So here I am like so many others with a 1988 323 SE non-turbo Hatchback and no spark. I suspect the igniter inside the distributor is bad although I can't 100% rule out other things. I have the Mazda shop manual and have gone through the troubleshooting flowchart. It all points to either the pick-up coil or igniter (or are they the same beast?).

I've read several messages here and on other boards to just buy a remanufactured (complete with module, rotor, cap, etc.) distributor, preferably a Mazda remanufactured part. Where do I buy such a thing? I've scoured the web but can only come up with bare distributors with no igniter model. The igniter module alone sells for around $300. I did find a Mazda dealership that claimed they sold a distributor, but even at $800 not sure that would even come with the igniter module considering it was coming from a dealership, they always charge top dollar.

I'm fast running out of options for this car. If I can't get it running I'll have no choice but to have it towed to a dismantler junkyard and hopefully get $50:-( Please help me locate a complete replacement distributor....

 

you can get bot the distributor and the ignitor for like 600 throgh napa.

 

I checked the Napa website. They don't list a complete distributor. They list a bare distributor which several places sell. Then I'd have to buy the igniter module, along with a pickup and reluctor which brings it to almost $700. And then there's the rotor and cap which also have to be purchased. Not sure I need the reluctor.

Ordering from Rock an A-1 Cardone distributor, adding an igniter and pickup would be around $460 without a reluctor, which again I'm not sure is needed or comes with the bare unit.

What I was hoping to find but doubt it exists is an all-in-one solution. Did find something called "Distributor-King" but they don't list a 1988 323.....

 

I wonder if ACCel or Mallory would offer an AM replacement dist? If they make one for Volvos... they might just have one available for a Mazda too.
And failing that, there is always your local junkyard? If they don't have one, perhaps they would network it for you? Check out eBay, Craig's List, AutoTrader, etc... The Internet makes it so much easier than it used to be.
Could yours be rebuilt? A machine shop can usually replace the bushings, refit the shaftand stuff, you could do the rest yourself.

 

Accel and Mallory appear to be the same company and they don't make an AM distributor for the 323. The only thing that seems available is to get a rebuilt A-1 Cardone 31-824 which is advertised on their website as not coming with an igniter module. What's confusing though is the picture they show has an igniter module! Has anybody ever purchased an A-1 Cardone distributor? What does it come with and what do you need to buy to make a fully functioning distributor?

Attaching a picture of my distributor with the cap and rotor removed. The thing looks like it's had oil inside but not sure if that's normal or not. If I was to just buy the igniter module, how do you remove the piece in front of the igniter, I think it's called the pole piece. It's held on by a pin that's driven in a hole at the top. How do you get that out? There's nothing to grab to pull it out

 

Good news, I got the car running! There was nothing wrong with the igniter. The problem the whole time was a worn out rotor and cap, with most of the wear on the center spring-loaded button on the underside of the cap. The battery was also shot, it had leaked acid on the tray, eating a small hole through the tray. I was afraid something had eaten into the wiring harness under the tray, but that was all fine.

I'm still not totally out-of-the-woods with the distributor. It's leaking oil inside the distributor. The experts say it's a worn o-ring buried deep inside the thing. I'll just have to keep looking until I find a replacement distributor that looks like quality. Until then it's "MAZDA, CAPTURE THE EXCITEMENT!" (1988 Mazda slogan).

 

That"s GREAT news!! They always used to say that it"s often the 25 cent part that keeps you from finishing the race, not the big easy to spot items. Now you have an example of that.
Back when distributors had points, my friend andI decided to do a simple tune-up on his Saab 96. We put everything back to together and did a static ign timing and the car refused to run, no spark, where as it had before the tune-up.
We went back through everything 6 times: Rechecked the gap on the points and plugs, made sure the wires where they all needed to be (all 3 of them,) it was a 2 cycle so no valves to adjust, and just could not figure out what the problem was. A simple car like that.
Three days later, we replaced the new condenser w/the old one. The car started immediately and ran great!! DUHHHH. Bad condenser from the factory.
A distributor is really a very simple device, and my guess is that w/some basic tools and a soft jawed vise you could easily fix the leak yourself. Just make sure you know how everything came out in the first place. You could even take pictures as you go. Find a supplier that carries o-rings, usually a bearinghouse, or plumbing supplywill carry them,and take the old one there to match it up.