Blue Light Special?, spark showing at distributor Options

[Carlitos Way]

Not sure what's going on but... my distributor has turned into a light show. I see constant sparks shooting from the side, around the condenser. I just ordered a new distributor from the local FLAPS, for about $60. Quite the light show...

[Aaron Cox]

pull the cap. melted?

why buy a new dizzy? diagnose it first. pull the cap. look at it.
pull the rotor - look at it.

what ignition?

CDI setup? or stock.
what coil?

AA

[Carlitos Way]

Stock ignition/dizzy. The vacuum canister/diaphragm housing is loose. Could be just a loose/lost screw. But the dizzy seemed to have enough play when we replaced the engine that... for $60, I'm thinking it's worth replacing.

[Aaron Cox]

QUOTE (Carlitos Way @ Nov 21 2005, 10:57 PM)

Stock ignition/dizzy. The vacuum canister/diaphragm housing is loose. Could be just a loose/lost screw. But the dizzy seemed to have enough play when we replaced the engine that... for $60, I'm thinking it's worth replacing.

make sure you get one for a 2.0l, and the right year.

post the p/n of the old and the new

[bd1308]

ain't gonna work. the rebuilders use different cases.

the p/n's are scratched out.

b

[sean_v8_914]

I have a Kragen dizzy on my new 2.0. I'll post the results in a day or 2 once I get it running. Ihave heard mixed reviews about these

[Twystd1]

Is the spark that you see when you look at the dizzy.

Is the color kinda white or is it a light blue.

Because if it's white... it will probably create enough heat.

To



Cook


A


HOT


DOG..

Thanks for reminding me..
I'm hungry.. Gunna go get dinner..

Twystd1 (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif)

[Cap'n Krusty]

Repeat after me: "Mass marketer sourced 'rebuilt' distributors would be junk if only they were ten times better than they are". You have wasted your money. The vacuum can costs twice that, 60 bucks, wholesale. The breaker plate is around 40, the condenser and points are about 10, and the trigger points 75 bucks. Repeat, WHOLESALE! What, they make up their loss on the labor? The sales volume? Gimme a break! Fix what's wrong, not their bottom line. Buying ANY 914 specific part from a mass marketer "auto parts" source is, at best, a crapshoot. Those guys are the WORST thing that ever happened to the parts industry. The Cap'n

[Mark Henry]

Did you check the cap for cracks?

[SLITS]

Hey Carlos....

That cap was loose and I didn't like the way it fit (and told you that). See if you can get a Bosch Dizzy cap and rotor...

AND

I will give you a genuine 039 dizzy that would be correct for your system.
Used..not rebuilt......

[jsteele22]

I'm throwing in with the "look at the rotor" camp. The actual current path of the distributor is simple - current flows in the center wire (from the coil) and out of one of the four plug wires, depending on rotor position. If anything goes wrong (which it did) it should be fairly obvious.

1) Does the rotor turn at all ? If it is stuck at like 45 degrees from a plug wire, the current is gonna want to flow somewhere. Somewhere not good.

2) Was the engine working fine and just screwed up one day, or was this after some work ? If the latter, maybe the timing is just way off. Like 45 degrees. I mean, maybe the rotor still turns, but the spark fires when the rotor is nowhere near a plug wire. Could be a loose dizzy adjustment bolt ? BTW, do you work at a high school ?

3) Not likely, but are you sure the spark plug wires are connected to the plugs ? If not, then the current is gonna look for somewhere else to go. See (1).

4) In any case, it seems like there shouldn't be a path for current to flow out of the sides of the dizzy. Is there a crack in the plastic cap ? Any buildup of crud ? That kind of current is gonna cook stuff eventually; can you see any tracks ?

My approach would be to make sure the rotor is turning, and then replace rotor, cap, and (while you're at it) points and wires. Unless the dizzy shaft itself is broken, I don't see the dizzy as the problem.

[SLITS]

The engine was running ok...I'm the one who replaced it....the dizzy cap was loose due to being aftermarket or the clips being stretched...it did not fit right...If I had had a Bosch cap and rotor, I would have changed it.

Looking at the dizzy in the dark, you're gonna see all sorts of stuff if the cap / rotor are not truely compatible....broken down HT wires will give off a light show.

etc, etc, etc.....

[Carlitos Way]

When Slits helped me replce the engine, he commented on how the cap didn't feel right. I have since replaced the cap. I also noticed that the vacuum unit was loose and falling off the distributor. That's why I decided to get another dizzy. I have already ordered the "new" dizzy. I'm going to see how things work with that one. If they don't work out right, I'll make another drive to see Slits and get another one from him. He's been awesome through the whole process.