stellatrixbetty

hi i took my car for dying while at lights and when idling. They said i need new distributor cap and rotor (router?) anyways i agree BUT i was told i have to have a Hatachi and that honda puts 13 diff types of distributors in these cars and that they have to put Hatachi in it or it wont work. and it will cost 400 for the distributor and cap.

my question is do i HAVE to use the hatachi brand?????

thanks!!!

Bently_Coop

Make, Model, Year and Engine type are required in tech forum threads.

stellatrixbetty

1999 honda civic automatic i have no idea the engine type or how to find that out. the car is at the shop right now.

eHMxhACk

iTrader: (17)

When you get your car back from the shop look here for your engine code.











eH.

stellatrixbetty

hmmmm ok thanks! but i guess i dont know why i need the engine number to be able to answer my question? which is, is it necessary to buy a certain brand distributor for any 1999 honda civic? i need to know if the guys at the garage are trying to over charge me or if they are being legit before i go pick it up.

Deksinjo

LOL Fok, 400 for distributor and cap ! Man, learn to DIY.

stellatrixbetty

thanks so much for your help -.- next time u go to the doctor maybe they should tell you well yes its expensive maybe you should learn to diy?

Deksinjo

Removing 3 screw and 1 conector is not big dill. You don't go to doctor for every headache.

hondur

iTrader: (1)

Replacing the distributor is easy, you need one wrench!

The honda dealership would charge you over $400 for just the distributor, the part itself. The cap and rotor would be included in this price.

Back to the main point though, you shouldn't spend much more than $100 for the distributor, there's life time guaranteed parts in that price range. $400 is way too much in my opinion. I've use plenty of World Power Systems distributors without any problems. I've put them in cars years ago and they still work today without any problems.

stellatrixbetty

thank you hondur!

stellatrixbetty

https://estore.honda.com/honda/parts...&b=E++0510&dl= this one is over 600 i figured out my car is a LX why is this so expensive as compared to what you are talking about @hondur ?

hondur

iTrader: (1)

They're expensive so that the company producing them can be more profitable. There's no other good reason for pricing like that. Some of the lower priced options are as good if not better than the really expensive ones. Don't buy an A1 Cardone distributor, that company sucks. Do buy a W.P.S. distributor, or another unit recommended unanimously here.

stellatrixbetty

hondur

iTrader: (1)

Good job, you spent $500 on something that should have only cost $100.

stellatrixbetty

OMG YOU GUYS ARE SUCH DICKS I DIDNT BUY ANYTHING IT WAS AN ESTIMATE. no wonder maybe spend LESS time on your cars and more time learning to talk to other humans? but glad i know why i dont ***** with car guys. pathetic.

hondur

iTrader: (1)

Don't blame them for me being mean.

Anyway, this is what you should do:

Go on youtube, search "replace 1999 civic distributor" and watch the video.

Order a distributor from Rockauto.com or pick one up from your local parts store.

Complete the repair, it takes a whole 30 minutes (at most). Make sure you get the distributor tooth into the cylinder head correctly, sometimes people put em in upside down and then they break.

OR

pay someone you know who knows anything about cars. Pay them like $20 to spend 30 mins under your hood. Just don't pay $500 for a distributor, that would be LIKE REALLY DUMB.

Ohmega

iTrader: (1)

This is a prime example of incompetence by OP. We have no obligation to help you with your car. You come here, disregard the rules, disrespect us, then expect us to feed you information to save you some money. Psh. Learn respect or learn to be self reliant. /thread

Former User

To ensure that you install a distributor that matches the engine.

Please answer all questions asked by members. Read the forum Rules sticky.

egsleepercivic

on the distributor there will be a stamp marking on it if it is OEM, something like TD-42u or something like that, then you can google that and get a bunch of distributors

also I would just test the coil, that may be all it needs, its a common failure

TomCat39

There is a bit of ambiguity in this and then the thread....

Are you being quoted on a complete distributor? Or the Cap and Rotor?

These are two totally different things. And if your OEM brand is Hatachi for the complete distrutor (not just cap and rotor) that would be close to the price you were quoted.

There will be a little bit of markup on the parts as it is a business.

As for needing the engine code, yes you actually do need to know the engine that is in the car to be able to isolate specifically the distributor needed. Distributors tend to be engine specific as well as transmission specific at times.

The Honda Cap and Rotor is about 25 bucks each one up here in Canada, so if it is only the cap and rotor they are quoting you for 400 dollars, something is drastically wrong.

You might want to seek clarity on your quote. The cap and the rotor go into and on your current distributor and are the main wear parts of the distributor. You can also replace components inside the distributor without replacing the whole unit. The Coil and the Ignition Control Module both reside inside the unit and are replaceable without replacing the complete distributor.

Your challenge by the sounds is that you don't have enough experience or knowledge to know if you need components or the complete unit, and we can't tell you over the internet either unless you know how to do diagnostic testing with a digital multimeter (volt/ohm meter).

So you pretty much have to find a shop you trust to not do more than is necessary and charge you fairly for it all.

Best of luck.

Example of OEM parts pricing for the 99 Civic Ex (D16Y8 engine with Automatic):

jonsey1886

Looks like he/she has an EJ6 by the VIN, IIRC that is either a factory Y7 or Y8 (vtec/non-vtec).