Distributor Housing Cracked 1988 Camry

[fyodor79]

Hey guys,

I'm new to this forum- I did a cursory look at the other forum posts but didn't see anything similar, so I'm posting this here. If someone knows of a thread, just post a link and hopefully save someone from repeating themselves.

My 88 Camry stalled as I was driving to work last week and I had it towed to a mechanic. I can do rudimentary repairs (radiators, alternators, hoses, etc.) but I figured it was the fuel pump or something else because of the high mileage, so I sent it to the mechanic to figure out, as I have to work all week. There's also a chance I would just make things worse.

He told me that my distributor housing was cracked, and that water had seeped into the distributor. Can someone give me a more straightforward explanation of why it made the car stall (did the water short out the coil?) average time to repair, and a good estimate on costs, and anything else that should be swapped out while he's doing it?

I love these cars, and they rarely seem to break, so I'm willing to spend a little bit to keep this one running. She leaks about a quart a week from what I suspect is a rear main seal, but it's cheaper to keep oil in her than it would be to get to the seal. I can hit 85 on the interstate and she drives like a new car.

Any responses appreciated.

[Mike Gerber]

Yes, water inside the distributor can cause the spark to short itself to any wet ground inside the distributor. Are you sure it was the distributor housing that cracked? It's more common to have the coil inside the distributor crack. The distributor cap can also crack. The cap on this car comes with the spark plug wires built in to the cap as a 1 piece unit. That would cost about $75 - $85 and about 1/2 hour labor charge to install it. The coil is about $40-$50 aftermarket and about 45 mintes to 1 hour to install. A rebuilt distributor would be about $125 - $150 plus about 45 minutes to 1 hour for labor. These labor estimates are in addition to whatever the shop charges to diagnose the problem. These parts estimates are based on aftermarket parts, not Toyota OEM.

Mike

[fyodor79]

Thanks for the quick response.

He seems convinced it's the actual housing, and didn't ask if he should replace the distributor- I assume it checked out okay. If he was shady, wouldn't he try to swap out everything he could and make as much money as possible?

Apparently they don't stock the housing at the local auto parts stores around here- he said it would be a few days before he could get it. I imagine the housing is a somewhat more expensive part, and requires more time to install? I'm not well versed in the electrical side of things- reinstalling radiator fans with that plug-in part is the limit of my experience in that field.

If he can get it running, I may drive it home with the new housing and think about replacing the distributor and/or cap myself with my Dad once I get some free time.

[PaulPR]

I can't imagine he's going to replace the aluminum housing. If it's indeed cracked, I would think he'd swap out the whole distributor. The labor involved in swapping all the bits between housings would likely exceed the price of a rebuilt distributor.

I'm guessing something is getting lost in translation, but it's hard to say for sure.

Good Luck - Paul

[Doctor J]

It is unlikely for distributor housing to crack unless it fell on the hard surface.
the used distributor with new coil, cap and rotor should be working.

[Mike Morris]

I too think its the coil.
If you need any of the above parts PM me.