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Faulty distributor?

Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2019 10:01 am
by Ricoffy
Hi gentts, I have noticed that on my dizzy rotor shaft, the points don't open the same distance throughout the full 360 degree turn.

No1:
Image

No 4:
Image

No 3:

Image

No. 2


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The gap seems to be getting smalller with no 3 & 2. As this is a new dizzy, is this normal-are the rotor edges supposed to be retarded with 3 and 2?

Cheers

Re: Faulty distributor?

Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2019 10:02 am
by Ricoffy
If it is supposed to be like that, should I only set the points gap on no.1?

Re: Faulty distributor?

Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2019 11:39 am
by retrovan
1st you need to see if you have side to side play.

Then if not your bush in the dizzy could be off center.

No, the spark gap needs to stay the same as this is your dwell angle, giving you the strength of the spark.

Have heard that on some electronic systems they spark 3 later to compensate for lack of cooling, but do not think its built into the STD dizzy.

Herman

Re: Faulty distributor?

Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2019 12:07 pm
by Ricoffy
retrovan wrote: Fri Sep 20, 2019 11:39 am 1st you need to see if you have side to side play.

Then if not your bush in the dizzy could be off center.

No, the spark gap needs to stay the same as this is your dwell angle, giving you the strength of the spark.

Have heard that on some electronic systems they spark 3 later to compensate for lack of cooling, but do not think its built into the STD dizzy.

Herman
There is a bit of side play. How to I re-align the bush?

Re: Faulty distributor?

Posted: Fri Sep 20, 2019 12:46 pm
by retrovan
Is the side play the same as the difference between the gaps ??

If its a new dizzy, take it back.

If its a old one, then you would have to remove the bush and turn a new one.

Herman

Re: Faulty distributor?

Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2019 4:02 am
by Tony Z
retrovan wrote: Fri Sep 20, 2019 11:39 am 1st you need to see if you have side to side play.

Then if not your bush in the dizzy could be off center.

No, the spark gap needs to stay the same as this is your dwell angle, giving you the strength of the spark.

Have heard that on some electronic systems they spark 3 later to compensate for lack of cooling, but do not think its built into the STD dizzy.

Herman
early systems retard #3 to make it run cooler (non-doghouse fan shroud overheats #3). The later dizzy's may or may not have this retard. The electronic kits that came on the T4 and 1900 should not have this retard.

Re: Faulty distributor?

Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2019 9:58 pm
by Edmond
It's probably a poorly made reproduction distributor, doesn't look like a bosch unit, there are a lot of poor quality distributors on the market today

Re: Faulty distributor?

Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2019 3:13 pm
by Ricoffy
Got myself a new distributor and will fit it this weekend. Checked the rotor shaft on the new dizzy and it neatly opened the points equally as it should. It seems the first one was a dud.

I called the supplier and informed him about the off-set on the shaft. He told me to put the dizzy in a vice and slightly tap it with a hammer till it equals out :lol:

Needless to say I politely declined and bought a new one. R700-00 is not worth the fight.

Re: Faulty distributor?

Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2019 8:15 am
by calooker
These cheap China items..... common issues, the moment you tighten the points, the thread strips, the rotors fit so loosely thay they stars to eat the copper in the dizzy cap, the first time you take off the dizzy cap the contact pin that contacts to the rotor falls out, the clamps that hold the dizzy cap down are either to tight or too loose, sometimes so loose tha cap moves. Just a few of the issues I have found with these "affordable" Fong Kong dizzies.
If you are paying less than R1500 for a new dizzy you are buying trouble, rule of thumb.....

Re: Faulty distributor?

Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2019 10:42 am
by Ricoffy
calooker wrote: Mon Oct 07, 2019 8:15 am These cheap China items..... common issues, the moment you tighten the points, the thread strips, the rotors fit so loosely thay they stars to eat the copper in the dizzy cap, the first time you take off the dizzy cap the contact pin that contacts to the rotor falls out, the clamps that hold the dizzy cap down are either to tight or too loose, sometimes so loose tha cap moves. Just a few of the issues I have found with these "affordable" Fong Kong dizzies.
If you are paying less than R1500 for a new dizzy you are buying trouble, rule of thumb.....
Yip. The don't seem to last.

But its all that I could get my hands on in Nam.

If I knew then what I know now, I would have known to look out for something decent like Bosch.