MajorCommonElectrical

Honda Integra: Distributor igniter (ICM) failure - hot stall and no-restart until cooled

Distributor igniter (ICM) failure - hot stall and no-restart until cooled is a common electrical fault on the Honda Integra on the 1993–2001 cars, and we rate it major. Putting it right costs $250 to $900 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. Below is what goes wrong, the symptoms to notice on a test drive, where to look, and what to ask the seller before you hand over any money. It is one of 12 documented faults on the Honda Integra.

Vehicle: Honda Integra
Years: 1993–2001
Fuel: petrol
System: Electrical

This page covers the Honda Integra as a model. Some faults only affect particular engines or build years — enter a plate below to narrow the list to one car.

All Honda Integra faults12 documented faults on this model

What you are looking at

No photograph available

We do not hold a verified photograph for this fault yet. We would rather show none than show a picture of something else.

What goes wrong

The igniter (ignition control module) inside the distributor of 1990s Integras is a classic Honda failure: it dies with heat, so the car stalls mid-drive or refuses to fire when hot, then starts perfectly once it has cooled for twenty minutes. The internal coil and the distributor shaft bearing fail the same way on high-mileage units, and owner communities treat a full distributor overhaul or replacement as routine on surviving cars. It strands you rather than breaking anything, but an original 25-year-old distributor is living on borrowed time.

What you would notice

Engine cuts out abruptly when fully warm, restarts after cooling
Cranks but will not fire when hot
Intermittent stumble or stutter that worsens on hot days
Tachometer needle dropping to zero momentarily while driving

How to check it

Where to look. Distributor on the end of the cylinder head (passenger side of the engine bay); the igniter module lives inside it

View the car with a cold engine, then take a long enough test drive to get it fully hot, including some idling in traffic - a failing igniter shows itself with heat, so a suspiciously short drive proves nothing. After the drive, switch off, wait a few minutes and restart; hesitation or long cranking when hot is the classic early sign. Ask whether the distributor, igniter or coil has ever been replaced and whether the car has ever cut out while driving. If a workshop inspection is possible: have the workshop check for spark drop-out when hot and inspect the distributor for shaft play and oil contamination inside the cap.

What it costs to put right

$250 to $900 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

Ask the seller

“Has the car ever stalled when hot and refused to restart until it cooled?”
“Has the distributor, igniter or coil ever been replaced?”
“Is the distributor original to the car?”

Now check the Honda Integra you are actually looking at

Everything above is true of the model, and it is free. What it does not tell you is whether THIS car has been looked after: its odometer history and whether the reading has ever gone backwards, whether there is still money owing on it, whether it has been reported stolen, how many owners it has had and what it is really worth today. That comes from the official records for that plate. Enter the plate for the free details, or get the full history and a market valuation from $13.49.

Not sure what you would be paying for? See what a full KickTyres check includes.

Where this comes from

The failure described above is documented in the sources below. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them.

Honda-Tech thread 'DC Integra igniter/ICM replacement DIY'
ClubIntegra thread 'ICM PROBLEM? Stumbling/Stalling'
PistonHeads thread 'DC2 Integra Type R starting problem'

Honda Integra buyer questions

Is distributor igniter (icm) failure - hot stall and no-restart until cooled serious on a Honda Integra?

We rate it major and common on the Honda Integra. The igniter (ignition control module) inside the distributor of 1990s Integras is a classic Honda failure: it dies with heat, so the car stalls mid-drive or refuses to fire when hot, then starts perfectly once it has cooled for twenty minutes. The internal coil and the distributor shaft bearing fail the same way on high-mileage units, and owner communities treat a full distributor overhaul or replacement as routine on surviving cars. It strands you rather than breaking anything, but an original 25-year-old distributor is living on borrowed time.

How much does it cost to fix on a Honda Integra?

$250 to $900 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That figure is for this job on its own. A car showing the symptoms on this page is usually worth either walking away from or negotiating down by at least the repair figure.

Which Honda Integra years are affected?

Our research records this fault on the 1993–2001 Honda Integra. Build dates move around, especially on imported cars, so treat the range as the years to look hardest at rather than a guarantee either way. The official records tell you the exact build and first registration date for the car in front of you.