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Distributor cap/cover 1997 Civic
Is there a good resource online (or could someone tell me ) how
exactly to remove the distributor cap/cover to clean it and see the condition of it, i.e., if there are a lot of carbon deposits, etc. ... Thanks in advance, for ANY and ALL help!!! |
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#2
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Distributor cap/cover 1997 Civic
On Mar 21, 12:43 am, wrote:
> Is there a good resource online (or could someone tell me ) how > exactly to remove the distributor cap/cover to clean it and see the > condition of it, i.e., if there are a lot of carbon deposits, etc. ... > > Thanks in advance, for ANY and ALL help!!! sounds easy enough, depending on the location...all you should need is your rachet and your screwdriver, and when u remove it if u see carbon deposits...just a little isn't a big deal, if it's corroded, then you may consider changing it...but depending on what problem you are having it could be a waste of money. (saying this because I wasted money changing a cap and rotor for my integra long ago when it was really the distributor itself) But it should be easy enough. |
#3
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Distributor cap/cover 1997 Civic
On Mar 21, 3:43 am, "shammysham" > wrote:
> On Mar 21, 12:43 am, wrote: > > > Is there a good resource online (or could someone tell me ) how > > exactly to remove the distributor cap/cover to clean it and see the > > condition of it, i.e., if there are a lot of carbon deposits, etc. ... > > > Thanks in advance, for ANY and ALL help!!! > > sounds easy enough, depending on the location...all you should need is > your rachet and your screwdriver, and when u remove it if u see carbon > deposits...just a little isn't a big deal, if it's corroded, then you > may consider changing it...but depending on what problem you are > having it could be a waste of money. (saying this because I wasted > money changing a cap and rotor for my integra long ago when it was > really the distributor itself) But it should be easy enough. Thanks for your reply! I did take it off, and, I was sort of disappointed, there wasn't much carbon at all, ha... What happened with your Acura? I still cannot figure out what's wrong with my car. Long story short, I bought it brand new, never had a problem with it, EVER, and then last week it suddenly stopped running in the middle of the road! Without warning! Weird, eh? It's not the timing belt (checked), it's not the fuel system (checked), and now it's down to ignition... I think. The cap and rotor looked semi-okay, do you think it could be the distributor itself? How would you find out? (Cheaply... if possible ) Thanks again!!! --M. |
#4
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Distributor cap/cover 1997 Civic
On Wed, 21 Mar 2007 01:47:30 -0700, melissarwprince wrote:
> > Thanks for your reply! > > I did take it off, and, I was sort of disappointed, there wasn't much > carbon at all, ha... > > What happened with your Acura? I still cannot figure out what's wrong > with my car. Long story short, I bought it brand new, never had a > problem with it, EVER, and then last week it suddenly stopped running > in the middle of the road! Without warning! Weird, eh? > > It's not the timing belt (checked), it's not the fuel system > (checked), and now it's down to ignition... I think. > The cap and rotor looked semi-okay, do you think it could be the > distributor itself? How would you find out? (Cheaply... if > possible ) > > Thanks again!!! Sounds more like a coil to me... Distributor is possible, but coil is more likely, IMO. When you initially asked the question, the two biggest possibilities given to you were coil and igniter. Did you check either of them, or follow the troubleshooting at the following address? http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/start...tml#checkspark It is probably a quick and inexpensive fix. |
#6
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Distributor cap/cover 1997 Civic
On Mar 21, 8:58 am, Tegger > wrote:
> wrote in news:1174466850.112426.49170 > @p15g2000hsd.googlegroups.com: > > > I still cannot figure out what's wrong > > with my car. Long story short, I bought it brand new, never had a > > problem with it, EVER, and then last week it suddenly stopped running > > in the middle of the road! Without warning! Weird, eh? > > Not "weird". If your spark disappears, the car will not run. You've never > checked for spark, have you? > > 90% of start problems are ignition-related. Right now yours sounds like the > igniter. > > > > > It's not the timing belt (checked), it's not the fuel system > > (checked), and now it's down to ignition... > > Could have told you that right from the beginning in that other thread you > started then abandoned. 90% of start problems are ignition-related. > > Instead of yakkin' it up in here, go do some actual diagnostics instead. > You never know, you might just find your problem. > > Check out this handy page:http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/startproblems.html > > -- > Tegger > > The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQwww.tegger.com/hondafaq/ Tegger I took your advice, thank you; didn't mean to abandon that other thread - new at this discussion board. Now, I have checked for spark - there's not. That's why I wanted to know how to take off the distributor cover - I did that too, and it all looks fine - even the rotor seems to be in good shape. Later today I'm supposed to get a multimeter and see what pans out. Now, please be gentle, I hope this isn't a stupid question: I spoke to someone at the dealership today, and he said that even though it appeared that the timing belt wasn't broken, it could have 'jumped time' since the engine was in 4th, and a load was applied when it stopped running. Is this an actual possibility, what he's saying, that the belt could still be on there but 'loose'? I'd not read anything on these boards about it and it seemed that he might have less than good motives for coming up with something like that.. Thanks for your help, again, Tegger, much appreciated. |
#7
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Distributor cap/cover 1997 Civic
On Mar 21, 8:58 am, Tegger > wrote:
> wrote in news:1174466850.112426.49170 > @p15g2000hsd.googlegroups.com: > > > I still cannot figure out what's wrong > > with my car. Long story short, I bought it brand new, never had a > > problem with it, EVER, and then last week it suddenly stopped running > > in the middle of the road! Without warning! Weird, eh? > > Not "weird". If your spark disappears, the car will not run. You've never > checked for spark, have you? > > 90% of start problems are ignition-related. Right now yours sounds like the > igniter. > > > > > It's not the timing belt (checked), it's not the fuel system > > (checked), and now it's down to ignition... > > Could have told you that right from the beginning in that other thread you > started then abandoned. 90% of start problems are ignition-related. > > Instead of yakkin' it up in here, go do some actual diagnostics instead. > You never know, you might just find your problem. > > Check out this handy page:http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/startproblems.html > > -- > Tegger > > The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQwww.tegger.com/hondafaq/ P.S. Tegger, I saw your note above, but know I've read your faq almost nonstop for the past 8-10 hours. Trust me, this novice is really tryin! It's a great resource you have there, much appreciated |
#8
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Distributor cap/cover 1997 Civic
On Mar 21, 11:37 am, wrote:
> On Mar 21, 8:58 am, Tegger > wrote: > > > > > wrote in news:1174466850.112426.49170 > > @p15g2000hsd.googlegroups.com: > > > > I still cannot figure out what's wrong > > > with my car. Long story short, I bought it brand new, never had a > > > problem with it, EVER, and then last week it suddenly stopped running > > > in the middle of the road! Without warning! Weird, eh? > > > Not "weird". If your spark disappears, the car will not run. You've never > > checked for spark, have you? > > > 90% of start problems are ignition-related. Right now yours sounds like the > > igniter. > > > > It's not the timing belt (checked), it's not the fuel system > > > (checked), and now it's down to ignition... > > > Could have told you that right from the beginning in that other thread you > > started then abandoned. 90% of start problems are ignition-related. > > > Instead of yakkin' it up in here, go do some actual diagnostics instead. > > You never know, you might just find your problem. > > > Check out this handy page:http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/startproblems.html > > > -- > > Tegger > > > The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQwww.tegger.com/hondafaq/ > > Tegger > > I took your advice, thank you; didn't mean to abandon that other > thread - new at this discussion board. > > Now, I have checked for spark - there's not. That's why I wanted to > know how to take off the distributor cover - I did that too, and it > all looks fine - even the rotor seems to be in good shape. Later > today I'm supposed to get a multimeter and see what pans out. > > Now, please be gentle, I hope this isn't a stupid question: I spoke > to someone at the dealership today, and he said that even though it > appeared that the timing belt wasn't broken, it could have 'jumped > time' since the engine was in 4th, and a load was applied when it > stopped running. Is this an actual possibility, what he's saying, > that the belt could still be on there but 'loose'? I'd not read > anything on these boards about it and it seemed that he might have > less than good motives for coming up with something like that.. > > Thanks for your help, again, Tegger, much appreciated. (Also, the dealer hasn't actually seen the car; he is relying on just what I told him...) |
#9
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Distributor cap/cover 1997 Civic
wrote in
oups.com: > On Mar 21, 8:58 am, Tegger > wrote: >> wrote in news:1174466850.112426.49170 >> @p15g2000hsd.googlegroups.com: >> >> > I still cannot figure out what's wrong >> > with my car. Long story short, I bought it brand new, never had a >> > problem with it, EVER, and then last week it suddenly stopped >> > running in the middle of the road! Without warning! Weird, eh? >> >> Not "weird". If your spark disappears, the car will not run. You've >> never checked for spark, have you? >> >> 90% of start problems are ignition-related. Right now yours sounds >> like the igniter. >> >> >> >> > It's not the timing belt (checked), it's not the fuel system >> > (checked), and now it's down to ignition... >> >> Could have told you that right from the beginning in that other >> thread you started then abandoned. 90% of start problems are >> ignition-related. >> >> Instead of yakkin' it up in here, go do some actual diagnostics >> instead. You never know, you might just find your problem. >> >> Check out this handy >> page:http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/startproblems.html >> >> > > Tegger > > I took your advice, thank you; didn't mean to abandon that other > thread - new at this discussion board. > > Now, I have checked for spark - there's not. That's why I wanted to > know how to take off the distributor cover - I did that too, and it > all looks fine - even the rotor seems to be in good shape. Later > today I'm supposed to get a multimeter and see what pans out. > > Now, please be gentle, I hope this isn't a stupid question: I spoke > to someone at the dealership today, and he said that even though it > appeared that the timing belt wasn't broken, it could have 'jumped > time' since the engine was in 4th, and a load was applied when it > stopped running. Is this an actual possibility, what he's saying, > that the belt could still be on there but 'loose'? I'd not read > anything on these boards about it and it seemed that he might have > less than good motives for coming up with something like that.. > > Thanks for your help, again, Tegger, much appreciated. > When a timing belt jumps, it normally does it at the crank pulley. This means the camshaft(s) will be out of time, so the ignition will be off as well. You'll likely still get spark at the plugs, but it may be weak. There are only two ways to make sure it's not the belt: 1) Hook up timing light to #1 plug and crank. Check timing at crank pulley. Timing should be between TDC and the group of three marks. 2) Remove valve cover. Crank engine over by hand (COUNTER-clockwise) with a 19mm socket and ratchet until #1 piston is at TDC compression. Cam marks should then be lined up. If they're way off, the belt has jumped. If the timing belt is OK (and I suspect it is), you need to take a logical route backwards from the plugs. If you followed my advice on how to check for spark and didn't see any at the plugs, then you need to find out why. The first thing to check is your tachometer, if you have one. If you crank and the tach needle is dead-still, then the igniter is bad. If the tach needle bounces a bit, then it's probably the coil that's died. If you don't have a tach, you need use a multimeter and backprobe the blue wire at the distributor connector. While cranking, the multimeter should show voltage at the blue wire. If it does, the igniter is fine. If it does not, the igniter is dead. One thing I've run into once or twice is a failed RF resistor in the distributor rotor. This will kill the current to the distributor cap and will then kill the coil. -- Tegger The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ www.tegger.com/hondafaq/ |
#10
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Distributor cap/cover 1997 Civic
On Mar 21, 9:47 pm, Tegger > wrote:
> wrote groups.com: > > > > > On Mar 21, 8:58 am, Tegger > wrote: > >> wrote in news:1174466850.112426.49170 > >> @p15g2000hsd.googlegroups.com: > > >> > I still cannot figure out what's wrong > >> > with my car. Long story short, I bought it brand new, never had a > >> > problem with it, EVER, and then last week it suddenly stopped > >> > running in the middle of the road! Without warning! Weird, eh? > > >> Not "weird". If your spark disappears, the car will not run. You've > >> never checked for spark, have you? > > >> 90% of start problems are ignition-related. Right now yours sounds > >> like the igniter. > > >> > It's not the timing belt (checked), it's not the fuel system > >> > (checked), and now it's down to ignition... > > >> Could have told you that right from the beginning in that other > >> thread you started then abandoned. 90% of start problems are > >> ignition-related. > > >> Instead of yakkin' it up in here, go do some actual diagnostics > >> instead. You never know, you might just find your problem. > > >> Check out this handy > >> page:http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/startproblems.html > > > Tegger > > > I took your advice, thank you; didn't mean to abandon that other > > thread - new at this discussion board. > > > Now, I have checked for spark - there's not. That's why I wanted to > > know how to take off the distributor cover - I did that too, and it > > all looks fine - even the rotor seems to be in good shape. Later > > today I'm supposed to get a multimeter and see what pans out. > > > Now, please be gentle, I hope this isn't a stupid question: I spoke > > to someone at the dealership today, and he said that even though it > > appeared that the timing belt wasn't broken, it could have 'jumped > > time' since the engine was in 4th, and a load was applied when it > > stopped running. Is this an actual possibility, what he's saying, > > that the belt could still be on there but 'loose'? I'd not read > > anything on these boards about it and it seemed that he might have > > less than good motives for coming up with something like that.. > > > Thanks for your help, again, Tegger, much appreciated. > > When a timing belt jumps, it normally does it at the crank pulley. This > means the camshaft(s) will be out of time, so the ignition will be off as > well. You'll likely still get spark at the plugs, but it may be weak. > > There are only two ways to make sure it's not the belt: > 1) Hook up timing light to #1 plug and crank. Check timing at crank pulley. > Timing should be between TDC and the group of three marks. > 2) Remove valve cover. Crank engine over by hand (COUNTER-clockwise) with a > 19mm socket and ratchet until #1 piston is at TDC compression. Cam marks > should then be lined up. If they're way off, the belt has jumped. > > If the timing belt is OK (and I suspect it is), you need to take a logical > route backwards from the plugs. If you followed my advice on how to check > for spark and didn't see any at the plugs, then you need to find out why. > > The first thing to check is your tachometer, if you have one. If you crank > and the tach needle is dead-still, then the igniter is bad. If the tach > needle bounces a bit, then it's probably the coil that's died. > > If you don't have a tach, you need use a multimeter and backprobe the blue > wire at the distributor connector. While cranking, the multimeter should > show voltage at the blue wire. If it does, the igniter is fine. If it does > not, the igniter is dead. > > One thing I've run into once or twice is a failed RF resistor in the > distributor rotor. This will kill the current to the distributor cap and > will then kill the coil. > > -- > Tegger > > The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQwww.tegger.com/hondafaq/ if it's anything like acura, my best bet would be the distributor |
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