1995 Honda Accord Distributor Cap/Distributor Leaking Oil

1995 HONDA ACCORD
164,000 MILES • 4 CYL • FWD • AUTOMATIC
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MAHI9535
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I have replaced the distributor O-ring on this vehicle already. I thought The only thing is that it is leaking oil from inbetween the main distributor housing, and the plastic distributor cap. The only thing is, I took off the distributor cap before, and there is only oil on the bottom of distributor and cap. There is a gasket that goes inbetween these two. Now my question is, if I replace this gasket will this stop the leak? Because the car runs just fine, however I cleaned where the oil was dripping down from the distributor/cap assembly. I checked it after running the car about 15 minutes doing some errands and there was fresh oil, not that much but it was still leaking. Does this mean I have to replace my distributor, or just the gasket? I hope not, please any help would be greatly appreciated.
Dec 9, 2008 at 1:39 AM
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KHLOW2008
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Hi mahi9535,

There is a shaft seal inside the distributor and it is leaking. You need to disassemble the distributor almost completely to enable replacement of the seal.
Dec 12, 2008 at 11:46 AM
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MAHI9535
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Dear KHLow,

I replaced the distributor cap gasket, and the leak has stopped. However I still want to check up on that shaft seal that you mentioned. Thank you for the info, I'll let you know if it needed replacement or not.
Dec 12, 2008 at 1:01 PM
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MAHI9535
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I have another question, I have taken off the distributor cap. The distributor rotor has some freeplay, it feels kind of loose. Does this mean that I should replace the whole housing or what? If this is normal then I'll just replace the seal.
Dec 12, 2008 at 5:09 PM
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KHLOW2008
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Hi mahi9535,

The new gasket would keep the oil inside the distributor but it won't be for long. If oil is not allowed out, it would flood the distributor and cause misfiring when the amount accumulates.

A little clearances is nomal for the rotor as the key slots into the camshaft is not tight fitting.
Dec 13, 2008 at 7:52 AM
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MAHI9535
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ok I have ordered the part, and I will probably get it sometime next time next week.
Dec 13, 2008 at 11:28 AM