Strange Distributor/Coil Question

[DBMaster]

The background: I replaced my distributor with a rebuilt from Hi-Test about two months ago. Ever since then the car just doesn't quite "feel" right when I start it or give it some gas. It's not something anyone else would notice, more of a fractional second hesitation that wasn't there before.

I'm driving home from work this evening and when I make the left turn into my neighborhood the engine dies and stays dead. I pushed it solo through the alley to my driveway, but there's no way I'm getting it up that slope pushing by myself. I figured it was the distributor so I yank it and put my old one back in. Still dead. No spark. I figure as a last ditch effort I bum a ride to Auto Zone and pick up a new coil. Bingo! It starts and runs fine.

Now the strange question: The reman now seems to have play in the shaft that was not there when I installed it. So, is there anything that could go screwy in the distributor that could fry the coil as well? I am thinking, sure, a short in the distributor could easily short something in the coil, too.

So now, I have my old, clunky, noisy, leaking distributor back in and I am thinking I might just have to buy that only-one-in-the-US new distributor for $600.

[forrest89sei]

I'd consider using the lifetime warranty and get a replacement, i've never used Hi-Test So I can't say if there suck or good, but Try out the warranty before you go the OMG $$$ Honda Dizzy Route

[russiankid]

I still have my original distributor and it has a little bit of shaft play. It doesn't cause any problems. Try getting a coil from a junkyard and using that for sometime and see if distributor causes it to go out. If not then just put the new coil back in and forget about it.

[DBMaster]

That's probably what I'm going to do. I'll just have to see how much oil oozes out of it. I am talking oil that makes it all the way out under the cap. Maybe that synthetic oil is just too slippery.

[2oodoor]

does Honda sell the bushing for that dizzy, I know they sell the oil seals.

[DBMaster]

The oil seal is no big deal. It's just an o-ring you could source at Ace Hardware in a pinch. I like where you're going, but I am concerned about disassembling the distributor. I always seem to break plastic parts every time I touch the car these days. Everything is so brittle with age. But, I may very well try that.

[2oodoor]

I used to rebuild them all the time until it became more cost efficient to just buy reman's, but these Asian dizzys are like gold for some reason. So yeah I had to buy a used dizzy for D16A1 dohc (vac advance) to go in my B20a engine to run carbs, and it was 58 dollars from the scrapyard.. I am hoping I just need the housing to fit the motor and the internals are the same as A20. If it winds up needing a bushing I am hoping I can get one from Honda.
I also want to look at modifying the weights and springs in the dizzy to get more total advance ..also at the possiblity of fabricating a chevy vac advance to work in it. I saw a A20 in the scrapyard last week that has a dizzy with a metal vac advance on it, that may be the one I need to make that fabrication much easier.

[2oodoor]

I used to rebuild them all the time until it became more cost efficient to just buy reman's, but these Asian dizzys are like gold for some reason. Also once they get so much slop in them; it causes the secondary voltage to run up in the primary side if there is a module, igniter close by.
So yeah I had to buy a used dizzy for D16A1 dohc (vac advance) to go in my B20a engine to run carbs, and it was 58 dollars from the scrapyard.. I am hoping I just need the housing to fit the motor and the internals are the same as A20. Looks the same. If it winds up needing a bushing I am hoping I can get one from Honda.
I also want to look at modifying the weights and springs in the dizzy to get more total advance ..also at the possiblity of fabricating a chevy vac advance to work in it. I saw a A20 in the scrapyard last week that has a dizzy with a metal vac advance on it, that may be the one I need to make that fabrication much easier.

There is always distributorless ign out there too.

[DBMaster]

I looked on Majestic's site and it does not appear that you can buy the bearing/bushing from Honda. Honda sells reman stuff, but not distributors. I figure there must be a reason. My reman has a one year warranty so I am sending it back. What else can I do? I think I have seen metal advance units on the carb distributors. My distributor has a two stage vacuum advance so it's the black plastic one.

[Oldblueaccord]

Seems like you have covered all the bases. Only thing you could test out the ignitor and see how it compares with the numbers in the book. If the resistance is off it could be loading the coil wrong. I would get your old coil tested if posible and if it test ok verifiy that works and cary it as a spare.


wp

[DBMaster]

That sounds like a reasonable conjecture, Mr. Oldblue. I am far too lazy to mess with that. The old coil was an el cheapo replacement so I'm not even going to worry about that. I think you have a point about the igniter, though, because I believe that Hi-Test may use an aftermarket version. My old dist is working just fine. It just squeaks a bit and gets oil in it. I'll let Hi-Test check the reman out and possibly send me a new one. After that I may possibly go to the JY and see if I can possibly find one on an LXi with lower mileage than mine.

[2oodoor]

the (Pull A Part) is in Louisiana, and Tenn.. there dist are only 17.88 , that is worth the gamble plus you can pull it and inspect it yourself. http://www.pullapart.com/Default.aspx

They have super good prices, the other pull it yourself parts Jy are kinda high, I learned to ask first what prices are before even go look now.

[Oldblueaccord]

yeah that place is just up the road from me. I have heard good thing so far about them.

Might be a good side business for you roodo rr distibutors.

wp

[Oldblueaccord]

the (Pull A Part) is in Louisiana, and Tenn.. there dist are only 17.88 , that is worth the gamble plus you can pull it and inspect it yourself. http://www.pullapart.com/Default.aspx

They have super good prices, the other pull it yourself parts Jy are kinda high, I learned to ask first what prices are before even go look now.

OMG admission is 1$. paying to goto a junkyard


wp

[DBMaster]

There's a place like that in Grand Prairie. It cost $2 to get in. Last time I was there they had at least 30 86-89 Accords.

[cygnus x-1]

The Pick-n-Pull by me is $1 to get in, but it's worth it. They have wheel barrows you can use to haul your parts and tools around. They have hoists you can pull engines with. The cars are all marked with year, make, and model for easy identification. It's very convenient and definitely worth the dollar to get in.

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