I have a 1986 irocz with the 305 tpi. I was doin a tune up and noticed under the rotor and cap my ignition module looks like one out of and early 1980 camaro? Or maybe I’m totally wrong. It looks like a radio capacitor with three wires coming out with a plug that goes to the coil when put back together.. each time I look up to buy that part the parts places say it should not be like that.. but the whole setup is original. When I look up a new distributor it looks like it comes with a new distributor but I dunno. One wire is off of the capsid I figured I’d just replace it. But I can only find ones that say they aren’t for the camaro irocz? Anybody out there can explain what I have goin on in my dizzy?? Thanks sooo much. I’m new to this forum so any info would b very helpful

 

Joe , a picture or two would go a long way toward us being able to help you . I restore antique radios as a hobby , and your description of a "radio capacitor" is far too vague (radio capacitors come in about 20 different style enclosures) ...

 

Here is a few pics. I don’t have the distributor out but these are the pics of the three wire plug. The tan wire is broke off under the rotor somewhere.. but it goes to that silver looking part right under the rotor. I’m not sure what that part is even called at this point? Thanks for ur help

 

Not sure what you're expecting to see; but that looks about like what should be there, except that the photos don't show the whole thing.

There should also be a 4-wire plug hanging out the bottom at the back.

The silver can is a capacitor, sometimes also called by the ancient and obsolete name "condenser". The module is a small black brick looking thing down in the bottom

There are 3 wires that go from the cap to the module; red, blk, & tan. Red is the +12V supply to the module; blk is ground; tan goes to the - side of the coil in the cap, the condenser, and to the "output" of the module. The condenser case is grounded. It's part of the wire harness if memory serves, with some sort of double-crimp arrangement, that varies in its details.The tach wire also hooks to the tan wire at the cap.

It's impossible to tell from the photo what's hooked up, what's broken, what's not, etc. All I can see is a rat's nest, including stuff that isn't part of the dist. If you can kind of clear stuff out of the way, take the cap off, and take a photo or 2 from above and maybe just a little farther away with some light on it, and a couple showing what's broke, maybe we can figure it out.

 

Thanks for ur time. I’ll get it apart abd send more pics. Again thanks..

 

I'm sorry, not take the "cap" off, take the ROTOR off...

 

The 86 TPI should have a large cap computer controlled distributor with, IIRC, a 7 pin module. I own an 86 TA with the large cap TPI and recently swapped it for the small cap setup (to facilitate a First intake). I don't recall it having a condenser in the unit I took out but I'll check it tonight when I get back from Hiking.... where strangely I currently have cellular internet....

GD

 

Yep. There's a condenser in it. This distributor is standard for 85/86 F body TPI and 84 to 89 Vette. Note that if you want to swap to the small cap and external coil this is easily done but you will need a custom chip to provide the module latency values for the small cap module.




GD

 

Thanks a ton. I really appreciate it. God bless and have a great weekend))

 

GD's photo shows it all pretty clearly, except for the wires that go up to the cap... they go into that black terminal block thing, and pass through the dist body itself at the very bottom center of the photo. You can see the red/pink, tan/brown, and black wires going from there up to the black plug at the upper right. Note that the retainer clippy parts are broken off the plug in the photo. You can also see the harness that comes out the back of the dist, up at the very top of the photo.

If your tan/brown wire is broken, you need that wiring harness assembly; comes with the condenser, the terminal block, and the wires & plug. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/ado-19207437/

All of the same that stuff fits all of the large-cap (coil in cap) distributors from about 80 to 86. The TPI cars have a different cap (shorter, so it fits under that cover piece at the back of the plenum) and dist shaft, but otherwise are the same as any other vehicles in those years.