'93 civic, engine cuts out while driving on highway ?

"robb" > wrote in news:13jidmm8gfqcd93
@corp.supernews.com:


>
> Tegger,
> i took my igniter apart to see what was inside. (it is labeled
> OKI.)
>
> i popped the plastic panel off the back there was sticky (but
> not strong) transparent gel around the electronics. I could see
> smallish silver wires welded to each outer ternminal and then
> connected to contact points/pads on the circuit board.. while
> removing the gel *carefully* with Q-tip, one of the silver wires
> easily came away from it's pad/tower. then one of the
> pads/towers (that the wires connected to) just lifted off the
> circuit board ( no force ) this was not good as i could not
> budge any of the remaining contact pads by jamming with a Q-tip.
> when i inspected the pad and circuit board with a magnifyng glass
> there appeaared to be corrosion or oxidation where the loose pads
> were mounted
>
> so i tested switching electronics by using sharp probes and
> making the test contacts directly onto circuit board pads or pad
> mount points... to my surprise the ignitor ****works and
> switches ****
>
> So in my case it seems to be a mechanical failure with the
> circuit connections... inside the ignitor
>
> rob
>
>
>


Very interesting. I'd love to see pictures, if you can get them. Especially
of the wire having come loose from its pad.

Grahame Wood has similar pics on his Web site, he
http://www.gcw.org.uk/rover/igniter.htm

--
Tegger

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

robb wrote:
> "Tegger" > wrote in message
> ...
>> Jim Yanik > wrote in
>> :
>>
>>> Tegger > wrote in
>>> :
>>>
>>>
>>>> Like jim says, it's possible. Apparently the igniter
> controls its own
>>>> dwell by sensing back EMF as the coil charges up.
>>> From the pictures of an igniter you posted awhile back,the
> igniter has
>>> a control IC that measures the emitter current
>>
>> So then maybe the OP's igniter simply suffered a random
> failure.
>> I've got 295,300 miles and seventeen years on my original
> igniter.
>> Borrowed time?
>
> Tegger,
> i took my igniter apart to see what was inside. (it is labeled
> OKI.)
>
> i popped the plastic panel off the back there was sticky (but
> not strong) transparent gel around the electronics. I could see
> smallish silver wires welded to each outer ternminal and then
> connected to contact points/pads on the circuit board.. while
> removing the gel *carefully* with Q-tip, one of the silver wires
> easily came away from it's pad/tower. then one of the
> pads/towers (that the wires connected to) just lifted off the
> circuit board ( no force ) this was not good as i could not
> budge any of the remaining contact pads by jamming with a Q-tip.
> when i inspected the pad and circuit board with a magnifyng glass
> there appeaared to be corrosion or oxidation where the loose pads
> were mounted
>
> so i tested switching electronics by using sharp probes and
> making the test contacts directly onto circuit board pads or pad
> mount points... to my surprise the ignitor ****works and
> switches ****
>
> So in my case it seems to be a mechanical failure with the
> circuit connections... inside the ignitor
>
> rob
>
>
interesting! can't see how it would be possible to prevent this, or fix
it, but interesting nevertheless!

"Tegger" > wrote in message
...
> "robb" > wrote in news:13jidmm8gfqcd93
> @corp.supernews.com:
>
>
> >
> > Tegger,
> > i took my igniter apart to see what was inside. (it is
labeled
> > OKI.)
> > So in my case it seems to be a mechanical failure with the
> > circuit connections... inside the ignitor
> >
>
> Very interesting. I'd love to see pictures, if you can get
them. Especially
> of the wire having come loose from its pad.
>
sure i can do that but i do not have a convenient web site to
post pics, i will need to put them on one of the file share sites
or post to some binary usenet group e.g. alt.binaries.???

all the terminal wires have broken off while finishing the
cleaning and performing the test with the probes. those silver
connector wires were quite fragile... one bend and a return bend
and they popped right off the pads that the wires connected to
on the actuall circuit board might be more interesting as they
should be welded to the circuit board and not pop off at all.

then the one pad that did dis-connect had corrosion on the weld
where it was suppose to be conected to circuit board. looked like
lead that is oxidized, dark gray and when you scratch it you get
shiny silver

i'll find a place to post the pics and post links here later,
rob

"robb" > wrote in
:


>
> i'll find a place to post the pics and post links here later,
> rob
>
>
>


Email them to me. I'll make them part of the igniter pages.

--
Tegger

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

"robb" > wrote in message
...
> i was driving along highway 70 mph and the engines just ** cuts
> out **
> no warning, no sputter, no bucking, no shimmer, no funny noises
> {clunks, thuds nothing} engine turns over fine, power going to
> everything, fuses look ok, half-tank of gas
>
Thanks for all help Tegger and jim beam,

Problem was definately the ignitor.

Went with your advices and purchsased Honda parts, the
ignitor/ICM was ($126).

installed ICM and car fired right up.

the bent dist. cap contact spring must have come from some lazy
azz who did not want to pull spark plug wires to put distributor
cap back on (dealer replaced the distributor about 3 years ago)
but that seems to just mean the shell/housing as they transfered
all the old internal parts {ICM,coil, rotor, dist cap} to the
new distributor housing

I went ahead and checked the Mains Relay (for solder problems)...
i must have the new design as there was lots of solder on the
connections with very large traces between the connections,
looked good to me.

thanks again for the help.
robb