I'm working on a 1988 accord lx (carbed) and I think that the distributor/vac advance is bad. All of the pictures that I've seen in the FSM are of a distributor/cap with a flat side that looks like an ignition module. The distributor that I have is round with no flatside.

What is the difference between the 2??

Attached is a picture of the flat sided distributor.

 

What's insteresting is both distributors (in the parts drawings) show the terminals coming off one side like this.

 

So are they interchangable?? Like maybe one is for EFI and the other for carbed?

 

These are both shown for carb cars. For all I know there's other different ones for EFI cars.

 

Hitchi vs TEC....its late so don't take this wrong, in my old age the only way I can remember this......

TEC- The External Control...meaning the ICM is on the outside, flat side on dist cap.....Hitchi is on the inside, round dist cap.

On the LXi's they are all TEC (as far as I know and have seen). On the DX, LX they can have both......I know parts can not be changed between the two (vac advance, ect) but I have never tried changing the whole dist.....I'm 95% sure base upon reading but have never tried. Was going to personally test this (as I have/had a few 3rd gens) but never got around to it....sorry, all I can offer.

 

Ok, that explains alot. I have a LX and it came with an ICM distributor. I found it confusing when I go to the parts store and they try to sell me a cap with the flat side on it!

I now have to figure out why the car is running like crap and won't keep a steady idle

Thanks!!

 

I thought the coil was on the outside of the cap with the TEC and the coil was inside of the cap on the Hitachi.

 

I thought that the coil was up near the carb black box on the passenger side. At least that's where the primary lead to the distributor is.

 

3rd gens....all of them have the coil kind of on the right/pass side strut tower.

My little way of remembering which is which is just something I made up in my little head. By the control part I mean that in the fact the ICM is on the outside under the little rectangle cover.....having had both types on third gens at the same time, I had to close my eyes and remember which one had which