I went to start my 88 iroc l98 today and it started really really rough, pulled a code 44 last night. I was under the hood inspecting possible causes and I checked the wires on the cap to make sure they were tight and when I pushed on a wire to make sure it was indeed tight I noticed movement, as I can rock/tilt the distributor back and forth in any direction. Its doesn't rotate like you are doing timing, its tight as far as that is concerned. Now just before i found this I thought I heard some sort of tapping whiling I was on the drivers side. Well, when I found I could rock the distributor I noticed this tapping come and go, its fairly light but noticable. Why would the distributor do this, what is it hitting(oil pump? crank?) and what damage is/could be happening?

 

What happened is that the base plate is loose on the distributor body. The base plate being what the cap mounts to. Can either have it welded (aluminum) or get another distributor.

RBob.

 

Thanks man, What would you recommend for another distributor? Maybe something a little better than stock. Would it be dangerous to drive it like this till i can get something else?

 

The tapping you hear may be the spark jumping the increased gap between the rotor and the cap. May not be dangerous but can easily leave you stranded

 

It may also be the rotor tip hitting the cap contacts. Ive seen caps come apart from this type of failure. I wouldn't recommend driving it. The best replacement distributor is probably the MSD Pro Billet OE style. It has an improved pick up assembly and a one piece billet body. Next would be ACCEL Billettech.

 

Yeah I can feel the tapping if I move the distributor. And can make it go away if I move it in the opposite direction and center it. But I'm gonna shop around for a new distributor, see what I can find.

 

You wouldn't happen to have a part # on the MSD pro billet would you?

 

I don't have the p/n. Try their website. They list all of their parts there. Once you find the p/n, you can order it through Summit.

 

I'll check summit. Thanks man

 

MSD p/n 8366. LOL. Just went to their website. Took 5 minutes to find the distrbutor. BTW, you can buy the distributor right on MSD's website. $313 and change

 

Yeah, just found it too.

 

Wow. The OP didn't even flinch at $313. Go ahead and buy it.

Personally, I would buy a used one for $30 since the distributor housing is a low wear item.

 

I'd buy the MSD, it was one of the best improvements I ever made to my TPI motor.....

 

I haven't bought it just yet. I found it on streetsideauto.com for $280 free shipping but I might see what camaro heavens prices are for a stock unit for now. However I would like to upgrade.

 

The key difference in the MSD and ACCEL units is the pick up design. While the OE uses a troublesome coil in a three part system, MSD and ACCEL both use a very simple and solid magnetic position sensor and 8 pointed iron reluctor wheel. While the OE pickup coil is prone to failure, the other two are unlikely to have any problems. Match these improved designs with an external ignition amplifier such as the MSD digital 6, and you have a bullet proof ignition that will produce powerful spark at all engine speeds.

 

I had my distributor do the same thing a couple weeks ago on my project. I couldn't bring myself to pay $300 for a MSD or ACCEL so I got a new one from e-bay, $60 shipped. Just search for EFI distributor. doubt it is as good as the MSD or ACCEL but it was much easier on the pocket.



Steve

 

$60 for a new distributor scares me. I still believe you get what you pay for.