"Howard" > wrote:
> Had your "cheaper" independent known more about Honda than will admit,
> you
> should have bought and installed a distributor sub-assembly from
> Honda.
> Probably would have cost half as much. A sub-assembly is brand new and
> is
> the distributor body, shaft and pickup with harness. You exchange your
> igniter, cap, rotor and coil (if internal). This would have saved you
> a
> bundle and probably not caused your idle/stalling problem.

I'm going to make a trip to a Honda dealer's part department and ask
for the price of that subassembly. I'd be really surprised if it was
under $500 because one thing I noticed in the past was how expensive
original Honda parts were.

> So much for those "cheap" independents!

Well, this small independent chain is pretty well regarded and many
of them employ former Honda mechanics. This particular store has one
with some 12 years of authorized Honda service background. I must say
that I often found my car running worse after an authorized Honda
service visit than before, despite of the high bills they charge. That
stuck thermostat and worn distributor cap should have been cought by
them at my prior visit and it was not.
So much for expensive "authorized" Honda service.

Rudy