Curious of faulty distributor symptoms. Car is '98 Civic EX, starts well and has recently develpoed a steady minor misfire. I pulled the distributor out recently to replace the o-ring and it ran well until I took a trip to visit my daughter 3 hours away. It started misfire on trip back home.No CEL codes.

New timing belt kit, plugs,wires,cap,rotor,,exhaust manifold and front o2 sensor,fuel filter.
Cleaned: throttle body, IAVC valve, V-tech solenoid.
Recent valve adjustment.Compression Test: all cylinders good.

I priced out ignition coils, and figure for a bit more may as well buy new distributor, if it is the issue. Any suggestions for testing or pesonal experience
with similar issue greeatly appreciated.

Almost forgot, gas mileage seems to be poor too

 

Symptoms of faulty distributor - weak spark or no spark

Have you tested spark?

How old are the plugs, wires, cap, and rotor?

 

i purchased a new dizzy from auto zone which was a POS. was not able to get it to the correct ignition timing as the bolt holes would not line up. purchased one from richporter via ebay and works like a champ. lifetime warranty and only $134 for the whole unit.

this is the one i purchased
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1992-1993-Ho...1e63c1&vxp=mtr

 

NEW: NGK Wires, Autozone Gold cap & rotor, NGK copper plugs.Also new Autozone crankshaft positioning sensor.
I have yet to do ignition coil test, will be soon though

Thanks for the link Bradshaw, might be buying one of those soon.

 

i didnt see you changing your coil..
i got the Accell coil # 11076 for 50 shipped on amazon

super easy to replace

 

bump

 

Why are you bumping this? Did you at least check for spark?

 

Ignition coil good... starts up like a champ.
Pulled spark plug one at a time and held close to valve cover. All plugs getting spark, but all seem weak. Leads me to believe igniter may be issue, what's the best way to test?

 

Are you testing spark quality as detailed in the Spark link in my signature?

 

Thanks Ron,

I just read your spark link and I did not do it that way. I will try it tomorrow when I have more time and report findings.Very good write up and I intend to read the other ones you linked.

 

remove and clean fuel injectors.(AKA-pick up new o rings incase)
I had the same problem at one time .

good luck

 

Best way to clean civic injectors other than fuel additives? I've googled search but little comes up, surprisingly.

 

removed my injectors. I set the injectors on the table with a bunch of q tips and rubbing alcohol or mass airflow sensor cleaner and start cleaning .
wait to you see how filthy it is .

also pick up or order it from amazon or eBay BG44k fuel system cleaner.
fantastic stuff use it .

good luck .

 

O-rings through dealership or on-line? Did it increase your gas mileage too?
I definitely want to clean them.

A friend of mine advanced the timing a bit today and that seemed to help.
Also, car has a CEL now and it's the bank 1 oxygen sensor. I purchased the sensor this past April along with a new manifold and been okay until now. It was a direct fit but not branded. Got both manifold and o2 sensor from JC whitney and the o2 sensor is still under warranty. I am upgrading it to Denso 234-4099 Oxygen Sensor.

My friend help me with spark test and it's good.

 

You should avoid replacing parts on a whim. Only do so if there's a clear reason.

Have you inspected the plugs, wires, and rotor? How old are they?

 

I bought the car in April and it had a cracked exhaust manifold. I PB'd the old sensor overnight and half hour before I removed it while the engine was warm using a borrowed o2 sensor socket,but it stripped when I removed it.Hence the need for new manifold and o2 sensor.
Threw a CEL two days ago and his scanner showed error code for bank 1 sensor 1.
He also mentioned the voltages were fluctuating abnormally for sensor 1.
We reset the ECU a couple times, but CEL comes on again.

I did replace cap,rotor,plugs,wires a month ago as previously mentioned. That was wasted money, but now I have spares. I will say the cap and rotor did give it a bit more pep.

I am a novice at best, but this being my first Honda it has inspired me to learn more and try more.

 

like the moderator said avoid changing so many parts at once. a waist of money and makes it much harder to diagnose problems .
leave dizzy in its stock timing position .
use only denso brand oxygen sensor will save you much headaches .
you can get the o-rings from rockauto parts and manifold from them also.
love that site great prices.

 

I guess I should have explained better. I purchased parts over the the past 5 months, the first being the manifold and the stripped 02 sensor as those needed immediate attention.This being my first Honda their is a learning curve to what parts outside of OEM that will work and the consensus appears to be buy OEM as much as possible.

I regret buying a new cap, rotor and wires however, if I have the car long enough I will most likely use the spares. JC Whitney reps could have recommended a Denso o2 sensor for 10 dollars more 5 months ago at the time I bought the non-branded direct fit. However, they did not and I am getting a full refund for the old one and a discount on the Denso coming soon, so basically $8 out of my pocket with new 1 year warranty.

A timing belt kit on a car without records can't be a bad thing and a learning experience when my friend guided me through it. It seems that most threads end up without solutions or follow-ups when it comes to quirky issues and I know it's a two way street.
Logical or experienced suggestions need to be carried out with proper testing and I do get that. So, from now onwards I will test before I throw parts at it.

I appreciate everyone's valuable advice.