AFRO IROC Z

I posted a question about this before and kinda thought maybe i just didn't have the rotor pressed all the way down. But this is the second time it has happned and i made sure the rotor was all the way down. But when i grab the rotor when it is on the distributor and try to turn it gently there is some play, it turns a little and it also moves up a little bit maybe an 1/16th of an inch, is this normal?? and if not does it mean i need a new distributor. it's the accel cap and rotor. This is the second cap and second rotor and the same thing has happened the rotor rubs up against the cap and rubs the center electrode down and the plastic of the rotor and the cap are eating each other up. The rotor seems to eat the cap up more but both are suffering some help would be appreciated. Thanks

StangKiller

I would say the rotor is not the correct one for your car if it is loose after it's pressed all the way down, do you have the stock distribtor? Is it just the rotor that moves up and down or the whole distributor shaft? If the rotor is tight and the shaft is moving up and down then the distributor needs rebuilding or replacement. If the shaft looks good you might to buy a NAPA Echlin brand cap PN. RR249 and rotor PN. RR250 you didn't say what year your car is but those are what fit my car, it's a 92 RS Camaro 305 they fit perfect and have the good brass terminals and not the crappy aluminum ones.

Rob P

iTrader: (1)

Every Accel tan cap and rotor I ever bought did the exact same thing. I now us a good NAPA cap or the hi-po unit from DAP (it's red).

AFRO IROC Z

The distributor shaft moves up and down not the rotor, but only like a 1/16th of an inch or two. I don't know if that is too much or not. If it is i quess i'll be looking for a new distributor. I'll try a new cap and rotor first and see if that helps. If not i'll look into a new distributor anybody have any recommendations for a good distributor, i have an 87 iroc 305 tpi

Rob P

iTrader: (1)

Your stock dist will move left and right and up and down slightly. Nothing wrong there. It's accel's crappy design. However, MSD does make a nice dist for our cars.

grafx

Thanks for posting this guys I've experienced the same thing with my 91' after replacing it with a cap and rotor from AutoZone it did the same thing. I didn't realized it was the cap&rotor cause when I did it I also replaced the wires and coil with MSD at the same time, thought maybe that had something to do with it. I'll make the switch to Napa and see how they work out.

Guest

It might turn left and right, but it shouldnt move left-right at all. If it does, the bushings in the distributor are shot. Its also possible you have a bent dist. shaft, which might cause the problem you are having.

AFRO IROC Z

hey madmax,
I know that anything being "shot" isn't good but does that mean i should look at buying a new distributor immediately or do i have some time. I mean i could get one now if i had too but would much rather wait until about may, if it can last that long. Also if i do get a new dist. should i worry about the cam gear that turns the dist.. I have heard about problems with using different types of gears, I can't remember it exactly. I ask because my car does have 195,000 miles on it, not sure if a new dist. gear would hurt the old cam gear. One other thing becuase i am very curious person. You said the dist. shouln't move left or right at all. Are the teeth on the gears that tight together?? I thought that there may be a little play because you can't get the gears to meet perfectly, but then again i used to have a hard time believing that you could measure .0001 of an inch( That was many moons ago.....) . And usually the way i think it should be isn't the way it is, Thanks agian.

Guest

Time all depends on if it keeps molesting the rotor or not. Both the bushings in the distributor and the shaft are replaceable parts, neither of which are all that expensive relative to the cost of a whole new distributor. The cam gear has nothing to do with sideplay of the distributor shaft at all, thats controlled by the bushings in the distributor housing. It will turn though since theres some play between the teeth of the distributor and cam gear, and also since the shaft will move up and down a little bit. Turning and side movement are 2 entirely different issues, one of which is ok (turning) and the other which is bad (side movement).

As for the gear, all you need is the distributor for your car and you will be fine. The factory stuff holds up pretty well. You can check the gear when the distributor is out, usually the one on the distributor gets eaten first, thats the idea anyway. If it needs to be replaced for some odd reason, just get a new one from the dealer, they are fairly inexpensive as well.

rocky383

The Accel rotor I used did the same thing. They are $hitty.

:hail:IROC-Z

AFRO IROC Z

Sorry if i caused any confusion, When i said play i meant turning, rotational as in clockwise, counter-clockwise, not side to side movement. And thanks for the info(max) now if the bushings ever do go bad i will know what the symptoms are. I guess i'll try and replace the cap and rotor and see what happens. Thanks .

SMasterson

I had a buddy at work that put two rotors on before I showed him he has the long screws for the coil where the SHORT screws for the plastic coil cap went on a large cap HEI.

The screw was going clear through the cap and hitting the rotor.

Just a thought, and the '87 is large HEI, right?

AFRO IROC Z

I don't know if this applies to all 87's but mine has the small cap and rotor with the separate coil. Thanks for the reply though.

rgarcia63

Suggestion:
Remove distributor and measure distance from the bottom of the oil pump driver slot to the face of the distributor hole flange, compare the measurement to the length of the distributor from the bottom of the flange (where the gasket is) to the tip of the oil pump driver below the gear, if the distributor is longer you'll need to shim the distributor the difference of the two measurements, this should be done when replacing the distributor regardless of the manufacturer.
Most auto part store do not carry distributor shims you may have to go to a performance parts store.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

r:

I know you mean well, you always do, but....

This post is OVER 10 YEARS OLD.

Welcome to the club of "post necrophiliacs"!!

watajob

iTrader: (29)

TreeFiddy

Ooh my turn - it's the Walking Thread

novaderrik

i know this is a zombie thread, but my 92 Caprice (which has a distributor very similar to the small cap HEI on later 3rd gen F bodies, but with a larger diameter housing where it goes thru the intake manifold) ate a couple of rotors after changing it before i realized that i had bent the base where the cap screws down a little bit when i was changing the cap the first time... i pulled the distributor, straightened it out, and it was good for a couple of years after that.