D16z6 engine del sol with 130k miles on it. Was driving and it abruptly stopped, diagnosis no spark and I take the dizzy cover off to discover the rotor doesn't spin when you crank the engine. I also can't spin it by hand with full force.

Can someone confirm this problem can be explained by either the rotor key to the cam is broken, the cam is broken, or the timing belt is broken? Is everything else that can be (like a flaw in the distributor itself)?

How could I get the distributor off if the rotor doesn't spin to expose the screw head right now it's locked in a position I can't access.

The second question is how would you go about testing this problem?

I thought process before I go in solo is try to get the distributor off, leave the engine head cover on, and see if I can see the cam spinning when cranked where the distributor mounts. If the cam doesn't spin then take the head off and visually inspect it. If the cam looks visibly clear then that would mean it's the timing belt. Is this how you would approach it?

I'm a shade tree mechanic on a slight slope, a timing belt fix is something I'd probably need to outsource so trying to make sure I can with confidence isolated the problem to be that part.

Thanks in advance

 

Remove the oil filler cap.If you can see the valves,have someone give it a quick crank.If they move, the timing belt is okay, diagnose from there.

 

Broken timing belt by the sounds. You won't be able to turn the cam shaft by hand. The lobes against the rocker arms will stop you.

You will have to take the valve cover off to get the timing belt cover off. That will tell you immediately if it's the suspected issue. It will also let you get to the cam pulley where with the right tools like a cam pulley holder, you can spin the cam to get to the distributor rotor screw.

 

Unbolt the distributor from the cylinder head and remove it... you should then be able to rotate the shaft and spin the rotor button around to expose the set screw and you can remove it. The suggestions above to check if the belt is broken or the camshaft is broken are good ideas... use them.

 

My silly self only thought of the hard way of not unbolting the distributor.... lol

Then again my thought is more about the possible broken timing belt... Never seen a stock cam snap but that's always possible too. Either case, the distributor is the least of the concerns.

 

I did have a distributor key shear off on my Civic beater, but it sounds like the OP just needs to unbolt it to check, then move to the timing belt next if the dizzy is ok