engine light;h22 tdc sensor problem

[yoshi_h22a]

this is my story. i'll be quick. i was driving at night and did not see the dip coming up. i hit that mother like at 30. luckily my pan didn't crack and the header bent just a bit. right away the engine light came on(which i found out was the tdc sensor), and i heard a weird noise coming from the distributor, where i believe the tdc sensor is located. i took off the cap and noticed the screw that holds the rotor was missing. i put a screw so i took care of that problem. the motor runs smooth and i feel nor hear anything out of the ordinary. my problem is that the motor struggles to turn on a bit and vtec doesn't engage anymore. will replacing the disributor solve this, or is there somthing else i have to worry about. thanks in advance.

[superbluecivicsi]

the cause could be anything, but, to start off, did the tdc sensor cel ever go away? any other codes?

[yoshi_h22a]

no. the only code it gives is 8 and the engine light turns on right away when the engine starts.

[superbluecivicsi]

test the tdc sensor with a voltmeter. there may be a short somewhere. im not fimiliar with the h22 dizzy, but, ill bet its pretty similar to b and d series dizzys.

the car car may feel sluggish because it may be causing your cylinders to misfire.

start with testing the sensors in the dizzy first with a multimeter/voltmeter.

[yoshi_h22a]

sorry to sound like a nub, but what do you mean by dizzy and where is the sensor located on the b series. thanks again.

[superbluecivicsi]

basically, the tdc sensor locations in the distributor vary with engine models. the tdc sensor determines ignition timing for engine start ups, which may explain hard or rough starting. the two test points in the dizzy of the tdc should be measured for resistance. the tdc resistance on civics should be between 350-700 ohms (been awhile so correct me if im wrong), and its different with integras, so im assuming it is also different on h22s. also, their should also be no contunuity from the sensor test points to a ground source.

i know all this may sound confusing, but, if you had a diagram in front of you, you would know what i mean.

either way, since your cel 8 is on, more than likely, the tdc sensor is no good. if the tdc sensor is no good, you have to replace the whole dizzy (distributor) anyways.

if it were me and a cel 8 came on, i would reset the cel by disconnecting the battery for 10 secs. then if it still comes on, i would replace the whole dizzy and hang on to the reciept. more than likely as said before, the tdc sensor is no good, ths your dizzy is no good. if your parts store wants a core exchange, make sure you keep all the internals of the dizzy, screw it back up and return the core to the parts store, that way, you have an extra rotor, coil, and icm handy for future dizzy problems

[yoshi_h22a]

thanks alot for your info and advice. i'll make sure and do that. lates.