I bought a reman. dist. a few weeks ago. Buddy of mine who works at the Honda dealership said I don't have to check timing b/c there's only 1 way these things fit on. Does this sound right?

 

So the shop was right. I still think $100 to plug in was a little steep though.

 

they only fit is 1 way but you still have to reset timing because the mountings where the bolts go in, are slotted so you can be some degrees off 1 way or the other ,.,.

rule of thumb,, if you set the slotted mounting in the center you will be pretty darn close .. but i would personally get a timing lite and make sure that it is timed properly

 

You might want to clean up the connections in the big wiring plug for the distributor. It might be a bad TDC sensor, but it might be a bad connection in that circuit. Desert can probably help with locating other places. Does that also go thru another big connector somewhere near the firewall?

After you rule out loose/dirty wiring, I guess you're in for a new distributor anyway. But at least you know better & aren't just guessing.

Newer cars like my '98 have non-slotted mounting holes for the distributor. They aren't adjustable for timing; maybe that's what your friend was thinking of. Yours has slots so you should get/borrow a timing light & adjust it properly.

 

Well I replaced the dist. and it fired up fine, rode smoothly, and idled well. As I was putting it back in Park for the night, the check engine light came back on. I'll wait & drive it tomorrow and pull the codes again. I'll post back w/ my findings tomorrow. Thanks again.

 

Well, the check engine light is back on. The code is as follows: 9 flashes, a pause, 9 flashes, a pause, 9 flashes, etc... What does this mean?

Also, the maintenance required "light" is on, what does this mean.

Thanks in advance!

 

From all the information I have that is the Cylider Position sensor (CYP). I have the same problem on my 96 lx. Hopefully someone more smarterer than me will come along and help with diagnosing/fixing said problem.

 

code 9 is the cylinder position sensor,, also located inside the distributor...........did you install a used distrib??? clear the code and test drive it again, also chk all the connectors going to distr make sure they are tight,

As for the maint lite,, no big deal, it is there to remind a customer to bring car in the shop for scheduled maintenance ....just clear it ,,

 

Thanks, I installed a reman. dist. How do I clear the code - unplug the neg. battery terminal for 30 mi. or so? I'll recheck both connectors and put dielectric grease on them.

How do I clear the main. light?

 

to clear the code,, remove the back up fuse 7.5 amps from underhood fuse box for about 20 seconds,

to clear the maint lite there should be a little hole in the instr cluster, ,, stick the key in it and push it in,, it will turn from red to green