Hi. The car is a 1986 firebird computer controlled carburetor.
The engine going in is an 010 350 sbc flat tappet camshaft. (1969 - 1979). I need an exact replacement for the distributor that came with these cars (computer controlled with the 4 pin connector on it). Will I have any problems if I get the one at the top of this page? Part # 12600 http://www.performancedistributors.c...mputerdist.htm

I heard that older camshafts can eat up the distributor gear or something? Will I need a different kind of distributor gear for this?

 

What's wrong with the current distributor?

 

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/tech...-checking.html

2 weeks of headaches is too much to keep messing with this thing. It's to the point where I'd rather shell out 300 bucks and have a peaceful mind.

 

300? I've pulled these distributers out at junk yards for 25 . And there is usually plenty to pic and chose from.

For 125 to 150 you could go HEI vacuum advance

What kind of fuel delivery are you running?

 

computer controlled carb has to have computer controlled distributor. so no hei vac. advance for me. i already bought a used one and I can't get it to work. I used this ignition tester: http://www.denlorstools.com/home/dt1...on_tester.html
and clamped it to the intake where where the carburetor would go on top of and it never sparked. pickup coil reads fine. checked between BATT and TACH terminals, good. I checked the secondary resistance from the TACH to the rotor button and the GROUND to the rotor button and the ohms meter just says "1". Tried it on 3 coils, nothing, 1 was brand new. CAP is new. ROTOR is new. I just don't want to mess with this anymore it doesn't make any sense at all.. lol do you guys see now what I'm working with?

 

I tried running a cc carb and distributer on a 350 that I swapped in. It worked for a couple of months but then things started going haywire. It's tough to explain, but I think it had to do with the computer retarding the ignition timing on it's own.

Long story short, I went with a mechanical Holley and a vacuum HEI. Worked out really well and I kinda like being able to control how my motor runs with a screwdriver and a wrench.

For 300 bucks ur half way to a mechanical carb and dist. I know someone on here will try telling u it's illegal but I think law enforcement has more important things to do then worry about what carb ur running.

Anyway, if you stick with cc stuff, i hope it works out better for you than it did for me.

 

Well, your "trouble" post linked above - feeling the spark out if the boot ... bad wires.

I don't know about all the testing - never tried testing a dist before - only issues I've ever had with one was the ignition control module, and once I replaced that no more issues.

What exactly is the problem? Car not running well? Not starting at all? Not getting spark?

I mean - if you just want to replace, that looks like the right distributor. BUT - if it was me I'd save $200 and grab one from Autozone: http://www.autozone.com/autozone/par...766204_0_2118_

I mean, your dist worked before the motor swap right? And, you've tried another one as well. This is telling me that maybe your issue is not with the distributor - hate to see you spend $300 throwing a 3rd distributor at it. Repeating the same procedures always yields the same results.

 

Everything passes the ohms test except the coil. I tried 3 different coils, one being new and neither of them could pick up resistance between the rotor button and the GROUND strap, and the TACH and the rotor button. I used this ignition tester:

I grounded the tester to the intake manifold where the carburetor goes and it doesn't make a spark out of the end.

I only have 1 distributor with me. It's not my old one that worked.

But back to the coils I was talking about... see how that just doesn't make any sense? with my distributor there's something not right with the coil. And I haven't tested the ignition module. These 2 things are the only possible parts that are bad. If I could clear my coil problem then I would test the module. lol my sentences are terrible today for some reason.

 

anyone?

 

im pretty sure you bought that dist from me? if so it was pulled from a running 350 so ik it works.

 

yeah. maybe my wires are crap. I don't know. I don't have the distributor connected to my wiring harness or anything it's all sitting outside the car.

 

Hey guys, does it matter which way I have that pink/black plug in that comes from the distributor to the cap?

oh and I noticed that I have a 5 pin ignition control module. If you look here http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/DELCO...RCHQ3aUSQ3a105
it says that it only works for 80-81 firebirds while mine is an 86. should I look for a 4 pin module or something? I've looked at a bunch of places even summit and they only have like 4 , 6, 8, and 7 pin types. what the hell I'm losing it here.