1st off: I refuse to use the word "dizzy" for distributor.

Plain and simple, I am curious what the difference is between replacing the cap+rotor and replacing the entire distributor?

 

i'm not sure what you mean. a cap + rotor are normal wear items. an entire distributor is not.

 

I mean what is the difference between replacing the internals and replacing the distributor as a whole.

 

A typical Civic distributor has many different components inside it. There is of course the cap & rotor. Then there is the coil and igniter. And after that there are 2 different sensors that measure cam & piston position. If you don't know the exact cause of your problem, sometimes people go ahead an just replace the whole thing. Obviously this cost a quite a bit more. Also, you will need to replace the entire distributor if the internal ball-bearing goes bad as this is part of body.

Only problem in doing this is that you may loose support for the separate components if you switch to a brand new aftermarket distributor (rather than an OEM re-manufactured unit). If everything inside is slightly different, it's basically no longer serviceable.

 

If you are having an ignition problem, i suggest you use this to help identify the problem.
http://techauto.awardspace.com/ignition.html

Like 94eg said, replacing the entire distributor will probably cost $300. Where an ignitor or coil are only about $100 each. Grab a mutlimeter and find the bad component

 

I'm not having any ignition problems at all. I was just curious, seeing as how there are 5 million distributor topics on here, maybe a better understanding would help me help other people in the future.

Let me see if I have this correct: after replacing a cap, rotor, ignitor and coil; it is essentially as good as new unless there are mechanical issues with it(i.e. bearings)? I would assume that the position sensors aren't serviceable.

 

Yes you have it correct. Funny thing is that you can buy the body of the distributor #4 new direct from Honda for $100 new. But the igniter unit #9 is $180. The coil #12 is $91.

Of course aftermarket components cost a lot less. And you may even be able to get the TEC brand (which is OEM) in an aftermarket box for a lot less than ones in the Honda box.

This is for OBD1 civic distributor:
http://www.hondapartsnow.com/Page_Pr...ributor%20(TEC)

 

Heh, on #11: Who HASN'T stripped that screw out?

 

I'm curious, my dizzy cap said it was for a "tec" system and yet I have the "non-tec" rotor. It works perfectly, but what is the deal with tec vs non-tec?

 

i havn't, but i also use an impact driver set on the lowest setting to avoid stripped screws

 

Lots of companies make aftermarket rotors that fit the OEM distributor. Caps as well, but it looks like you have an OEM one.

 

How do you manage to fit an impact screwdriver in that tiny little space? I have one too but it is only good for those screws that hold stock brake discs on and stuff.

 

I think maybe you guys are talking about two different kinds of impact driver? One is the kind that works like a drill, and one the kind you hit with a hammer? I would never use the latter on a distributor shaft.

The important thing to mind when getting at those rotor screws is using a high quality screwdriver. If you don't have a set, they are life changing. I use the Matco/Witte.

Beck-Arnley!

The coil and ignitor are always "if it ain't broke don't ix it" components to me. They do fail pretty commonly though, and usually if one goes the other isn't far behind. Otherwise, the sensors in the distributor don't have any contact parts and shouldn't go bad unless the thing gets flooded with oil. The seal and bearing that are not available at Honda are also available in the aftermarket, I know the internal seal (OE NOK) is available on Amazon for about $18 shipped.

In other words, there's really no reason to replace the distributor unless everything in it is fried and full of oil. And thanks for not using the word "dizzy" lol

 

The one I am talking about is the one you hit with a hammer, I wouln't use that either! Not on a distributor at least... I have a pretty nice gearwrench screwdriver set but that screw still stripped out when I was changing the rotor. Ended up having to snap the rotor in half and change it from a phillips to a flathead with a dremel to get it out.

 

i always use a screw bit on a ratchet, always works for me.

 

This is the best way to get those nasty brake-rotor screws off as well.

 

I have some 3/8 drive allen bits that come in handy, do they make something similar with screwdriver bits or how are you getting them on a ratchet?

 

1/4" socket