what PA said to get a magic marker and mark the distr before you remove is a good idea that way you do not have to worry about resetting the timing,,

However you do not need to remove the distr cap to replace the o-ring, too much extra work, distr can only go in one way,, just make sure that when distr goes in , the housing is flush all the way around with the head ,then turn it right or left to line up the mark you made before ,install and tighten the 3 ,12mm,( socket) bolts .

the o-ring , get it at the dealer it is only around 2-3 dollars .. it is a 15 minutes job for you to do at most.

 

boy, If its so easy why does everyone make such a big deal about the timing being off when u put it back, also, are you saying the distributor only fits in 2 ways inside the housing? what prevents in from going in in any other way? taps? design?

 

It is very easy to remove and install once you do it. There were two other recent threads where people installed it 180 degrees off.

I attached a pic of the distributor.

The end of the distributor shaft has a rectangular part that sticks out. The camshaft end has a rectangular part that is indented. In the pic, rectangular part is a bit below the center line of the circle to prevent you from installing it 180 off.

It is still possible to force the distributor 180 off, but it will take some force. At any other angle, there will be a huge gap between the distributor and the cylinder head. That is why I told you to remove the distributor cap to see which way the rotor is pointing. The cap only has three screws holding it on.

The rotor will point in the same direction when you go to reinstall the distributor ensuring that you install properly.

 

It's NOT that big a deal. One reason is that marking it is not as accurate as using a timing light. And using a timing light to adjust it properly is not that difficult.

The off-center blade on the end of the distributor shaft, just like the picture that PA showed. Once you get that blade engaged properly into the camshaft, then you can still rotate the body of the distributor several degrees within the slotted holes for the mounting bolts. That's where your marking (or timing light) is used.

 

Well, desert, PA, and Jim. Thank you very much for being so clear. I kid you not when I say I trust more what I read on this specific website, than what my Mechanic says, specially because you all have, or have had Hondas. I feel very confident now and tho its the first time I do this particular job, I'm going into it as if I had done it 20 times before. Thanks again!
PA: Thanks for the picture, it cleared up something I had been wanting to know for a long time.

 

And we're not trying to make money off of you

 

Okay guys, I have a 97 Accord EX and I'm having issues with my distributor leaking aswell. I replaced the O-ring twice in the past 2 months and since I noticed a very small amount of oil on the bottom of my cap this last time, I'm almost certain the issue is with the shaft seal. However, I don't want to bother with replacing that inner seal so I much rather replace my whole distributor by obtaining one from my local salvage yard for cheap and just get a new O-ring for it. The question I have is, "if I alligned the new distributor with the same mark and I rotate the rotor to face the same way (it's facing downward), will I be okay or will I need a timing light?"

 

Generic answer...
You'll probably be close, but it would be much better with a timing light.

OTOH, in 1998 the spark timing is not controlled by the distributor. It's controlled by a sensor down at the crankshaft. I'm not sure if '98 was the first year for that arrangement?? If your distributor has slotted holes for the mounting bolts (like PAHonda's picture), then you should adjust it with a timing light. My '98 had no slots, so it was not possible to rotate the distributor anyway.

 

I guess using the timing light isn't a big deal, I was just being lazy I guess. Would you recommend changing the cap from the one I pick up at the salvage yard since I won't know the history of it?

 

Awesome!