Quig

My '93 Civic DX has the normal D15B7 engine but has a non-std distributor. The specs and parts lists indicate that a TD-41 is the correct distributor but mine has been running extremely well with a TD-31. The check engine light pointed me to the distributor and when I removed the cap I found that the o-ring must need replacement as there was oil inside the cap. My question now is whether to replace the o-ring or simply install a new distributor? If I do go for the new distributor, should I get another TD-31 or go for the listed replacement TD-41?

Thanks in advance for any help with this!

ezone

If oil is inside the dist, that's a shaft seal problem not an O ring problem.

Honda doesn't sell the shaft seals separately, you'd have to go to an aftermarket source.
I'd be tempted to pop it all apart and carry the seal in to a bearing and seal supply store, see if they can match it up. If not then go to the internet.
Be ready to purchase another distributor though, it may be easy to ruin things when you take it all apart.


Back a million years ago when I worked at a Mazda dealer, shaft seals were something we did all the time.

Quig

Thanks for the suggestions. From what I see in and on the market, I suspect that this problem is not uncommon.

Thanks again,

Quig

Quig

Just following up on the troubles I had with my distributor. I followed the advice offered here by ezone and spent my time finding the right one to replace my leaker. After talking with parts stores and with the Honda parts people, the best I can tell is that Honda used a number of different distributors in the D15B7 so I'm just going with the same model for a replacement.

Hunting for a replacement showed an amazing range of prices for the same unit. Honda had it in stock and offered it in the $180 range. The local autoparts store could have it the next day and was offering it in the $225 range. I would like to do business with my local store, or with the Honda dealer, but the price was beyond my retirement budget.... I went online and paid less than $90 for it, including shipping, and had it is less than a week. It arrived in the manufacture's original packaging, complete and ready to install. (...at the local parts store, just the cap and rotor would have cost something like $65...) When I win the lottery, I will share some of the winnings with the local parts store but, until then, I can't afford that kind of markup.