The Honda Civic was introduced in 1973. The 1998 Honda Civic was equipped with a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine in the base model. A 1.5-liter four-cylinder VTEC engine, as well as a 1.6-liter four-cylinder VTEC engine were optional for the 1995 Civic. The ignition on the 1995 Civic is known as a Pgm-ig ignition system. The ignition coil is part of the distributor assembly on the 1995 Civic, and is located on the upper passenger's side of the engine. Tests on the ignition coils should be performed with the starting key removed from the ignition.
Open the hood of the Civic and set the hood prop. Mark the wires on the distributor cap by wrapping masking tape around the wires. Number the wires from 1 through 4, corresponding with the numbers that are stamped into the distributor cap. Remove the spark plug wires from the ignition coil by twisting them slightly while pulling them off the coil.
Remove the mounting screws for the distributor cap with a Philips screwdriver. Remove the distributor cap from the engine, as well as the rubber gasket between the cap and the distributor body. Remove the two screws that hold the wires down to terminals A and B, then remove the black-and-yellow wire from terminal A, and the white-and-blue wire from terminal B.
Turn the selector on your multimeter to the Ohms selection, or the upside down "horseshoe"-shaped selection. Install the red probe from the multimeter onto terminal A, and the black probe onto terminal B of the distributor. This is called the primary winding measurement. The measurement of resistance for the primary winding should be between 0.6 and 0.8 ohms. If the resistance level on the distributor is not within these specifications, the coil should be replaced.
Install the black-and-yellow wire onto terminal A, and the white-and-blue wire onto terminal B. Install the mounting screws and tighten them snug with a Phillips screwdriver. Install the probes from the multimeter onto the distributor again. The reading for this test should be between 12,800 and 19,600 ohms. If the measurement of resistance for this test does not fall within the specifications, replace the ignition coil.
Install the distributor gasket back onto the distributor after testing is complete. Install the distributor cap and tighten the mounting screws snug with the screwdriver. Install the spark plug wires back onto the cap, matching the marked numbers on the wires with the numbers stamped into the cap.
