Just got a 97 civic lx and am getting ready to do tuneup. Car has 225k on the clock and runs well. It's not a VTEC. First off - does the rotor pop off, or is it screwed on somehow? I tried to get it off by prying lightly, but no luck.

Next - the parts stores talk about a hitachi cap/rotor and regular cap/rotor. How can I tell which one I have?

Anything else I should check on this car? Do the throttle bodies need cleaning (my toyoto's get pretty dirty over 100k)? Any special things to clean to keep it running well? I'm about to take it to get the California smog check, so need it running clean.

Thanks for the great forum!

 

Yes, the rotor is screwed on with a little screw on the side opposite the metal contact. With the cap off, just crank the engine in little spurts until you can get access to the screw.

The distributor body should have some markings on it that will tell you if it is Hitachi or not. If I remember correctly, these may be inside the area covered by the cap, or possibly on the little plastic bits where the electrical connections are inside the distributor.

As for cleaning the throttle body, get some Seafoam engine treatment, and follow the procedure outlined in the DIY section. That should clean out any gunk in the TB and the rest of the engine. I suspect with 225k, the Seafoam treatment will make a noticeable difference.

Good luck!

 

The rotor has a screw thru the side of the shaft. You may need to "bump" the engine (engage the starter for a split second) to turn the rotor to where the screw is up.

If you have the round Hitachi trademark molded on your cap it's a Hitachi. The other ones say "TEC" I think. I suggest buying the dealer OEM cap/rotor instead of a third party knockoff.

You should consider a timing belt change unless you know for sure how many miles are on the belt now.

 

Here's how to identify the type of distributor you have:



You might also consider replacing the plugs, plug wires, and fuel filter.

Is the CEL ON?

http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread/1901557

 

Thanks for the great info. I'm gonna change plugs, airand fuel filter. Plug wires seem to be in good shape. I'll try the seafoam in the vacuum line trick mentioned in the writeups also. I just poured some down the neck of the tb when I removed the air filter and that couphed some smoke out the tailpipe, but then I stopped cause I knew there was a "proper way" to use the seafoam. Thanks for the info on id'ing the correct distributor.

Fortunately no CEL and the car runs very smooth. I'm pretty impressed by this car with so many miles - all the power stuff seems to work (doors, windows, cruise). The SRS light is on, but I guess I can live with no airbag (my 89 toyo,my 67 GMC p/up and none of my motorcycles have airbags!)

Thanks again for the info.

 

It's great to hear that the car is in good shape. I would want to echo mk378 on changing the timing belt unless the seller can produce papers that it was done at 200k. that's an aweful lot of miles if the timing belt is original and it would be my greatest concern.

 

Thanks for all the input. New plugs, rotor, cap and a little sea foam and it's running great. i'll run a tank of "Gaur to Pass" smog stuff in it this weekend and take it to the smog shop on monday.

 

Seriously consider this important advice. A failed timing belt can cause major engine damage.