Ignitor module - same between Pro-T and T1?

[foo]

Looks like I have a dud ignitor module in my T1. I have a Pro-T sitting under the house, is the ignitor module in it a straight swap for the T1 or are they significantly different given that the Pro-T doesn't even have an ECU? Externally the distributor's look rather different but much of what I have read points to Honda seemingly using identical ignitors in several models.

Anything in particular I should be wary of when removing the ignitor? I figure it will involve removing the bulk of the distributor assy, is everything keyed such that I won't be able to put it back together "wrong" and it just comes down to the small timing adjustment, or is there more to it? As I understand it I'll need to goop it up with heatsink compound as well.

Thanks to a kind offer of the HCOAQ club I can get hold of a spare distributor for testing but if I already have a suitable ignitor in the Pro-T it might save some time and back-and-forth'ing.

[James]

Im 99% sure the ignitors are the same part between them. I can do a visual check tonight, I have both dizzys at home.

To get to the ignitors you pop the cap off, vacuum advance out, then pop the rotor off the dizzy with a pair of screw drivers (actually how the honda manual says how to do it). Its not to tricky, pays to put the dizzy in a vice wrapped in a rag to hold it still.

[foo]

I finally got a chance to get into it and take a look. Turns out the Pro-T ignitor module is significantly different to the one that's in my T1.

Here's the ignitor module from my Pro-T, which has the electronics part external to the dizzy, and connects to the sensor assembly via several pins that go through the dizzy housing (the slot in the background).



(large: http://cityturbo.com/forums/garage.php?mode=view_gallery_item&type=garage_mod&image_id=313 )

Here's the ignitor module from my T1, alongside a replacement Champion CM417 module I picked up from Repco for about AU$100. All the electronics are integrated with the sensor assembly. This matches the sensor used in some of the old Preludes, I believe - managed to find it by going through Repco's catalogue that had piccies in it - there seem to be only about 4 different types of ignitor used by Honda and all are visually distinct.


(large: http://cityturbo.com/forums/garage.php?mode=view_gallery_item&type=garage_mod&image_id=314 )

After replacing the ingition module she still wouldn't start though. Knowing that coil and module faults often seem to go hand-in-hand, I went and grabbed the coil from my Pro-T, swapped 'em over and everything fired up first go. A short drive test went well, so we'll see how we go.

Thanks for the tips on getting to it Bigelboe!

[James]

Good pics mate. Interesting dizzy on that Pro T, I have never seen anything like that on a Honda before. Maybe thats the non-cvcc ER dizzy in general.

[foo]

Interesting. I've had two dizzy's on that Pro-T, the one that was in there when I got it, and one from a wrecker (when, predictably enough, I had a failed ignitor module!). From memory both looked identical.

I wonder if the Oz and the NZ models are slightly different? I think I remember someone telling me once that NZ were assembling City's locally (Pro-T's?) while Oz's were all imported, but I dunno.

It's also possible that the one I have in my Pro-T now came from a different model - a mechanic sourced it for me so I've no idea exactly what it came out of. If I find the old dizzy one day we might get an answer.

[James]

We did assembly cities locally, although I dont think they were labelled Pro-T's, more often City E's. We do have Pro-T's here but they seem far more common over there.

[foo]

Hmm looks like I have more work to do yet... she starts and for the most part runs ok, but again I have started getting brief (ie, under 0.5sec) periods, usually on lifting the throttle (such as on downhill runs or I think between gears as well) where the PGMFI light comes on and I lose engine power. All electrical power seems ok during these "glitches". After the quick glitch the engine starts pulling again and the pgmfi light goes out - all in less than half a second.

I was seeing this behaivour prior to the total start failure which a new ignitor and coil resolved, so either it's related or I have a separate, additional issue.

There are no codes on the computer (checked while IGN was still on after the above occured), and I have reseated the connectors to the computer as well, including leaving it unplugged for > 10 secs to allow the computer to reset.

I had re-soldered the main relay board prior to any of this so I doubt that is the issue either.

Any ideas? I am thinking it's probably a wiring problem, but maybe it's a sensor or something else entirely. Actually, this car has a rear-battery conversion, I might check over the cabling for that, as I do get a fair amount of voltage drop before the starter (slow cranking). I don't know if an intermittent battery connection would cause the PGMFI light and loss of engine power though :-/

Any tips or suggestions appreciated.