Civic won't start! is it the ignitor?

[two914s]

I am working on a 1990 Civic that wont start.

The starter engine turns over vigorously when I turn the key

I can hear the fuel pump come on, so I dont think it is the main relay.

I did test the main relay and all the continuities were perfect.

I sprayed starting fluid into the intake and it didnt even puff once.

When I pull a spark plug, I get NO spark when the engine turns over.

When I look at the tip of the spark plug, it doesnt have any wet gasoline on it.

I have checked the little light under the passenger's feet, and it just blinks once and then stays off.

I tried to test the ingnitor but I am confused because mine has a blue wire, two white/blue wires, and a black/yellow. It doesnt seem to match what I have seen on this forum for which wire to test for power and ground. I do get power on the black/yellow and one of the white/blue when I turn on the key. The blue and other white/blue seem dead.

I have visually inspected the fuses and they seem good.

Any idea what I should check now? What are the symptoms of a bad ignitor? How much should I expect to pay for one of those? Do they have them at auto parts places or is it a dealer item? Any other thoughts?

It seems to not have fuel OR spark. So, maybe the ECU isnt getting the signal that it uses to trigger the coil/injectors.

I appreciate any help you give me.

[Hybrid1990crx]

check your coil. was it doing anything funny before it died?

[two914s]

I dont really know. I wasnt driving it when it died.

I havent checked the resistance of the coil yet. I'll do this next.

[johnb16a2]

Check the rotor. A common problem is the rotor screw falls out. GL

[arodg25]

Just go to the junk yard and take apart a distributor. both the ignitor and the coil can fit in a pocket so that means they're freebies.

[psyloki]

check the alternator fuse

[two914s]

Where is the "alternator fuse"? I suppose it is in the engine compartment fuse panel, but I dont see one labeled Alt.

I checked the resistance of the coil and it is 1.1 ohms. This is out of range so I bought another one at Auto Zone for $67. Before I put it in I checked its resistance and it is the same!

[two914s]

Well, I returned the coil and bought an ignition control module (for $76) at Auto Zone instead. Maybe that will work.

[dfarres]

If you take the 2 wires off the coil and hook a low voltage bulb (like interior dome light) to it, then crank the car, the light should flash. That means the ignitor is good and the coil is bad if not getting spark. You should replace both because they usually go bad around the same time.

[two914s]

Well, I did the little flashing light test (see message above) and it was blinking just fine! So, I replaced the coil ($67) and it started immediately. Thanks for everyone's help!!

[dfarres]

Cool... I'm glad I could help. I read it somewhere and tried it on my Accord when it died on me after a tune up.