Hello. I replaced the small round seal on the distributor shaft, the one that also has the round spring inside it. When I turned the shaft by hand the seal also turns with it. It's a tight fit around the shaft itself but it spins inside the housing. Is it supposed to do that? I thought the seal would be a tight fit inside the housing then the shaft would spin separately. Thanks

 

No.
There are two different types of distributors.
TEC and Hitachi. Each one uses a different internal seal and O ring. Usually EX models have Hitachi, LX/DX use TEC. But verify that your distributor(or engine) has not been changed.
If you are using the 'Hitachi' seal in a 'TEC' distributor, it will be very tight around the distributor shaft, and loose in the housing, which means it will not properly seat and most likely spin with the shaft.

I believe you will need the KOK 7830 (NOK BH3888-E) seal. If you still have your original seal, verify the number on it.
But verify your measurements and distributor type itself. The difference on both ends is .5mm, use quality calipers to verify that is what you need.

I would also recommend purchasing from https://redsautorehab.com/index.php?...dex&cPath=8_28
They were one of the first, if not the first, place to offer just these seals for the DIY.

 

Hello. Mike. Thanks for your post. I may be in trouble then. The old seal was hard as a rock and was breaking apart when I took it out. I am in Australia and I can't get the seal here. A friend in the USA sent me one and the part number I gave her was 30130-pc6-003. It had Honda on the packaging, and you're right the seal does spin in the housing so does this mean oil will leak all over the place? The only number I can see stamped on the distributor is TD-31U. I can't tell what brand it is

 

TD-31U is a TEC distributor.
Seal is not designed to spin and will leak.

KOK 7830
NOK BH3888-E

Any place that deals with shaft/bearing seals should be able to procure you a replacement, electric motor rebuilders, any decent auto parts house that can cross reference seal numbers.

Seal dimensions are 12.5mm X 22.5mm X 5mm

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...689584&jsn=373
https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product...8S0WXSO0&psc=1
https://www.bearingandengineering.co...-5X22-5X5.html

 

Thanks again. The next day after I installed the seal I drove the car a couple of miles and the check light came on. I got the error code and it was 9, which tells me its a cyl sensor. Is that the little black box thing just under the cap? Is this maybe a coincidence or would it be related with me messing with the distributor?

 

Recheck that the pins are not loose at the electrical connector to the distributor.

Hot oil leaking into the distributor can damage the internal components as well.
Remove your distributor cap and check for oil leakage.
When the engine running, oil will fill the cylinder head up quite a bit. That distributor seal is critical in keeping oil from leaking out.
If oil is leaking out it can coat the sensors and reduce resolution.

 

Hello Mike. I contacted a seal company here in Australia and gave him the measurements you gave. They are sending me a 12.5x22.5x5.5 The 5.5 measurement is slightly bigger but do you think it should fit ok? Thanks

 

Dunno if .5mm larger diameter in the hole will fit, It might, might not. Use a good coating of grease to get the seal in the hole. And another dab around the seal surface to prevent seal burn on initial startup.

 

You almost answered my next question. I am concerned with the .5 difference in size and that it might not fit. In normal service is the internal surface of the seal lubricated from the spinning shaft. Would you suggest graphite grease? Also I emailed the company you suggested several days ago in the US and so far no reply, may have to call em. Thanks

 

Not graphite.

Engine assembly lube, lighter chassis grease, or even a coating of oil.
If you look at the recess where the seal goes into, there will be a hole or port that feeds oil from the engine to the distributor, not pressurized just a feed port that allows oil to flow to the bushing from cylinder head. Make sure those holes are not clogged or gunked up. Otherwise the bushing will burn up after the assembly lube/oil has worn off.

 

Hello Mike. Looks like the distributor internal seal has been solved. I went to an auto parts store that I don't normally use and gave them the measurements you gave me and they were able to get a seal that fit perfectly, so that problem solved, so it has a new external and internal seal. You might be able to assist me with another oil leak. It's running along the top of the transmission under the starter then down the side closest to the right wheel then under the transmission. It's possible it's left over oil from the distributor, but maybe not. I can't imagine the transmission leaks from the top. It's not coming from the rocker cover. I'm darned if I know where it's coming from. Maybe you have an idea. Thanks

 

It probably is just residual oil from the original leak.
Normally it piddles out a slot on the bottom of the distributor housing and it leaks on top of the heater core hose that attaches to the head. If that hose is oily, swollen, gooey, replace it before it bursts. If that leaks it will cause the head to overheat, warp, and blow the head gasket.
Then the oil continues down the side of the head, pools under the starter on automatics and drains down where ever it can.

If you have any green cleaners,(simple green, 409, etc) spray that liberally around there, probably easier to take off the air cleaner to throttle body tube to gain access. Let it sit and then hose it down.
Valve cover leaks can be a bit tricky as well. Oil can leak at the 90° joint that the gasket meets when going over the cam shaft. It leaks in that crevice and then ribbles everywhere.

If the engine is just oily, use the above green cleaners on a warm engine and then hose it off. If you have coin operated car washes with the power wand, put it on the soap setting and blast the engine bay o oil and grime. Clean it up and then go for a drive. Any active oil leaks will readily show up.

 

Hello. Mike, just an update. I cleaned the area under the distributor and the hoses etc with degreaser also under the starter best I could. Now it's just a case of keeping an eye out over the next couple of weeks for any leaks. Will let you know.