Re-fitting Distributor

[ekranoplan]

Having had the points close up on me last weekend, I set engine to 8 deg mark on flywheel (S2) with No 1 rockers "free". Took out Distributor and reset points.

Re-installed Distributor but intially arm kept firing between the 4 poles. tried again several times and eventually got car going again but very advanced.


Any tips on how to re-install it without changing the ignition timing?

[Huib]

Are you sure you timed for points opening and not for points closing?

Just a stupid question as I doubt the engine would run at all with the ignition timed on points closing.

[ekranoplan]

Hi Huib,, yes I think I did that once or twice! But managed to get car running - but it is now too advanced and terminals 1-4 are in less than ideal place so looking at doing it again - any tips?

[lancialulu]

I always scribe a mark between the distributor and the head casting and dont touch the valves/crank until I put the distributor back in the same place. One scribe for the life of the engine!

Tim

[ekranoplan]

I have such a mark but after rotating the rotor arm with unit out of car mesh position changes so I need to find out the backlash in the system and re-install allowing for that.

[lancialulu]

Always take a note of where the rotor arm is pointing as well. Yes the meshing has to be taken into account c 40 degrees off or something to start with.

Tim

[Huib]

Can't really think of anything. Maybe it is too simple. Simple things are often the first to be overlooked.

The electrical current to the points goes through the spiral spring. On some makes of points, the contact between the moving arm of the points and the spring is rather loose causing the current to be cut by bad contact there rather than the opening of the points.