Questions and Answers

Honda Accord Lost All It's Spark Q. Vince, I have a question about a 1991 Honda Accord DX. This car has about 130,000 miles, automatic transmission, A/C and is, of course, a 4 cylinder. For months we have had a problem with the car not starting, or stalling out, though very infrequently, maybe once a month, and in wet weather the problem is worse, or the car will not start at all.

Well, this week the car will all of a sudden not start at all. It turns over, but according to my neighbor, who did some sort of a test with a screwdriver and the spark plug wire, it is not creating spark. I just today replaced distributor cap, rotor, ignition wires, and spark plugs to no avail.

Also, I am not sure if this means anything, but the plugs had some oil on them, and were quite dirty, but not a lot of carbon build up or anything unusual that I could tell. I have read that distributors have a bearing problem, could this be it? Please help!

Thanks,
DC
Asheville, NC

A. Hard or so start in wet weather is usually indicative of a secondary ignition problem. But since you replaced all of the secondary ignition components, we will have to look elsewhere.

There was a recall on the distributor used in your vehicle on 12/93. To see if it was done, look for a mark over the last digit of the VIN on the firewall under the hood. If the mark is there, the recall was done.

If there is no mark, then the recall was not done. You can check with a Honda dealer to see if they will still honor the recall. If not, you can get the kit and do it yourself. When you get the kit, ask the Service Department for a copy of:

Bulletin No.: 93-035
Model: 1991 ACCORD
Applicable To: ALL
File Under: ELECTRICAL
Issue Date: DEC 10, 1993

Remove the distributor cap and rotor. Grasp the end of the distributor shaft and move it side to side. If there is more then the smallest amount of movement, it will probably need to be replaced.

If there is no play in the shaft, I would probably get the kit anyway since there is a very good chance that it will fix the problem.