GhostAccord

For what it's worth, that question that you quoted was posted 6 years ago.....

bsdubois

Thank you for finding and posting the part numbers for the bronze bearing (bushing) used in Hitachi Distributors. Have you found a part number for ball bearing? Have you been able to locate the pickup coil (camshaft location sensor) part number for the Hitachi distributor? Have you been able to remove the hall vane on the end of the distributor shaft? The rotor attaches to the end of the hall vane. It will be necessary to remove this part to press the ball bearing off the shaft. It appears the part might be threaded and screwed on the end of the shaft.

Thank you in advance for your kind assistance.

Sincerely,

Brían S. Du Bois

Butch1469

Thanks for the info. I just ordered my seal, thing has been leaking for weeks messing up my driveway. Hard to find parts like that...

MAD_MIKE

'95 B1 did the seal over a month ago. I am actually surprised at how much an oil leak this was. I knew I was loosing quite a bit of oil ~quart a month(~300miles/wk), but the physical leak did not appear that bad. Have yet to need to top off since then.

FWIW OBDI B1 Hitachi does not have a 'top hat' bushing so I am assuming the DG67 is the correct bushing for this car.

Still need to do the seal on the '97 B1 OBDII Hitachi.

Gutted the Hitachi, cleaned it up with straight Simple Green to remove the oil. Seal was toasted, needed to use diagonal cutters to cut the metal seal and collapse it in(like pacman) to release it from the housing. When everything was cleaned up I had to unplug two ports that aid in oil circulation. Both of mine were carbon plugged. Popped in the new seal, added a bit of grease to prevent burnup, and cleaned up the shaft of built up carbon/varnish with some carb cleaner and blue scotchbrite pad(so as not to scuff the surface).

thecolonel20

Thanks for this thread. Saved me a bunch of $$.

When I pit the dizzy back it wouldn't start. I rotated the shaft 180 degrees and it still won't start...cranks like it wants to but won't turn over. What did I do wrong? Any help is appreciated!

MAD_MIKE

Year and engine would help.
Did you put all the connections back on correctly?
If you don't have a timing light, did you scribe on the distributor housing and head to make sure the timing stayed the same?
If you rotated the rotor 180º(incorrectly) you will have forced distributor on. Take the distributor off.
Rotate the engine so that the cam is 'UP' and the crank timing mark is on the base red timing mark, not the white TDC mark.
Install distributor so the rotor is lined up with #1 spark plug tower.

thecolonel20

Thanks so much for the response.

97 Accord 4 cyl, non-Vtech

I think my post waas unclear - the tangs on the end of the distributor shaft that are offset and held on by the pin/snap ring, I installed wrong. So it interfaced fine with the cam, but was 180 degrees out. I fixed that part, but it still won't start.

I double checked all the connections, and they are ok. I did scribe the housing/head and installed back on that line.

It almost sounds like the engine is flooded, but the procedure outlined in the manual for starting a flooded engine isn't working??

MAD_MIKE

Verify that you do have the distributor correctly timed first.

Rotate the crank to TDC, remove the upper belt cover, verify the cam sprocket is 'UP' and verify the distributor rotor is pointing to #1 tower.

When you have verified the mechanical timing is correct, you will need to verify that you reinstalled all the wiring to the distributor correctly.
It can be easy to cross wires on the ICM.

MAD_MIKE

Err...

Pulled the '97 EX(Hitachi) distributor off, thinking it would be as easy as the '95 EX(Hitachi) distributor to replace the seal.

Unlike the '95, the '97 uses a press fit pin which is a right mother.
Used my press and it's tricky enough with lining up the distributor/pin with the piston, but the pin will not come out.

Anyone replaced the seal on a '97('96?) have this issue?

thecolonel20

Sorry it's been a while. Got busy with some other things. Verified timing is correct. Traced it back to #4 injector. No signal coming from wiring - so traced that back to the fuel injector resistor box. Called the dealer and he said he had a shelf full and had never sold one, so it makes me think that might not be the problem. Anyone have any thoughts? This thing is driving me nuts!

thecolonel20

Just wanted to report back in case anyone can be helped by it. Replacing the fuel injector resistor box did the trick for me. Thanks to those who contribute here.

Turtle14142

From what I just read ANY 2.3 98-02 HONDA ACCORD Distributor CANNOT be resealed properly. Had mine done at mechanic shop and 4 months later leaking again. I will probably have to get new distributor.

GhostAccord

Anything can be sealed. If the seal surface has been enlarged due to wear. Then you would have to take your new measurements into a bearing and seal shop or a machine shop for them to match it up. There are seals out there for every size shaft. It may not be OEM Honda but it will work.

MAD_MIKE

If the bushing is worn out the shaft will not rotate on a single axis and can damage the seal or prevent a seal from excess movement. If the new seal was installed incorrectly or on a sharp lip on the shaft, created by the old seal, it will also leak.

On the '92 EX it was easy to replace the seal, same with the '95 EX. However, that '97 EX was a right *****, after futzing with the roll pin for an hour I said forget it and just bought a new Cardone built distributor. It was only ~$130 IIRC.

qwazzy

So, if I have a 2002 Accord (I4) with a Hitachi distributor that has an internal leak, I can't crack it open and replace the internal seal? Is that correct?

qwazzy

Never mind. It is possible to change the internal seal on the Hitachi distributors, but it looks like it's a pain in the *** compared to the TEC units.

Here's a video:

0dyfamily

Man, I just got that pin out. Used three different 1/8" punches of varying lengths, from really short to normal, and a 5-lb. hand sledge on an anvil to move that pin.

That lugged piece that engages with the camshaft, and is held with that pin...I cradled it on top of a 10mm socket sitting on the anvil, positioned the punch, and dropped the hammer repeatedly. I'll use my vise to press the pin back in after installing the new seal, then hit the pin with the punch and hand sledge so it doesn't stick out.

This thread was a real $$$ saver. Parts on the way from Red's Auto Rehab for this Hitachi distributor.

OF

poorman212

For giggles, you can search Dorman 917-136 seal kit

0dyfamily

Reporting back: I bought some dry ice, clamped the hardened steel pin into the narrow grip of a pair of surgical forceps (hemostat), and put the pin in between two small pieces of dry ice. I left the distributor out in the sun. It didn't take long to get that pin's temperature to equilibrate (somewhat) to the dry ice surrounding it (about -109F), given it's small and thus doesn't have a lot of thermal mass. I gave the distributor shaft pin hole a quick spray of white grease, and pushed the pin in a little with the forceps alone, unclamped it, then followed up with a few quick hits on the pin via a punch and 5-lb. hand sledge. Did this quickly before it warmed back up, only had to strike it maybe four times. Ready for installation back into my Accord.

Below is something interesting: B1 bomber pivot pin for one of the swing wings getting a controlled cryogenic bath in liquid N2 (-321F) to shrink it just enough to allow removal from the fuselage wing box. Upon fitting the new wing, they will dip the entire pin into liquid N2 and fit it back into the wing box pivot point.



Next time I have to do something like installation of an interference-fit pin, I may just buy a small dewar of liquid N2 for the re-installation process. Hopefully, this distributor repair with the new seal will last the remaining life of the car.

OF