mikester_91

Ok, so my car's been runnin like crap and gettin real bad gas mileage..and i think that it's the cam timing. So i brought it to Goodyear to have them check the timing and i said i needed the cam timing checked cuz i think it skipped a couple teeth...and he said it was all in the distributor. Is that tru? This is the same shop that put in my timing belt about 5,000 miles ago...if the cam timing is off, could it be the shops fault?

mgags7

the timing belt takes care of cam timing, which is completely seperate from the distributor....

if you skipped a "couple" teeth i would think you would be having worse problems than bad gas mileage, the pistons would probably be hitting the valves.....

did the crappy running start right after the t-belt change or did it do it after some time....becauase if it was right away, its their fault, but if it waited, it could have skipped a tooth, but still that should be their fault because the belt wasnt tensioned correctly....

the shop could have easily messed up the cam timing by one tooth and you never knew about it.....so stick it to em, make them fix it.....

you know theyre idiots if they think the cam timing has anything to do with the distributor.....

racerx

I've seen cams be off by two teeth and one where the wrong cylinder was designated #1 They still ran but had horible performance. You can usually hear it through the intake when driving. It'll sound muffled then loud then muffled. This is why theres only 2 people get to touch my car and one of thems me.

Lakeshow23

Listen to Mgags7. If the car was running like crap immediately after the timing belt change, and the mechanic has the gall to blame "bad timing" as a result of poor running condition... then blame the shop. The timing belt easily could have been tensioned improperly, the cam marks might have not been aligned properly, and the belt may not have been installed with the #1 piston at TDC.

With all that said, the timing can be thrown off if the distributor is not functioning properly. Bad spark will equate to the ECM making all kinds of timing changes to keep the engine in running condition.

mikester_91

It ran fine for a couple weeks after I had it out of the shop. Then it was crappy again so i swapped in a different distributor and got the valve lash adjusted...however i didn't time it after i put the new distributor in.....but there's still a lot of noise comin from the head....and the car is bein real slow and smells like it's running real rich...that would be cam timin right?

Lakeshow23

In order to know if it is the cam timing, that will have to be checked. A noise won't guarantee anything. The only way to know for sure if it is the shops' fault, is to know whether or not the cam timing was bad immediately after the belt was changed. If it wasn't, and the cam timing is now bad, then something happened after your maintenance was properly performed. If you don't know how to check the cam timing (I don't 'cause I don't own a Prelude and don't have a manual) then I'm sure somebody here will tell you. If I were you, I'd go back to the shop and tell them that your car has been running rough since they changed the timing belt. Tell them you suspect the timing belt may have something to do with it, and they'll probably at the very least check your cam and ignition timing for you for free. Try it.

mgags7

when you put in the dist. did you at least make marks and line things up??

if not you know your problem now man, your ignition timing can make the car run just as bad or worse than bad cam timing will....

Revi

If you removed your distributor you just cant install a new one and eye ball the location. On a 4th gen you have to set ignition timming with a timming light. But before that you have to make sure your cam/crank timimng is correct. Make sure and put your crank at TDC then make sure your camgears are aligned. After you are 100% sure your cam timming is set, then grab a timming light and set your ignition timming. If the problem persist after that, then something else is causing the problem.

Lakeshow23

I think the owner of the car swapped out distributors without at least marking the location. If so, he's the problem, not the mechanic. I tend to make it a habit to mark the distributor location with a lil' white out, but I advance my timing about two degrees. Runs a lil' better.

s13_240sx_92

If it has anything to do with the cam or igniton timing its the shops fault. They should get the cam timing. And any mechanic with half a brain will also check reset your ignition timing too. The dizzy is driven off the cam, cam is driven off the t-belt. t-belt flexes and streches over time.. either way they sould look at it for free. it will only take a few minutes; to pull the valve cover and/or adjust the dizzy.

Good Luck..

mikester_91

Well after they replaced the timin belt it ran fine and then a month or so later i bring it back and they said it needed a new distributor. So i bought a used one and swapped it in (lined it up like the old one) and it still ran crappy. So i think the belt slipped a couple teeth. They installed the belt about 3000 miles ago...is that a short enough time period to warrant them responsible if it skipped a few teeth?

chrisgags13

i dont know about their warranties man but it sounds like your car has been running poorly for a long time now...you now might have a large problem on your hands...check those valves and pistons..i'd question the distributor replacement..it was probably that it wasn't timed correctly...i dont know what to say but that the longer you wait the more chance you have of eating this one....i'd stop beating around the bush and dig into that timing cover and redo the timing belt to make sure its right. then set your ignition timing correctly

limpmode

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mikester_91 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">It ran fine for a couple weeks after I had it out of the shop. Then it was crappy again so i swapped in a different distributor and got the valve lash adjusted...however i didn't time it after i put the new distributor in.....but there's still a lot of noise comin from the head....and the car is bein real slow and smells like it's running real rich...that would be cam timin right?</TD></TR></TABLE>

what kind of sound coming from the head? if it's a ticking tapping sound, could be bent valves. any overrev's lately? like an accidental 3rd to 2nd at 80+mph? maybe do a compression test.

just a thought.

blackdelslo

There is ignition timing and cam timing, 2 differant things.