My distributor has been plagued with odd problems in my 350. I picked up a similar working HEI dist off of a 75 pickup to replace it. After examining it and cleaning it and installing a spring kit i got to looking at the "points" that the vaccum advance moves at the base inside of the distributor. Should this mechanism be hard to move by hand. When i say hard it takes quite a bit of force to move the base that contains the contacts. Is this normal or do i have problem? Any insight or advice would be appreciated. - Bob

 

yes, you're fighting the springs right?

 

If you mean the mechanical advance springs then no. The problem that i am having is where the vaccum advance attaches to the base where the "points" are. When there is high vaccum this mecanism is rotated to change the timing of the engine. When you try to move this by hand with the vaccum actuator removed it seems overly difficult. I wanted to identify this as a problem or normal operation. Buying a new distributor is not out of the question but id resort to that if all else fails.

 

oh ok.... I never noticed really... trying to push in the rod on the vacuum can though is quite difficult, such that it takes a fair bit of vacuum to pull it out... But with the vacuum can removed, I thought the part that it pulls, was directly coupled to the mech advance springs...
well i'm no help, good luck.

 

There is a spring inside the vacuum advance can that will fight you from easily turning the pickup (the "points" as you call them) by hand.

If you take out the vacuum advance can you should be able to turn the pickup back and forth very easily. It should not be "sticky" in it's movement.

 

yes rotating the plate should be difficult, but it should rotate back clockwise again real quick when you let it go

it is to retard timing back, if it did not have this pressure then you would be stuck advanced

you are worrying too much

jut put it in and go.,


lol

good luck

 

fast68, I think you're talking about the snap back related to the mechanical advance springs... if you remove those springs, it shouldn't snap back at all...


I think we can all agree, if you remove the vacuum can, and remove the mech advance springs, THEN (which is where you are right?) you should be able to move the plate easily..

 

I was referring to this with the vaccum motor removed. I dont want this mechanism to stick after it has been actuated. So it should be difficult to turn by hand then? Thank you, i will post back with more info. Thanks - Bob

 

No it should not be difficult if you have the vacuum can removed.

It is quite common in those distributors for that to get all gunked up; usually when that happens, it gets stuck in full vacuum advance, and that makes the motor ping like crazy.

With the vacuum can removed, that thing should be essentially free to spin with almost no effort at all.

This has nothing to do with the springs and weights.... which work something else that should also be free to move with ease. If one of those things is sticky, the other probably is too. Both must be free to operate under the control of their springs and their other inputs, otherwise it will not run right.