This car has been running fine for me for 8 years - I'd like to keep it running. The under-dash wiring and ignition switch was replaced about 4 years ago (damage from theft attempt), the main relay was replaced about 2 years ago (intermittent no-start problem) and about 6 months ago, I replaced the alternator, although it may not have been necessary... I've deduced that the positive battery cable ought to be replaced (see, the car died last summer running A/C *and* headlights). Fast-forward to today... please bear with me as I try to relate enough information for you. Let me thank you for your time up-front here, I truly appreciate it.

Last week, after driving a couple of hours in the morning, it wouldn't start after parking it for several minutes. Found that the ignition coil secondary post, matching graphite on the cap and the rotor were burnt. Tested resistance through spark plug wires (all less than 12k ohm). Also tested ignition coil and found resistance through primary a little high and through secondary very high.

After finding what I could on the internet, I figured that the igniter (Ignition Control Module) had reached the end of it's service life and gone bad, resulting in blowing up the coil. I bought and installed an entire used distributor from a junkyard - pulled it off a car that wasn't in a collision. I didn't want to disturb seals, so I didn't inspect the new/used distributor before installation. I have a nagging worry that maybe I should have opened the distributor anyway, just to have a look-see and make sure things were ready to be used.

But, my car did start and I was able to set the timing correctly (per Chilton's). It ran like a champ - sounded like a sewing machine.

BUT, just 3 days later (about 750 miles)... the Same failure has happened again. This time, after driving a couple of hours in the morning, the car was pulled up to curbside and idled for a few seconds. Quickly, the idle became rougher and rougher until the engine just shut down. Coil, cap and rotor are now burnt. Since it seems unlikely that the new (to me) distributor (igniter, specifically) would also be at the very end of its life, I suspect that there is a primary cause somewhere else that I need to identify and correct before burning up a third distributor. Or, maybe that's not reasonable... I'm sure not the expert. ;)

During this ordeal the ECM has signalled no DTC (error codes) and everything appears fine. When key switch is turned, Check Engine light is illuminated for 2 seconds, goes out and the relay clicks and fuel pump hums. Unfortunately, I can't run the car to check alternator output or have Autozone check the igniter. Putting it into a shop is out of the question - I must do any repairs myself. I don't know if this helps the diagnosis, but mileage has dropped from the nearly 40 I would get a few years ago to about 30 MPG most recently, with an occasional smell of raw gas.

Please, any suggestion on how I can avoid burning up another distributor would be very appreciated. Thank you in advance for some of your wisdom from experience. While I await any answer, I think I'll try that "K-test" tomorrow morning to see if the ECM is healthy.

Here's what I would do:

. Install a new ICM, coil, rotor, and distributor cap in the old distributor housing, while it's on your workbench. Read the link below on how to properly install the ICM and coil:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-t...tml#post265896

. Remove distributor from the car and install the "new" distributor.

. Apply dielectric grease to spark plug wires going into distributor cap. Ensure wires are properly seated in the cap.

. Set timing with a timing light:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-t...tml#post219963

If timing is retarded too much, it results in current flowing into the coil too long, which overheats and destroys it.

High secondary resistance will cause the ignition system to destroy itself, as the high voltage is turned on itself. Electricity always take the path of least resistance, even if it's through the ICM, coil, or other distributor component. This is why these components need to be maintained in top shape and replaced regularly. If money is an issue, check prices at RockAuto.com.

. Here are some tips to improve gas mileage:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-t...tml#post293582

Thanks txgreasemonkey for your quick answer!

What I did was to exchange the used distributor I got from the junkyard for another (no refunds there, besides I still wanted one). This one is jerry-rigged, comes with a condenser on the side, was missing one of the igniter securing screws, etc. I was afraid it wouldn't be any help. What was depressing was that the junkyard coil showed resistance across the primary was double spec (1.5 ohm instead of 0.6 to 0.8 ohm).

On the workbench, I did an off-car test of the igniter and it seemed to be responsive, but I wasn't 100% sure because of my not-too-great mess of wires and a light bulb.

Assuming the ignitor actually was OK, I figured I needed to assure that the secondary circuit was as trouble-free as possible. I dipped into past-due rent money to get a set of spark plug cables, plugs, di-electric grease and a new cap (my first piece in an emergency kit you listed elsewhere and, besides, I figured I'll probably cook it before I solve this problem).

Then I reassembled the original distributor with all its components, except I used the cap from the junkyard distributor since my original one was cooked. I also used 600 grit paper to remove the arc corrosion on the rotor. As expected, there was no sparking, so it seemed to indicate the original coil was indeed shot. I then pulled the coil connections loose and connected a light bulb instead... it proved the igniter was OK because the bulb flashed nicely when I cranked the engine over.

Then, just for grins, I replaced the original coil with the junkyard coil (that I thought was bad because of high primary resistance). Dang if that didn't work! I guess the primary resistance isn't too critical?

I set the timing with a light, but it may be a little off I suppose. Chilton's shows two pointers above the crank pulley (I guess to eliminate parallax when viewing) - but I only have one and it's 2 or 3 inches above the pulley.

Could you answer this please... just what does putting a jumper in the Service Check connector do anyway? Oh, and another question: should the automatic transaxle be idling in "D4" when setting timing? I did that (sort of dangerous) because Chilton's said so.

So, the engine runs again. But now I notice a couple of different things that don't seem to be distributor related. But I am thinking they might be related to the bad shutdown the poor engine went through when the distributor failed.

One is a noise, like the rattle of vibrating, thick sheet metal, that is quite pronounced between 2000 and 3000 RPM. I plugged one ear and used a long screwdriver with the handle against the other ear to try to locate it - but I can't (I would've guessed it sounds like the exhaust manifold shield being vibrated). Not being an expert, I'm worrying about the worst things - valves and rods come to mind (for no good reason except fear of tearing deep into the engine).

Do you think such a noise is a serious concern?

The other thing I notice is that the exhaust smells more than a bit "raw". Before this breakdown, I had noticed an occasional smell of gas and thought I had a tiny leak somewhere under the hood. Now I think it's from the exhaust since all my hovering over the engine while it's running didn't present any raw gas smells.

In my desperate ignorance, I'm very quick to grasp at straws. I'm thinking that the catalytic converter is now fouled - partly because of age, but especially since the engine was very flooded after the first distributor died (after replacing the distributor with the first junkyard distributor, I had to crank for maybe 4 minutes with throttle to the floor until the engine fired on more cylinders than it was missing... and then it really poured steam and raw gas out the pipe for many minutes after getting it to idle.

At first I was fearing a cracked block and coolant getting in the exhaust, but the exhaust cleared up to what it was like before and coolant hasn't disappeared.

Would you have any ideas on this? Or maybe more to the point: Does this sound like trouble with something that would break if I drove the car?

I'm quite afraid to even take it for a drive right now, even though it seems to idle sort of OK. Unfortunately, if the car breaks just a block away it might not survive the neighborhood before I can get help to push it back home. Of course, if I take it to a nicer part of town for testing, then I'll be stranded with no way to get it home (I've used up my AAA towing allotment for this year).

Finally, on a more positive note, I plan on implementing all your tips for increasing mileage as soon as I have an income again. Thanks for putting that all in one place! And thanks again very much for helping me through my current Civic problems.

Jumping the SCC eliminates any advance being imparted to the timing. I believe a lot of your rough running situation is do to the timing being off. Besides the pointer, there are 4 marks on the crankshaft pulley. Three of the marks are together--you are likely interested in the middle mark. The mark that's off by itself is TDC. After following the steps in my timing link, use a timing light to align the pointer and the center (Red) mark.

The vibration you hear may be related to the timing being so far off. Once the timing is correct, the fuel smell and exhaust issue will likely go away. If need be, loosen the 3 distributor mounting bolts slightly, after starting the engine, and rotate the distributor to set the timing by "ear." I'm concerned that the car's present timing is way off.

I guess I wasn't clear about my timing setting. I believe I did it right, but please let me know if it's wrong:

* First, I rotated the engine with a socket and ratchet at the crank shaft pulley until the TDC mark lined up with the pointer on the timing belt cover. Then I set the distributor shaft marks to align (you know, the line that rotates with the shaft with the two stationary marks at each end on the housing). Then I just slid it into it's mounting hole, securing it finger-tight with the three hex head screws.
* Idled car in "D4" until cooling fan came on - by then it was idling about 700 to 750 RPM.
* Inserted jumper into SCC.
* Attached timing light to battery and clamped around plug cable for cylinder #1 (driver's side end).
* Rotated distributor until pointer was lined up with the middle mark of the group of three marks on crank pulley (18 deg. BTDC, I think).
* Secured distributor mounting screws, shut off engine, removed SCC jumper.

The final position of the distributor is almost all the way clockwise, while looking at the cap. I would have expected a final position closer to mid-way between clockwise (retard) and counterclockwise (advance), not all the way to one end. Actually, rotating the distributor all the way clockwise puts the timing at 16 degrees BTDC (the one mark of the set of three that's closest to the TDC mark)... there's no way to retard it any more, but I can advance it to around 35 degrees BTDC (way distant from all the crank pulley marks) if I rotate the distributor counterclockwise all the way.

Could the timing be way off even though I've aligned the correct mark with the pointer using the timing light? The engine basically sounds OK (except a couple of noises I hadn't noticed before).

Would an engine even run if it were, say, 20 degrees retarded? Would running grossly retarded result in stinky and wet exhaust?

Could the engine have been reassembled incorrectly after some major repair long ago? Is there a way it might have been messed up so the hash marks are no longer valid, but valve/piston timing is synchronized so the engine runs OK? If that's the case, I suppose I can ignore the marks and just try to do it "by ear" with periodic readings of spark plugs between short periods of operation. :(

As for the rattling noise that's prominent between 2000 and 3000 RPM: I went under the jacked up car, lightly hitting everything with the handle of a screwdriver. Since I was unable to locate the source of the noise from above, I thought it may be coming from underneath - maybe an exhaust heat shield. Most everything sounded solid... but I found a sheet metal thing screwed onto the end of the transaxle where it joins with the engine. I guess it's a "transaxle splash shield", but I can't find any information to confirm this. Anyway, it jiggled when I hit it... maybe because 3 of the 4 attachment screws are missing.

If it sounds okay and you have power, then the timing is likely okay. I thought engine vibration was causing everything to shake badly.

Now I'm quite worried I might have fouled up the crank/valve timing, if the ignition timing is OK.

I ran across a posting in a forum that said turning the crank clockwise can cause the timing belt to skip a tooth. In my ignorance, that's the direction I went before finding the timing marks on the pulley - since then I've been turning it the natural direction of engine rotation, counter-clockwise.

Is there any way for me to somehow verify the valve timing without, essentially, tearing so much out that I could replace the belt anyway? If it were off a tooth, would there be obvious symptoms I should notice?

Not that I'm aware of. If it runs and sounds fine, you likely didn't do any damage.