well i finally figured out what was wrong with my 1.8 , and it is the ignition controll module. well i CANT FIND IT.... LOL i have a 1994 eclipse 1.8 base model, 5 sp. (if that makess any difference). does anyone know where this 121.75 $ part go...

As read from the Haynes Bible guide: "On 1.8L engines, the power transistor is not available seperately-it's an integral part of the distributor. Before replacing the distributor assembly, check on the availability of a solid state ignition unit (which consists of the internal workings of the distributor) or a rebuilt distributor on an exchange basis. Either of these options will cost considerably less than a new distributor." I don't know about you but it sounds to me like it's inside the distributor.

Are 1.8's notorious for having bad distributers? at 125,000 im on my 3rd one. Oh Tod, did you find the part number for me i was looking for?

God I hate the coil-distributor combo. Is their any reason for it? It seems like one of those things the engineers didn't think to deep into.

Yes the Power transistor, crank angle sensor and ignition coil are all in the distributor assembly of a 1.8 DSM. I'm not sure where you got the term ignition control module, but to me that equates to the old term 'brain box'. In this case that would be the MPI control unit otherwise known as the ECU. This item is in the same location for all 1G DSM's, in the front of the center console, but behind the heater. Basically it's right below the back side of your radio.

Good luck with it...

well if its in the distributor, im a little fu#$*#. lol i bought a power transitor for my car, advanced are a bunch of morons if this is so.... i have the haynes manual, and i had seen it in there, but i bought the part already, and wass hell-bent on finding where it was. if it is inside the distributor, thank god i didnt try and put it on...


this is what my car is doing, after one hour of driving, my tach goes haywire, and the car feels like shaking itself apart. i can still lay on the gas, but my car wont gain speed.then when i let off the as the tach starts jumpinmg and it almost dies when i put it into first.... does the distributor cause this problem?

Sounds like the ICM to me. Had the same problem with a mazda I owned. The module is burning out eventually you won't be able to start your car. ToD_atheon, are you Jerod?

My distributor problems resulted in my car just randomly dying and never able to restart. Does just the tach go crazy, or is there an idle surge with the car when it does its thing. Its not out of time is it? You can adjust that by turning the distributor.

first off, tod atheon, dont put everyone at advance in the same boat, I dont know who you talked to, but some of us accually know what the hell we are talking about. when you talked to me on the phone I was refering to the stuff in the distributor, maybe you didnt understand what I was talking about but that doesn't make me or the other people at advance morons. accually, I am the only person at the pekin advance that deals with the sport compact market on a regular basis, so ignorance (lack of knowledge) doesn't mean they are morons.

second off, as long as you didnt install the part (which sounds like you didn't) you can return it.

third off, what makes you think it is something in the ignition system anyway, who told you this????


yes larz, ToD-Atheon is Jarod.

I've got a spare 1.8L ecu if you think that may be it. you're welcome to use it to test and see. PM me if you're interested.

Like I said, I think it may be the icm. I don't know what that power transistor thing you bought is for, but return it. If the haines manual isn't doing it for you, go online and buy a chiltons or something else. You can get the exact manual that the dealerships use.

Whoa GSXracer...back off a bit. Generalizations are not a good thing, but in this case I think it is more correct than not.

I deal with dealers and after market retail stores more than most. I can vouch for a lack of service when it comes to knowledge about auto repairs and the parts required from most of the people that work at these places. Even the people that seem to be idiots claim to know what their talking about, so that doesn't add much weight to the argument. If you were a third party that would shed a different light.

Without calling anyone a moron (and I'm sure awd4kicks isn't either), I tend to agree. It's hard to go into a parts store and find someone who really knows what's going on behind the counter. I've had everything from a nice young lady who probably belonged more at the checkout at wal-mart (nothing against women), to an old guy who couldn't even use the computer in front of him, but had to keep thumbing through the catalogs to try to find parts. I guess it's hard to find a knowledgable person who will work for $8/hr...

All right, guys, let's try not to alienate anyone here unless that someone is Windell.

Tod_atheon - I'm sure you didn't mean to call gsxracer a moron, right?

Gsxracer - You've got to admit there are quite a few people who work at advanced or autozone who really don't know all that much about cars. Maybe your Pekin location is a special case. I've never been to that one. But the ones in Peoria and E. Peoria make it pretty obvious that anybody can get a job there, not just people that are knowledgeable of cars.

hey guys i didn't mean to dis advanced as a whole, actual i am friends with a couple of the employees there(gsxracer80= good friend) hell i have known him for years... but doing a little more researchmy ignition controll module is located on the distributor, to get even more specific, its a non serviceable part.... so now i need a new distributor... and i have talked to countless peeps about this and they all told me it was something to do with the ignition sys... well they are right. 1 it wont throw a code( cost me 200$ to figure that one out lol) 2 it only does it when the car is warm( i hate cold whether, but at least i can dive ) and finally three, Jim from Jims Automotive worked on , and let me tell ya there is nothing like a comp illiterate person messing with a comp....LOL anyway what it boils down to is that i need to replace the whole thing... i thik i need a new cap, but i checked it today, and it was fine.

Plus any where i look they want 190-250$ for a new Distributor... I CAN NOT AFFORD THAT!!!!! LOL i dont know why it costs so much, but that is the price for a rebuild... so if anyone out there has a distributor for a 1.8 l eclipse i pay in cash upon delivery...