AlwaysWave

I took my distributor out yesterday to check the vacuum advance cansiter (a Crane adjustable). The plate that the canister rod is supposed to pull for the advance takes a LOT of hand force to move. Is that normal? Also the rod gizmo on top which has the opposite end of the weight spring pole doesn't have movement. It should have some play in it shouldn't it? And lastly, I have about 080" up and down play in the shaft...that must be too much? I think I'm talking myself into a distributor rebuild or replacement :confused:

Jvette73

The advance plate springs are kinda tight. I think its normal to feel considerable resistence when pulling it by hand. The up and down play in the shaft is ok too. Side to side play in the shaft upper bearing is what you dont want to see.

AlwaysWave

I was wondering about the 080 up and down. I have a Pertronix unit. And the up and down changes the gap between the magnet rotor and the box. Or doesn't it? Maybe I should put shims at the gear end? :confused:

Jvette73

I have the same pertronix setup in mine. With the distremoved from the car the shaft will display additional up and down movement. When its installed in the car it usually sits in a certain posistion. Set your ignitor gap when the dist is installed. That should work fine. As fars as ignitor gap is concerned, It either works or it doesnt. It can vary some without problems. You dont want the gap too close that the ignitor glances the ring. On the other hand you dont want it too far to get a jolt from the magnet as it passes by. I set mine as close a posible without making contact. I think Im correct on this but not 100% sure. Any other opinions on the matter? Keep in mind when responding or reading this post that they're are two different types of Pertronix Ignitor Kits currently in use. The one we are discussing here is the earlier type with the magnetic ring that attaches under the rotor. Am I correct in assuming you have the magnetic ring type Road Fever?

AlwaysWave

Jvette, yes I have the earlier type with the magnetic ring. The instructions that came with it are lost in a box in the garage. But I'm pretty sure they said the gap should be from 010 to 040. When the engine runs..wouldn't the up and down slop in the distributor raise it up from the centrifical force? I remember reading something that the distributor will "ride up the bevel cam gear" if there's slop. With the distributor in and locked down, I can raise the rotor portion by hand approximately 040 to 050. It runs..no question about that.

The reason I started all this is....one of the things I wanted to check also...yesterday using a vacuum gauge, I was trying to understand this rough idle that just popped up. The vacuum gauge was blipping between 18 and 19. The vacuum chart says that's either an ignition miss or worn valve guides. The valve guides are new by about 5000 miles. So are the plugs and wires.


[Modified by Road Fever, 7:04 PM 8/5/2001]