My son's 98 DX with 230k needs a new distributor and coil, to the tune of $950. Also needs trailing arm bushings ($7-800). Will also need some exhaust parts soon (leaking). These jobs are beyond our ability to do ourselves.

The service guy is recommending we ditch the car and get something else. We just put a new timing belt and tires, and the AC works fine.

Any thoughts?

 

A distributor does not cost $950, even with labor. That's a joke. You DO have the ability to do it yourself. You just don't know it yet.

It all comes down to your own personal choice. Do you want to keep the car, since you just put a new timing belt etc on? If it's cheaper to keep the car and do a few repairs yourself than to pick up a newer car, I would go that route.

It's a bit scary to do the distributor yourself, especially for the first time, but it's really easy to do. (I just swapped engines, which involved moving the distributor over.) You can pick up a distributor from Autozone for less than $300. Probably much less. They will include a coil and ignition control module. If your cap and rotor are still good, reuse them. If the wires are still good, reuse them too. Otherwise, put a few extra bucks towards plugs, wires, and a cap/rotor. The distributor should come with a new o-ring, but if it doesn't, you might have to hit up the dealership and pay a dollar for one.

It's truly as simple as removing the 3 bolts that hold the distributor on, pulling it off, swapping the cap and rotor over to the new one, putting the o-ring on it to seal it up, and bolting it back on. (Then getting the plug wires back on in the correct order, 1-3-4-2.)

From there, you must set the ignition timing. This is EASY. Use a paper clip to jump the service connector on the computer so it will accept ignition timing calibration, get a timing light to see the ignition timing marks on the crank pulley, and slowly rotate the distributor until the marks line up. You can likely rent a timing light from Autozone too. Once it's set, shut it off, take off the paper clip, and then go drive!



Trailing arm bushings are another story. It IS something you can do yourself, bit it's more of a pain to do it that way. I had a shop do mine.

 

x2

distributor and coil do not cost anywhere near $950. You could buy two entirely new distributors with all the internal guts for that price. It's only 3 bolts, which might take 20minutes worth of labor to change. The service guy is not telling the whole story. I hope he's (or his friend) not the one offering the buy the car from you.

With a car from 98, you're going to either need to learn how to do some of the work yourself or find a shop that's not going to rip you off (which is difficult). It may be in your best interest to find a car newer than 2008.

 

Hokiedad-

I concur with Wellfedhobo's contention that a distributor job is well within the capabilities of even the greenest of weekend mechanics. Get your parts from a source other then the dealership because $900 is an exorbitant price. If I remember correctly, hondapartsnow.com sells the '98 OEM distributor for $357 (p/n 30100-P2E-A02). Buy the parts and get your son to assist you with the repairs.

It's been a while since I've performed a distributor job on an EK, but here's a rudimentary walk-through:

Remember to write down the radio anti-theft code before starting work.

First, disconnect the negative battery cable. Then access the crankshaft pulley bolt through the left side inner fender liner. Use a socket, long extension and a suitable ratchet to rotate the engine. Rotate the engine counterclockwise until the white Top Dead Center (TDC) mark on the pulley aligns with the pointer on the engine cover.

Then, label and the ignition wires but do not remove them. Remove the distributor cap and note the location of the ignition rotor. If the ignition rotor is not pointing toward the terminal of the distributor cap for cylinder No. 1, rotate the crankshaft one complete revolution counterclockwise, and align the white (TDC) mark on the pulley with the pointer on the engine cover.

If the distributor is going to be reinstalled, make an alignment mark between the distributor housing and the cylinder head using a scribe or a chisel. Then, and using a scribe, felt tipped marker or touch up paint, make an alignment mark on the distributor housing for the rotor.

Next, uncouple the electrical connectors on the side of the distributor. Remove the three distributor mounting bolts. Then remove the distributor from the cylinder head.

Before installing, coat a new O-ring with clean engine oil and install it onto the distributor shaft. Install the distributor into the cylinder head. The offset lug on the distributor shaft will fit into the groove on the end of the camshaft in only one direction. If the distributor is being reinstalled, align the marks made during disassembly.

Install the three mounting bolts, only hand-tighten them at this time. Couple the electrical connectors on the side of the distributor. If removed, reconnect the ignition wires in the correct order. Finally, reconnect the negative battery cable.

All in all, it should take you no more than 2 to 3 hours to perform the entire job.

Good luck!

 

You don't have to TDC the engine first. Take the cap off leaving spark wires attached and move it aside. Note which way the rotor is pointing (to within +- 90 degrees). In order to disconnect the harness plugs with the small wires, they have to be removed from the metal clip first. Then disconnect the plugs, remove bolts, R&R distributor, engaging the shaft so that the new rotor is pointing the same way. Put the cap on, or if using a new cap, move the wires over one at a time to the same places (the order is cylinders 1-3-4-2 going clockwise looking at the top of the cap). Set timing adjustment to midway, the engine should start. Warm up engine, install test jumper, and set spark timing. Test drive.

Also when trading for a rebuilt unit, NEVER return your "core" part to the store until after the new one is on the car and working.