Is the distributor o ring leaking a common occurance on first gens? And are they a symptom of anything in particular?

 

to me thats just wear and tear on the car, it depends on ur car if sumthin is warped or bent outta shape, they arent expencive i got a new 1 cuz it was pretty old payed sumthin like 50-60 for it cdn

 

60 dollars? holy crap man I got quoted 5 bucks for just the part at the dealer. Where you meaning with the install?

 

no man i bought a general fit one, put it in myself .....sum how i feel i got f@#ked on this one bigtime

 

Ya dude, you got screwed, with NO VASELINE!!!!

it's a 5 min job and the rubber o-ring should cost about $2-5

 

The O-ring gets hard over time and stops becoming a rubber gasket, and then leaks. It's something that should be replaced at the 60k service along with the valve cover gasket, and perhaps the cam seals (which also harden and leak over time). One of those "while I'm there" things.

 

Mines' also leaking. While you're at it..check your valve cover gasket, cam and crank seals as well and your water pump as well as your timing belt.

 

cam seals and water pump is the only thing I haven't done yet, and my pro only has 65k miles so I'm not quite sure it needs anything else quite yet.

 

Some people suggest replacing the water pump at 60k intervals. Mine lasted longer than the engine (180k). It's not the easiest thing to change, but as long as you're there... As long as you maintain your coolant (for it's anti-corrosion and lubricating properties), your pump should be fine for 120k miles. But, as a friend said, if it fails at 70k, you'll kick yourself.

A lot depends on how well-cared for the car has been the last 65k miles. My sister's '89 Civic is more worn out with 70k miles than my Protege is with 185k miles, as I do maintenance on a regular basis (preventative, rather than repairing broken things).