Do something about stuck ignition rotor screw, or buy aftermarket dizzy?
 

When I took off the distributor, I saw that the screw was already somewhat stripped. When I tried to unscrew it, I found that it also is incredibly stuck in there, and I contributed to stripping it further.

I tried using 40 or so seconds of freeze-off, and letting that sit a few minutes. And I also put a rubber band over the tip of the screwdriver as I tried to move it after putting the freeze-off on it. And I pushed the distributor into the screwdriver from the other side while I tried to unscrew it. I tried several times using a ton of strength to push the screwdriver in while pushing the dizzy against the screwdriver, and it still would not budge, and the screwdriver eventually just turned in the hole, adding to the stripping.

So, I'm wondering if anyone has tips on how I could get that screw out of there without destroying the other parts of the dizzy (aside from maybe the rotor). Or, should I take it to a shop and ask them to get it off, or, should I just buy a new distributor?


I found this seemingly great deal on an all-new-parts aftermarket dizzy from AM Autoparts on eBay.

Ignition Distributor Cap & Rotor for Del Sol Civic 1.6L DOHC VTEC NEW | eBay

I looked up reviews for that store, and they have a bunch of bad ratings, but almost all of them have to do with communication and shipping issues, and not so much product quality. It also has a 10 year warranty, and the eBay store has been around for 13 years so far.


Think it'd be a good buy?


Here's a pic of the stuck screw in my original dizzy.

https://i.imgur.com/G5Cdrhr.jpg

Try finding the seller "distributor king". I purchased several Honda dizzys without issue from him.

You could also try using an impact driver to get the screw out, I've done that successfully in the same position you're in.

You could use a hacksaw or dremel to cut a notch into it and use flathead screwdriver. If that doesn't work, only way might be to drill and re tap the hole.

Use a Phillips socket or an impact driver

try to get a small vice grip in there and turn.

I ended up getting it out by reattaching the dizzy to the car, using a phillips socket, and pressing down on the ratchet head.

From reports I read online, Distributor King went out of business years ago. One post said they had quality issues with their manufacturer in China and couldn't sell their distributors at the prices they wanted to.

I'll have rebuilt most of this dizzy once a couple more parts come in the mail. The only original parts in it will be the sensors and the rotor shaft. I read the bearings on the shaft can be replaced, if the spec can be bought, so that's something I might do further down the line.


I think that the bearing specs are 6001 / 12.46 PX1, and the part # might be 6001-2ZJ, though I'm not 100% certain of that. According to this post, it sounds like the person found a The 6001-2ZJ bearing in their B16 dizzy. The 6001-2ZJ bearing has a 12mm bore-hole, while the 6001 / 12.46 spec indicates a bore-hole of 12.46mm.

Here's a place in Canada that sells that bearing for $10: https://www.bearingscanada.com/6001-...ty-12x28x8.htm


Here's are a couple of guides showing how to replace the shaft bearings:
e-hatch.com // View topic - How-to: Dizzy Rebuild
https://sites.google.com/site/hondal...ributorbearing


Without doing the bearing, it'll have cost me around $130 to replace the other parts. The aftermarket fully dizzy costs $72.something USD after shipping and import fees, so around $87.50 CND. Not sure fixing this one up was the best call, since that aftermarket one has a 10-year warranty. 10 years seems pretty ballsy for a $55 dizzy. None - 3 years is more the normal in the price range, though this $60 one also offers a 10-year warranty.




Here's a more expensive one that brags about its quality:

1999 2000 Honda Civic Acura EL 1.6 TD63U Brand NEW Distributor

I notice that they don't mention what they consider the "lifetime" of their unit to be in the auction listing, so I sent them a message because I'm interested to know.

If you change the cap and rotor and it works fine, money saved.

Next time, since you got the screw out eventually, might try this..........

Neji = screw.

Saurus = well........you know.




I believe, all made by the same manufacturer. I have a full set of these (both Neji-saurus and Vampliers) and let me tell you, amazing.


I was going to say, I should post in this thread, but it's already there.

https://www.revscene.net/forums/7094...ls-thread.html

I never bother trying to fix distributors anymore. (American) Amazon is the place to go for replacement autoparts and there are many suppliers with "good enough" reputation to last you 75-100k (for a 100 dollar fix, it's okay)

The time alone you spend fixing it is worth more plus other problems can arise and you might have to take everything apart again even if you do it perfectly.

Maybe I'm a dying breed but I prefer to repair before replacing parts, unless it's cost prohibitive.

It literally takes less than 15 minutes to take the cap, rotor, dust cover off and test the ignitor and ICM.

Since we are talking about using the tools for the job, the original owner should have used a JIS screwdriver for that JIS screw, not a regular Phillips head. JIS will take a lot more torque before camming out...

like this
https://i.imgur.com/0DCjgos.jpg