Cadaver_Puncher

Well.....I guess all the years in the gym had an effect.
changing dizzy caps, and finger tightening the rear screw in the cap with a socket and extension ( no ratchet on it at all) the screw snapped off.
Now the cap posts held on by only the front screw. Damnit.

Question is...Camaro the broken screw be removed without removing the dizzy, or should I just suck it up and replace the dizzy? She runs good and strong despite the exhaust leak.
Any ideas guys?




P.S. merry christmas guys be safe in the winter-time. I hate pics of wrecked third gens. (Wrecked imports or mustangs amuse me though.lol)

'86 Sport Coupe

iTrader: (1)

I have a spare dizzy cap screw laying around from when I pulled mine off. If your Dizzy still works fine then you should just get another screw to replace it.

Cadaver_Puncher

Dizzy works great and has new icm. Just the screw is broken off in the dizzy. I think it would be a royal PITA to remove the dizzy, when i have limited tools and space.

92g92

Are you asking if you should replace your distributor due to the fact that you broke a screw that holds the cap on? If so, the answer is no. Go buy a screw....

Cadaver_Puncher

No. Im wondering how difficult it is going to be removing said broken screw from the dizzy.
The screw broke but part is still in the threaded part of the dizzy. If it is too much work or there is high posibility of deatroying the dizzy, then I'd replace it.
Beong as it's my dd I can't have it down for long peroids of time.

'86 Sport Coupe

iTrader: (1)

Just fix the broken screw. Remove the cap& rotor where you can get to the ignition module and get the broken stud out. You could easily find a replacement screw at a hardware store or ask us here on the forum for one. Sure as heck would be easier than tearing the whole intake plenum off just to pull off a distributor.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Couple things here:

1. Pull the cap and screw the broken part of the screw out of the bottom of the base plate if you can or back out the top. Without the pressure from the cap, the screw remnant may even thread itself out.
2. Since when is it required to pull the upper intake to remove the dizzy?

'86 Sport Coupe

iTrader: (1)

From what I understood it was easier to get to the dizzy with the intake out of the way. If I'm wrong on that then I stand corrected. We learn something new everyday don't we?

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

While it is easier to get the dizzy out with the upper plenum out of the way, all you really need is to pull the cap, disconnect the wiring from the module, and use a 15mm socket on a swivel joint with a long extension to pull the bolt out of the hold-down. Then pull the dizzy out the top.

Mark RWC

Several years ago I had a similar problem with threads for the screw stripping on my chevy work truck. The distributer had over 180,000 miles on it but was working fine. My temporary solution was to use a machine screw long enough to pass through the base and use two nuts under the base to secure it. It was pain to change the cap and rotor later on. Eventually the ignition module failed so the distributor was replaced.
I think 8 32 machine screw and nuts were used.
If you can not get the screw pass all the through the base just drill out what is left on the screw. I am assuming you do not have a tap and die set since your tools are limited.

drdave88

iTrader: (3)

Did the screw break off flush with the body of the dist. or is there some of it sticking up yet? If there is something to grab onto, go buy a small vice grips and just take it out, you may not even have to remove the dist to do it. If you were putting the screw in hand tight, the thing cant be seized in there that bad, even if it was going in cross threaded.

Cadaver_Puncher

Gotta wait till the ice age here in rhode island thaws.
But I'll try taking the cap off and vice gripping it out.

Cadaver_Puncher

Got the broken screw out, (3 broken drill bits later),
But with the cap back on car won't start. New cap, rotor, plugs,wires,icm and has gas.
I'm at at loss as to the mystery gremelin.

58mark

iTrader: (3)

you said it has fuel, but what about the fuel pump?
pick up coil?
coil?

getting spark at all?

Cadaver_Puncher

Fuel pump almost new (couple months old)
Coil. Is new mad street fire.

58mark

iTrader: (3)

the question remains... are you getting spark? are you getting fuel?

narrowing that down is an important first step. lots of things can go wrong in those systems other than what you have already listed

OrangeBird

iTrader: (1)

If this were mine to diagnose , here's where I'd look .....

First things first , just because a part is brand new out of the box is NO proof that it is a perfectly functioning part . Now , the cap , rotor , plugs and wires aren't very likely to all be bad , so we can pretty much eliminate those (if one wire or plug was bad , the car would run , , like crap , but it would run and most cap & rotor failures can be spotted visually) . The only thing you changed that would likely kill ALL of the cylinders is of course the ICM . Do you still hopefully have the old ICM to swap back in and see if it runs ?

Other thoughts ..... Are you 100% , no , 110% SURE you got the firing order right when you installed the new cap and wires ? A simple mistake of firing order will keep it from running . Also , you mention drilling out a screw , and going through 3 drill bits to get the screw out . Tell me , where did all the metal chips go that were produced by this drilling ? Cause if enough of em got down into the pickup coil/magnet rotor in the bottom of the distributor , they can interfere with proper operation of the coil by messing with the coil's ability to detect the magnet swinging past it's windings . If you took no steps to prevent metal chips in the pickup coil while drilling , maybe blowing the coil with a compressed air nozzle may remove enough of the chips so it can start ?

Cadaver_Puncher

Went out today, primed the fuel pump twice (turned the key on but not to ignite til fuel pump cycled off.)
Then car started right up.
Been having sub zero temps a few days. I'm thinking frozen gas lines.

Cadaver_Puncher

I always replace one wire at a time so firing order doesn't get mixed ip.