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Followup To
Question -
I own a 92 MPV, V6, 4WD that won't start. No spark from ignition coil. Coil ohms out OK, condenser OK, but I don't know how to check the igniter (mounted on bracket beside coil, not in distributor). There is 11.5 volts at connector to coil. Also, the hold light on instrument panel is flashing (probably not related). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Answer -
Hi Sal,
The fact that your hold light on the instrument panel is flashing indicates that there is an electrical fault with your automatic transmittion. I would say this problem is almost definantly related to your car not starting. When the gear selector is placed in any other position than either 'P' or 'N' there is a switch inside the transmittion which cuts the spark to the engine so that the vehicle cannot be started when the transmittion is in those positions (for safety reasons). It sounds like this switch is faulty and it is telling the engine that the transmittion is in a different selection than it really is.
hope this helps and if you need any more info or you need any more questions answered don't hesitate to write back to me.
Thanks for the quick response. Turns out that I forgot to reconnect the throttle position sensor cable. That took care of the hold light. I still suspect the igniter might be bad. On the igniter there are five pins labeled C, G, B, IGt, and IGf. C and G (ground) go to the ignition coil. B goes to the engine control system. IGt and IGf go to the engine control unit. With the igniter disconnected, I measured 47.7K ohms between C and G, 2.8k between B and G, 50.4K between C and B, 10M between IGt and IGf in one direction and open in the other direction. I don't know if these values are good,I couldn't find a good igniter for comparison. All the auto parts stores (virtual and real), mistakenly show the igniter mounted on the distributor for a 92 V6 MPV. Any ideas? Thanks.
AnswerSal,
If you are certain the coil is operating correctly there are a number of things you can do to narrow down what the problem may be. You should first check for any oil leakage from the coil because the coil may appear to be working properly but if it is leaking oil it will not be performing correctly. If there is no oil leakage from the coil its time to look at other areas.
To narrow down what the problem is you first need to check for continuity between the wires from the distributor to the coil. If there is continuity you will need to check for continuity through the pickup coil wires. If continuity exists between these wires as well then the culprit is the igniter.
hope this helps
