead Center with the motor at Top Dead Center. Then a timing light is used to make a finer adjustment to the distributor. I like to take some white chalk and color in the timing marks on the Crankshaft Pulley, it makes them easier to see; just wipe the excess chalk off with your finger and the indentations should have a good contrast. Again, use the Helm Inc Honda Service Manual. I've only laid out the broad strokes for you. You'll need the Helms for that: the book shows what marks to follow. Internally, the Distributor gets set to #1 Spark position. Externally, once the distributor is aligned, the distributor shaft is set to Top Dead Center with the motor at Top Dead Center. Then a timing light is used to make a finer adjustment to the distributor. I like to take some white chalk and color in the timing marks on the Crankshaft Pulley, it makes them easier to see; just wipe the excess chalk off with your finger and the indentations should have a good contrast. Again, use the Helm Inc Honda Service Manual. I've only laid out the broad strokes for you. dont think they released a PDF File any were u think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Matteu Posted November 14, 2012 Share Posted November 14, 2012 Yeah, look through 83-90 and see which has a similar distributor explained. http://spoonertuner.com/manuals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
romanjcg Posted May 4, 2013 Share Posted May 4, 2013 Hey Grant, wow! I had the same exact thing happen to me in almost the same exact sequence. I even bought a new coil and same thing, nothing. I had a heck of time with it, as it left me on the side of the road too many times. Each time thinking I must have fixed it, when I cleaned the distributor cap or rotor or other things. Then only to be stalled out once again. I checked all my fuses, multiple times, tested my ignition switch, did a complete run through on my alternator. Long story short, it was the igniter inside the distributor. I had previously bought a new distributor about a year before all this and had a lifetime warranty. When I asked O'reilly's if it was covered they said yes. Unfortunately they didnt have one in stock so they had to order it from the manufacturer. It took 7 days. 7 days without my car, sheeesh. I was happy it was covered because I found out that the igniter was $100 bucks and you have to remove the reluctor to get to it. I didn't like this idea becuase a loose reluctor was why I had to buy a new distributor in the first place, that and the 100 bucks. Anyway after I got the new distributor installed with the new igniter it has been running like champ. The igniter is number 11 in the schematic above. Try this, hope it helps, Roman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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