Tonite on PO, when cap and rotor replacements GO WRONG
So today I head out to my garage to do some simple maintence
-replace air filter
-replace cap and rotor
so I did the air filter, which took like 5 minutes. Then I proceed with the cap and rotor replacement, which I figured would take like what, 10-15 minutes tops? So first I unscrew the cap and whaddaya know, the screw is already facing me, no need to crank the engine! So then I get a screwdriver and start unscrewing it... wont budge, screw begins to strip.
I then proceed to look for another screwdriver that has a better size... I was aware that this was a common problem with a cap and rotor install, so I ordered another screw ahead of time and had it just incase this one stripped.
Well apparently in my first try I had already stripped it so badly that it was rounded out. No screwdrivers worked anymore. Bleh. So not wanting to put everything back together to head to home depot to buy a screw extractor, I decided to just try to use my dremel and cut a vertical slit so I could use it a flathead screwdriver. Too bad the only attachments that are able to cut into it are the "cut-off wheels", but those need to be held at a 90ΒΊ angle to work. So I didn't have the space and I figured, I'm going to replace the rotor anyway, let's **** it up.
So I dremeled into the rotor so I had enough room to hold the dremel at a 90 degree angle. I then tried to cut into the screw.. but the cutoff wheel I had was too thick...
So eventually my mom came home and I took her car to home depot to buy a screw extractor.. Kept drilling into it, but it never popped it out! Then for some odd reason I tried to loosen the screw with my finger, and it TURNED. I was like What, The, Fk. So anyway here's a pic of the fked up screw
and in that pic is another reason I hate workin on the car for an extended amount of time, my fingers get all dry and peel and crap.
another pic of the screw
Oh well atleast I got it out and everything is fixed now.
BOO YA..
cliff notes: Get a screwdriver that fits.
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The Trapezoid of Death is back.
Ya gota love that sh!t. I was able to lightly tap on my screwdriver while turning it to get mine to loosen up. Sometimes a small stub nose vice grip works too.
lol you should've just purchased a new distributor
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1992 Prelude SI Type SH EBP VTEC BB1 SiR H23 DOHC 4th gen Type-R BB4 Milano Nordic Mist F22 JDM-spec 5th gen Type-S 4WS H22 EDM Mugen edition
Originally posted by SuperSH Ya gota love that sh!t. I was able to lightly tap on my screwdriver while turning it to get mine to loosen up. Sometimes a small stub nose vice grip works too.
i had a small sized vise grip, but there wasn't enough room to rotate it.. bleh..
oh well i know which screwdriver to use in the future atleast..
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The Trapezoid of Death is back.
i stripped both the housing screw and the rotor screw.
was a PITA to get out.
total time spent: 3 hours
being pissed off: priceless
__________________ 1998 Honda Prelude SS -- Gone..but not forgotten
"I will not look back; but I promise that I will always remember the good and bad times, all the things we went through together. You will always be in my memory and heart, the best I ever had. I miss you.. and Thank You."
The cap and rotor are easy, it's simply the screw that, for some reason, is a ***** to get out. It's small and the phillips head provides little grip area. I suggest finding an allen head screw to replace it.
Next time maybe try an impact driver, but just barely tap it. Those things work amazingly well. They provide way more torque than our hands ever could and in a split second.
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97 EGP Base 5spd Prelude. Engine: DC short ram, DC SS headers, AEM pulleys, Random High flow cat, Mugen sport exhaust, Apexi VAFC. Suspension: Tein SS, Tanabe front lower tie, Neuspeed front upper strut, Neuspeed rear sway, Tanabe rear upper strut, DC rear lower tie, 17X7.5 5Zigen Typhoons with 215/40/17 Goodyear F1 GS-D3s. Other: Bride Ergo II, Spoon oil cap, Magnecor wires, relocated Odyssey 680 battery, Denso iridiums, Mugen pedals, Mugen lugnuts, shortened shifter w/ Momo airleather, Rotora slotted rotors and Endless NA-Y pads, Goodridge SS lines.
Originally posted by [SUB[EX] ummm, all of mine have had a 8mm, i think it was a 8mm head on it so i could use a small socket and not have any such problems
That's to get the cap off, not the rotor. The rotor is held on by a phillips head screw
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97 EGP Base 5spd Prelude. Engine: DC short ram, DC SS headers, AEM pulleys, Random High flow cat, Mugen sport exhaust, Apexi VAFC. Suspension: Tein SS, Tanabe front lower tie, Neuspeed front upper strut, Neuspeed rear sway, Tanabe rear upper strut, DC rear lower tie, 17X7.5 5Zigen Typhoons with 215/40/17 Goodyear F1 GS-D3s. Other: Bride Ergo II, Spoon oil cap, Magnecor wires, relocated Odyssey 680 battery, Denso iridiums, Mugen pedals, Mugen lugnuts, shortened shifter w/ Momo airleather, Rotora slotted rotors and Endless NA-Y pads, Goodridge SS lines.
Originally posted by [SUB[EX] ummm, all of mine have had a 8mm, i think it was a 8mm head on it so i could use a small socket and not have any such problems
yea I used a 8mm for the cap, the screwdriver would've stripped those too
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The Trapezoid of Death is back.
The first time I replaced by rotor I strripped the crap out of the screw. I wasn't even cranking that hard. I ended up breaking off the rotor using a big pair of wire cutters. Then I grabed onto the screw from the side with a pair of vice grips and cranked it off. It worked but it wasn't pretty.
Originally posted by fatrat29 The first time I replaced by rotor I strripped the crap out of the screw. I wasn't even cranking that hard. I ended up breaking off the rotor using a big pair of wire cutters. Then I grabed onto the screw from the side with a pair of vice grips and cranked it off. It worked but it wasn't pretty.
i was oh so close to doing that, but the screw just somehow turned out of nowhere
i'm guessing the screw extractor loosened it, just didn't turn it. *shrug*
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The Trapezoid of Death is back.
You guys make an easy job really difficult, don't you!
If you have the right tools, it's very easy to remove a stripped screw. If you can't get the screw out by hand, the first time it slips, don't try it again! Use an impact screw driver as someone else mentioned. It'll pop right out. Just tap gently, you don't want to damage the bearings in the distributor. If you don't want to do that, use a screw extractor set. The traditional type works, but you have to drill a hole, so be careful not to get debris in the distributor. The newer type that Sears carries looks like it would work very nicely without having to drill a hole, but I have yet to use them.
If you guys ever break a stud, try those broken bolt extractors from Lisle that Sears carries (it grips the outside of the stud rather than drilling a hole and screwing into the hole). We had a hard time getting a broken bolt out of Travis' transmission a few weeks ago. I even broke a bolt extractor trying to get it out. I used this set from Lisle, and it came right out!
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Then for some odd reason I tried to loosen the screw with my finger, and it TURNED. I was like What, The, Fk. So anyway here's a pic of the fked up screw
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