Hey Everybody,

Short time lurker, first time poster.

Just got this lovely beast a few months ago. Figured I should give her a tuneup, since she was losing power. I replaced the plugs yesterday and the difference was AMAZING (NGK Iridiums).

Today, I did the cap and rotor. It wouldn't turn over. I was trying to troubleshoot and decided to put the old rotor back on. The new one is stuck. Really, really, really stuck. I cracked the plastic leak cover and chipped the plastic on the rotor trying to pry it off.

It's been a bad day. Real bad day.

Any advice, besides drinking? I figure once this POS is off, I'll try the old rotor. If that doesn't work, then I'll put another new one on (this time using anti-seize, I guess).

Also, I did the widely-advised trick of cranking the engine to get the rotor to rotate (to get to the screw). Any chance that I f*()&* something up?

 

I should also mention that I'm trying not to destroy the new rotor, as I want to exchange it if it's faulty. That'll be much harder if I've ripped it to pieces.

 

Wiper arm puller. Or light taps with a screwdriver and hammer.

 

Try spraying some Aero Kroil or Liquid Wrench (or PB Blaster if that's all you have) on there with the rotor facing down. Then take a small screw driver and tap the thing like you're doing a drumroll. You might have to repeat this 2 or 3 times. Let it sit overnight and see if it comes off any easier. If you have a pair of snap-ring pliers, you might be able to wedge the plier jaws between the rotor and housing and pry it apart that way.

Whatever you do, don't use that Acetone + ATF mix. That stuff is great for metal-on-metal but the acetone will eat the plastic.

Good luck!

 

Liquid wrench did the trick in less than three seconds. Mother of God, how have I lived without this stuff for so long?

New rotor was screwed from all of my brute force. I put the old, still working pieces on, yet the car would not turn over. I pulled a plug to see if it was sparking. No luck.

It seems either that I blew the coil or my wires somehow went bad. Any other thoughts?

Also, for the rest of you, I'd recommend doing the "put car in reverse, push really hard" to get the rotor to rotate so you can take it off. I think the dry firing to rotate the rotor might have ruined my coil.

On the bright side, my local Pep Boys has the Accel Yellow coil on sale for $26. Any thoughts on their parts?

 

Test the coil. See FAQs sticky.

Before cranking to position the rotor screw for removal, remove the 15A hood ECU fuse so no spark will be produced and the coil will not be damaged.

 

I wish I had known that two days ago (the fuse thing), lol. I'm gonna stick with the putting it in reverse thing for rotor rotating.

Do you have to ground the plug to get a spark when cranking, or is that just for safety? I'm asking because when I pulled the plug and checked it for spark, I didn't ground it.

Also, when testing the coil, will I have to remove it from the distributor to test it? Do I have to take off the leak guard to get to the terminals?

 

Haha, yea, it's pretty good stuff. Aero Kroil is even more insane, in terms of both in performance and price!

 

Is it possible that when I cranked, I fried the fuse instead of the coil?

 

stay with stock

 

Edit: Not if battery voltage reaches the coil.

 

Yes

 

you say your car is not "turning over" or "cranking"... this means when you try to start it nothing happens. the starter does not engage. please clarify if your engine is trying to start but wont "FIRE".

 

 

The starter engages. It won't "fire"... no spark on the plug when I pulled it.

It's not the fuse btw. Checked it. I have a generic coil on the way. I couldn't afford Honda's $120 plus tax. Amazon had a Beck Arnley for $20. At that price, even if I have to change it once a year...