So, I took apart the distributor (well almost completely apart) and noticed and O-Ring (or gasket) was broken. I have pics here for you to look at and see if you notice anything besides the o-ring is out of place.

 

I don't see anything beyond the gasket.
Picture 2 is a bit blurred. Is the tab at 12 o'clock the piece that got the treatment with the hammer ? or is it the one behind at 1 o'clock?

But keep in mind distributors are finicky. Defects are often not obvious to the eye.

 

Its actually at 5 O'clock. The one in the picture is the one that I didn't see the first time. The one at 1o'clock is the one I took the rubber hammer too. The car was running when I did it, I had hit it a few times. And then I gave it a wack and the car died. I hoping the final wack tore the gasket and its that simple to fix.

So I'm having a hard time finding the gasket. Can I use the old one and put sealant around it?

 

Bengal:

Sure you can seal it with a silicone. But: the sudden death on the whack leads me to believe that this caused an electrical disruption. Take the connectors off and look for a problem in there.

I once stumbled on a report where a guy took the dremel tool to a MAF sensor. He found that there was a wire inside the casting that developed corrosion. By grinding away the plastic he was able to solder the thing , then he put silicone on it it and it worked just fine. He saved about $400, that's how expensive a replacement would have been.

You are looking at a similar situation, only it's not corrosion or moisture, it is most likely a torn wire possibly hidden inside the plastic casting. Find out how much a new or used distributor would be and then decide if you want to replace it or hack the broken one. I would be a hacker first....what would I have to loose?

 

Thanks Tan, I'm going to check that out in a minute. I'm going to gave to replace the gasket. I put sealant around it Then as I was placing the gasket on the distributor it broke in a different spot.

About the spark plug test, I'm assuming that if I go through all six and they all create a spark then the distributer is working properly. .

 

About the spark plug test, I'm assuming that if I go through all six and they all create a spark then the distributer is working properly.

That's right. The coil, distributor and wires would be proven good.

 

I've had the same problem (98 Protege LX). Simple solution: get a Mass Air Flow Sensor cleaner spay. Do not use anything else! Spray the s..t out of the sensor (follow the instructions). Done.

 

balintkp, did you read all the posts in this thread?

 

When I go back and see all the threads I've started concerning my car, I wish I would have kept it to just one.

 

BengalBrad: look what I found:Curbside Classic: 1992 Mazda MX-3 GS – Smallest Production V6 Engine Ever? (Now Updated)