So I've had a nightmare experience with a car stopping dead in the middle of traffic due to either a bad distributor or something inside (since replacing the distributor fixed the problem).

I'm trying to avoid that from happening again. This is a different car (1993 Honda Accord 4-cyl 2.2l) I'm using but I want to try and do some preemptive maintenance/checking on the distributor.

Now I plan on taking the distributor cap off and inspecting everything as well as replacing the cap and rotor while I'm there.

1. Look for carbon tracking and rotor contact wear. But is there some way I can tell how much is enough to warrant replacement? I have an old distributor in front of me and the rotor on that one has black stains on the contact portion and it looks worn away.

2. What about the rotor bearings? I want to try to crank the engine and have someone observing it, is this an acceptable way to see if maybe there are issues with the motion of the rotor? I know to do this I should have the ignition coil wire off of the distributor cap according to a video I saw on YouTube?

3. Is it necessary to go OEM on these parts? What is OES Genuine? Does OSE Genuine refer to OEM? I'm torn as to whether to go OES Genuine or the Standard Distributor Cap. If OES Genuine is indeed OEM then is it bad to go away from OEM and get something like the Standard Distributor Cap?:



The three caps I'm interested in are:

1. Standard Distributor Cap
2. Distributor Cap | 1993 Honda Accord 4 Cylinders 2.2L FI | AutoZone.com
3. OES Genuine Distributor Cap

I'm also planning on picking up an Ishino $1.95 gasket to go along with it. The one good thing about the Autozone Cap is that I can get the matching rotor with it and save a bunch of money. The cap alone is about $19.00 and the rotor is $7.00. No shipping and I can get the parts right away since they're in stock. They're made by Wells Mfg. which appears to have some presence in making ignition parts so the quality shouldn't be too bad? For $26.00 to get both the cap and rotor right away seems hard to beat unless there are serious issues with purchasing aftermarket...

4. What do you guys use to get the screws/bolts off? Last time I tried the last one on the bottom was seized on and impossible to get to because of all of the stuff on the way. Never checked on this 1993 Accord but I imagine it might be the same. I remember there were three screws and the one closest to the floor was the one I couldn't get.

 

1. I usually replace them at the recommended mileage to replace those parts. That information should be in the owner's manual. If not every 24K miles.

2. I don't know if your method will work. If you do this, unplug the coil, so you don't damage it. I would listen for noise and look for a coating of red dust (ground up rust from a rusting bearing) inside the distributor cap. Listen for noise at the cap when the engine is running.

3. I am a fan of OEM parts when the price is not much more than aftermarket. Just by looking at an OEM site like honda parts now, the cap and rotor will be ~$35. Not sure what seal you are talking about, the honda cap comes with a new o-ring that fits between the cap and the distributor housing. You can order from the online sites, but they usually charge way to much, IMO, for shipping and will be almost the same as the dealership price for less expensive parts. The site I look up parts is hondapartsnow.com

4. I spray some PB blaster on the bolts. I use an 8mm (I think) socket. I think a screwdriver may strip the heads if the bolts are stuck. There is probably one bolt that is tough to get to. I use the appropriate length of extension(s) so the socket is past the distributor cap where I can turn it freely.

 

Hmm...

Thanks for that tip about HPN, checking HPN I did not realize I could buy OEM without having to spend a fortune. I think I just might go OEM. It's just that Autozone is more convenient because I can buy the parts now but there's that risk that it might not work as well as OEM parts.

The sealer I'm taking about is that ring that fits between cap and distributor body. I see that on HPN the cap comes with it as you said. Nice.

Forget about the bearing test, I decided that your red dust test would be better. But what if the rotor shaft isn't in a position where I can easily access the screw to remove the rotor? I would have to turn the engine over to make it spin then right? I watched a video where the guy removes the ignition coil plug from the distributor cap before he does this. Is this safe? Or should I remove the plug from the coil entirely?

Basically what I'm thinking of doing is:
1. Remove the spark plug wires.
2. Remove the cap.
3. If rotor screw is not visible, remove ignition wire from cap (but leave it plugged in at coil).
4. Turn engine over until it's visible.

Safe?

 

i bought my cap and rotor from autozone and i have no complaints. the cap comes with the rubber seal.

your steps u listed are fine.

if your seal in your distributor is bad there wqill be oil in the cap

 

The parts you're considering replacing rarely cause engine stoppage or no-start. It's the coil or ignitor that usually lead to these condition. I'm not aware of any inspection method that will tell you whether they need replacing.

You can find reasonable prices on replacement distributor assembly (non-OEM). I bought one for my 94 EX on ebay for about $100 and have been satisfied. Rockauto, amazon, ebay, and other sites have similar products and prices.

good luck

 

I was considering replacing the entire distributor but AFAIK there's nothing wrong with this one.

Which is why I wanted to open it up. It would be a shame to preemptively replace the entire OEM distributor for an aftermarket distributor because I think something might happen to it, right?

 

That is the nature of preventive maintenance. You replace a part that may be good to reduce the possibility of inopportune failure.

I've never been much of a fan of that strategy. As you say, you may be replacing a good OEM part w/ a lower quality aftermarket. Also frequently, well-intentioned maintenance results in unanticipated problems, particularly for DiY'rs.

good luck

 

Alright I've decided on a far more complicated course.

Since the distributor is leaking oil where it meets the engine (this oil is dripping everywhere below and is wet under the distributor cap), I've decided to remove the distributor entirely, clean it up and replace all of the parts I need to including the O-Ring with OEM parts. I can't ignore the oil any longer.

So this is what I figure I will do:

1. Remove all of the plug wires for better access.
2. Remove the distributor by removing the three 12mm mounting nuts and pulling the whole distributor out.
3. Once out of the car, I can better remove the cap and replace the rotor, cap and then replace the O-Ring.
4. Clean up the oil spilled all over that area.

1. Now I'm wondering if there is some crucial step I need to do to make sure things don't go out of time. I know that where the distributor meets the camshaft there's an offset slot that only allows the distributor to go on one way. So there's no way I can mess this up right? I simply have to put it back on the same way I took it off without moving the rotor. Even if the motor was removed, as long as I know where the offset slot was I can simply turn the rotor to match it and then re-install right?
2. But I'm scared there's something big I'm missing here. As long as I put everything back exactly the way it was, do I have to re-do the timing or do any funny stuff like sticking a rag into a cylinder and watching for when the air comes out? I can simply reverse the steps taken to remove it and expect it to be completely fine?
3. What's this I hear about marking where the distributor meets the engine? Why is this necessary and how do I do this? Couldn't you technically find out exactly where the distributor was mounted by studying the circular scratch marks caused by the 12mm mounting bolt?
4. Also, I plan on hosing the area below and around the distributor where all of the oil is, there are obviously a lot of electrical connectors. Would it be safe to get water directly on them? I assume yes since this is exposed to the elements and water during a rainy drive but I'm not sure if water gets directly on the connectors frequently. I will pull the battery negative before I even begin this. I don't have any degreasing soap so I'm thinking maybe some brake cleaner or some car soap and then hose it down? Am I stupid for using car soap?

Any help would be appreciated for this most auspicious plan.

 

1) Distributor installation - yes, you can screw it up. I've managed to do this a couple of times. The problem is the key is just barely asymetrical and it's difficult to identify correct orientation by simply looking at the parts. Also, you are unlikely to remove and install w/o moving the rotor. You can take off the distributor cap and mark distributor rotor alignment on the distributor body. One sure indicator of correct installation is the distributor will meet the cylinder head flush at all three bolt centers. If any of them won't push easily to flush, the distributor is installed 180 deg off.

2) If you mark the distibutor alignment on cylinder head at top bolt center, you will align to same timing. I don't think timing is critical as it's adjusted by ECU.

3) Just mark center of distributor bolt center on cylinder head lug.

4) Water won't hurt those connectors. I would spray w/ a good degreasing soap such as simple green, allow to soak, and spray off. Don't douse the distributor.

Note, if distributor is leaking oil from the distributor housing drain point, the new oring between distributor and cylinder head will not stop the oil. It's leaking by a shaft seal on the distributor shaft. Most folks replace the distributor if this is leaking.

good luck

 

Alright, excellent. Thanks for the response.

???

Correct me if I'm wrong but oil coming out from inside of the distributor means the shaft seal is leaking and that would necessitate replacement of the entire distributor since taking one apart is not practical, plausible and arguably impossible. Is this what you're referring to?

My oil situation looks like this, from the point where the distributor meets the engine, oil is spraying out in a huge radius all over everything there. Everything under distributor is caked in oil. The distributor itself is covered in oil too, looking at the distributor while standing in front of the car, there's a line of oil on the distributor housing from which point below it's soaked in oil. Almost as if someone dipped the lower half of the distributor in oil. Since the oil is on the exterior in a pattern that looks as if it was sprayed on from the outside, I assume the oil did not originate from inside or there would not be oil outside of it. Unless oil came out from inside, pooled inside the distributor and leaked out through the O-Ring where engine and distributor meet. That would be a weird scenario.

In any case, when I open it up I should see evidence of oil inside right? If I see any oil inside, does that mean it's a guaranteed shaft seal leak? Or could it have gotten in from outside? Not likely I think since there is rubber gasket between cap and distributor body and the angle is kind of hard to push the oil from outside into the cap.