I recently changed out my distributor with a new one from Ebay. Since then I've noticed a slight rough idle that comes and goes. Also, occasionally when shifting from first to second and stepping on the gas, the car will lose all acceleration and feel sluggish. I have since changed plugs and wires, but the problem persists. Any help would be appreciated.

 

Did you be sure to set the ignition timing ? You can't just put on the new one and it's good to go, you know.
Double check to make sure it's the correct distributor.

 

I did not check timing. I thought I just had to make sure I put the distributor in the right way. Feeling pretty stupid right now, thanks for the help.

 

I checked the timing last night, and the mark is exactly lined up with TDC, not the 15 degree mark I was hoping to be lined up with. Does this mean my mechanical timing is off, or is there enough play in the distributor housing to turn it all the way to the 15 degree mark?

 

Should be.

Not sure of the year here.....some you have to jump the service connector to set the base timing.

 

A repair book is great to have. My 88, 91, 97 civic all had to be service wire jumped to set the timing and I'm pretty sure it's 16* 0-+2 works best.( untouched internals)

 

+1 on the service manual, great resource. I ended up advancing the distributor as far as it would go, and I got it to the 13* degree mark (my manual says 15* +- 2). I doubled checked the mechanical timing, and everything appears to be good. The car is running like a champ again, so I'm going to leave it alone. Amazing how different the car will run with ignition timing being a few degrees off. Thanks everyone for your help.