i was driving home today, and all of a sudden the car shuts off and the CEL comes on. i did the paper clip thing and it shows code 8. that's the TDC sensor in the distributor. so i take off my dist. cap and voila my rotor is unscrewed. so i screw it back on and start it again. the light is still on and now there's a whine coming from the distributor. i think i'll need a new dist... any suggestions?

 

The bearings in your distributor could be going out. Double check that the rotor is secure, and look for anything in there that might be rubbing to make a whining sound. You should be able to tell if the bearings are going out, and from what you describe, that'd be my guess.

 

i had a similar noise and i had to replace the distributor because the baring went out...

 

well, i checked where the whine is coming from and it's coming from the rotor against the terminals on the cap. when spinning the rotor it seems like the bearing is still good. the car starts fine but idles at 1,500 rpms. the ecu is still throwing code 8. i thought it could be the timing belt but i've checked and it looks great.. any other input? how much would a replacement dizzy cost?

 

don't replave the dizzy, they are about $350. go to honda and get a new rotor, and pull out the HAZARD fuse under the hood for 15 seconds, as this will clear the code and fix your problem

 

What the hell is "the paper clip thing"?

 

if your rotor fell off the screw probably chipped one of the reluctor wheels of the dizzy if it did then you will need a dizzy or just replace the reluctor assembly with a good one, if you need one I've got one for sale.

 

paper clip thing is when you short the plug so the ecu will thorow the code

 

thanks, i did notice a piece falling off around the cap

 

dont mean to thread jack but you can use this as a bump. my distributor squeaks does this mean bad bearings or a bad sensor. ill be replacing it anyway due to mini me but would like to know incase i sell it.

 

What plug? Won't the ecu blink the code w/out shorting it? Sorry, I've never had to check a code so I have no idea.

 

I am so confused, this morning i put on a new cap and rotor and everything seems fine now except the CEL. It's still throwing the code. I took it out for a drive around the block and when I came back the distibutor was burning hot to the touch. Everything seems fine besides that and the CEL. Is it safe to drive like that? I really don't have the money to shell out for another distibutor..

 

Dude, the bearings are about to go.
When the bearings start to go out, the shaft wobbles inside the distributor and the sensors don't work well. They have magnetic pick ups and the shaft must be perfectly centered for the sensors to work.
You need another distributor.

 

awww, crap... exactly what i didn't want to hear.. guess i better start saving up for the dizzy

 

update...
got a new dizzy, everything works perfect. thanks alot guys!