New distributor does not work

1999 HONDA CIVIC
168,000 MILES • 1.6L • 4 CYL • 2WD • AUTOMATIC
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LEWEY916
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  • 2 POSTS
I been having problems with starting the car. Sometimes it cranks up and sometimes it does not. It shut off a few times completely on the road to due to power outage. Later, i found out that the distributor was bad, so bought a new one and replaced it, but now it wont crank up to start. I even checked to see if there were any spark, and there was none. When i replaced the old one back, it cranks and starts, but sometimes later in the day, it doesn't crank again. So should it be a faulty new distributor? Ignition coil? Or Igniter? Please help. This is causing me to not be able to smog for registration renewal.
Jun 27, 2019 at 3:40 AM
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JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR CONTRIBUTOR
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Welcome to 2CarPros.

Honestly, it sounds like you got a bad distributor. And yes, it could be any of the electronics you mentioned. Have you checked for trouble codes? Is the check engine light staying on when the engine does run?

Here is a quick video showing how to use a scanner. I realize most people don't own one, but most parts stores will do it for free or lend/rent a scanner to you.

https://youtu.be/YV3TRZwer8k

Let me know if there are codes.

Joe
Jun 27, 2019 at 8:15 PM
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LEWEY916
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I had my uncle use his scanner, but no codes showed up. So I checked the voltage of the coil. It was 1.6 for terminal A/B at 200 and 16.25 for A/Secondary at 20k. Next, i checked for coil spark. There was spark from the coil, but none at the spark plugs. Therefore, i swapped out the old distributor cap for the new one onto the old distributor and it started up. Hopefully, that solved the problem. Yet, i still wonder why the new distributor didn't work at all...
Jun 27, 2019 at 8:34 PM
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JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR CONTRIBUTOR
  • 110,190 POSTS
Welcome back:

It could have been a number of different things. Honestly, parts aren't what they once were. Everyone wants to make it cheaper, and that's what we get.

Regardless, I hope it continues to run good for you.

Take care,
Joe
Jun 27, 2019 at 10:10 PM