TT01Fanatic

Hey guys, I've got an 89 hatch that's getting fuel but no spark to the spark plugs. When i bought the car it needed a new upper engine harness, so i tracked on down on craigslist and threw it in. Ignition coil is working, and all plug and coil wires are in good condition. I just replaced the distributor cap and rotor in hope that it would solve the problem but to no avail. I ran the ECU in diagnostic mode and it came back with a 55. All fuses seem to be good, except I'm missing the ign coil/anti skid fuse in the box next to the battery. Would i need this in order to get a spark to the plugs? Also, if the timing is off, would a relay prevent the distributor from sending spark to the wires?

I am seemingly so close to getting this baby fired up, yet I'm so far away and its killing me. Any help is appreciated.

redline1320

Check spark plug wire resistance on suspect wires. Resistance should be no greater than 30,000 ohms. Coil wire resistance should be no more than 7000 ohms. Check connections at crank angle sensor, ignition coil and power transistor

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redline1320

also check tachometer while cranking. should jump to at least 250rpms

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TT01Fanatic

All connections are looking good. All wires register at around 1000 ohms. Just tried to crank it and the tach barely budged above 0. The battery was charged yesterday.

redline1320

If the tach barely moves and you know for sure it operates when running then there is something with the crank position sensor which is located inside the distributor. Could be distributor itself. The plug wires resistance should be 30,000 ohms. 1,000 is definitely a bad wire.


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redline1320

Unless you have some other than factory plug wires or you were referring to the ignition coil wire? I'll double check on minimum wire resistance


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TT01Fanatic

You said resistance should be no greater than 30,000? Isn't 1000 below that? As got as i know the wires are aftermarket. I was referring to both. I took all of then out and tested them individually on a multimeter.

redline1320

Alright. So now working back I would say Pull a plug wire off the distributor test each one. A screwdriver can be used to check the arc when the ignition is turned. Put the metal part of a screwdriver against the metal of the plug wire. Place the metal screwdriver near the electrode of the distributor. It should not touch the electrode. Step away from the hood and have someone watch the arc while the ignition is turned on. If there is an arc, it is firing. Replace the wire on the distributor electrode after it is checked. Each wire can be checked in this way to expose a misfire or faulty connection in the distributor.


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TT01Fanatic

Ok, I'll be sure to give that a shot in a few hours.

TT01Fanatic

So i tried what you said, and I'm getting no arcing what so ever from the electrodes on the distributor, but i can easily get a spark from the wire coming from the coil. At this point I'm pretty positive its a bad distributor. Is there anything else i can try before blowing $250 on a new dizzy?

redline1320

if you have anyone near you that has a ka24e try their dizzy so you can be sure, but other than that all things point to the distributor as the fault

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TT01Fanatic

I got a spare ecu from a friend today, I'm gonna throw it in tomorrow and see it anything changes. Might as well see if it works, you know?

trainwreck 14

Clean the MAF

TT01Fanatic

Just took out the MAF its pretty clean... I couldn't find any residue that could be wiped away. Looks like a brand new sensor on the inside. I'm gonna throw in the spare ecu i have to see if it does anything.

Edit: So i decided to try another diagnostics test with the MAF out and it threw me a code 41. So it looks like my ecu is working properly -____-