I've been looking at rebuilding my 73 2.0 distributor (231 174 009) because of some play in the shaft/bushing.

Opening it up I noticed that the 2 mechanical advance springs and different

Is this normal? Can we get new springs? Is the weight and mechanism different between distributors and springs the same? ( I have a spare 1.7 distributor)

I'm not there yet, but what is the recommended way to remove the bushing and are they available or we need to machine them?

The help is greatly appreciated

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Two different springs develops to advance curve with two slopes. Advance can come on at one rate at low rpm and at a different rate at higher rpm.

Bronze bushings are usually honed after installation.

Thank you for the Info McMark, makes complete sense.

Available spare parts (bushing)? Didn't see anything on PP, GPR maybe?

Unlikely. McMaster-Carr?

OK, got it, will find something and customize it for the job. Thanks

Other option is to transfer the guts into my spare 1.7 but could get confusing with numbers...especially after a few years...

As an aside, I've had 4 dizzy's apart lately looking for a good one to use on my 2.0L
and have noticed 3 of the 4 had the same size springs on the weights. Only the
205 dizzy had different springs. The other units were 205A dizzy's.....
I doubt any of these had been replaced; am just curious why the difference?
I know 1973 MY had some specifics but was that one of them? I've not had a 1.7 or older unit to compare. Anyone know?

along these lines, is there a member here that rebuilds these?

I have a "spare" for my 75 2.0, came in a box of other parts i bought a few years ago. tried it once, car ran really crappy, so my assumption is that there must be wear internally? just thought it would be nice to have an extra-

...So my distributor is also the 205 which correlates with McMark's comment on the dual slope and your findings. I will look into my spare 1.7 tomorrow and let you know about the springs.

So I have checked the vacuum advance/retard unit of my 2.0 distributor with a vacuum pump and I guess the advance portion works but not the retard as it doesn't hold vacuum on that port

I was thinking of using the vacuum advance/retard from my spare 1.7 unit. Looking at the compiled data chart from Dave Darling (what would we do without Internet, the World, and mostly the dedicated people... ) below, the retard portion of the 1.7s and the 205 2.0 is fairly close, but I don't know if this could cause issues.

On the advance curse side there is a much bigger difference but I was thinking of disconnecting it (like in the '74 I believe). I have read in an other post that the vacuum advance could have been installed by the factory to help with emission control but on the other hand it can also make the heads run hotter.

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My stock '73 2.0 dizzy had exactly the same non-symetric advance springs. I picked up a spare '74 2.0 dizzy for comparison and it has what looks to be two identical springs. What's interesting is the vacuum retard (inboard port?) for both units does not hold a vacuum but seems to alter the running condition of the engine all the same.

I think every dizzy I've purchased used has a leaky vacuum canister. I would imagine you would see some
difference from the advance plates and weights in a specific distributor. I had to buy a known good
vacuum canister for my '74 ---which I'm sure affects the curve of the dizzy somewhat. The used vacuum
can I got from someone on Samba doesn't have the adjustment screw on the can either. It holds a vacuum but I don't know how it compares to the stock unit or how it changes the running of the engine.

Resurrecting thread because it seems my distributor has a lot of axial play, prolly due to a missing fiber washer.

Is there any supplier of rebuild parts?

Else, if I start machining bushings, is sintered bronze OK? Any help at all would be welcome. Turns out the distributor dogs can jump out of the gear drive. More than an eight of an inch of play.

Contact Glenn Ring, Long Island NY
He did a 356 dizzy and a early S dizzy for me.
www.glenn-ring.comm
914 2.0 dizzy ? don't know. Might pay to ask.

Is this a stock FI engine? I'm trying a Pertronix single vacuum dual advance (SVDA) distributor for a dual carb engine.

Stock, so I need the FI points. '76 2056.

Fiber washer between the dog and the body disappeared so the dogs can pull out of the drive. I thought it was the crane unit, but now I think I was stranded by the distributor mechanicals.

Perry
How's the dizzy working with the dual carbs?

Ten years old thread, unable to locate Glen. Is anyone out there rebuilding stock distributors?

I like my points and carbs

Try https://vwnos.com/distributor Marcel may be able to fix you up!

Chris

I love my NOS points and 73 dizzy too. In a box, in the basement.

Thank you, lets see what his charges to rebuild are? I am a CSOB by nature and could probably do it myself. I do have a couple scrappers that could be used as testers

Send to Sparxwerks in AZ, he does a better job and plates and polishes what he repairs.

I would suggest you get in touch with Henry at Supertec.

He is a distributor guy....but not sure he does /4

https://supertecperformance.com/pages/services

In a shoebox…under a bed.

other way around.
(at least with the L jets, and i suspect the D jets too),

the vac retard is for emissions.
retards timing at idle.
the retard comes off immediately you depress the accelerator pedal to take off from idle.
meant to clean up NOX. there is no advance at idle. the port that connects to adv vac can is above the closed throttle plate. the retarded ignition makes the area around the exhaust valve hotter as a result.
vac retard was never disconnected on any of the cars.

the vac advance was for greater fuel economy and smoothness of response at cruise.
advanced timing well out beyond mech advance. advance vac cans were a feature of all VWs, carb and fuel injected from sometime in the 60s at least. the idea of a VW engine is it cruises at full throttle. so the vac advance can was a very good feature for VW, perhaps even more so than many other engine types.

the vac advance came straight off when you gave it throttle at cruise and it retreated to the mech advance setting for proper timing under load.
vac advance was disconnected on L jets for the californian market in 74.
port on throttle body plugged and hose from distributor tucked under plenum.
californian cars ran slightly retarded at cruise too. because the vac retard can was dragging back on mech advance.
......and as a consequence hotter at cruise.

above is for 74 models.
in 75 none of the 1.8s had the vac advance can connected to the tb.

the double vac can distributor is peculiar to the USA market VWs.

don't have a D jet but i suspect the earlier 1.7 D jets make the same use of the double distributor vac can that the 49 states 74 1.8 did?

by disconnecting the advance can (as the factory did to the 1.8 EC-a (calif) engine it means the engine is set up emissions to a much more significant extent for fewer NOX emissions (at idle and cruise) and runs hotter in both conditions.
if connected (as the factory did for the EC-b (49 states), it is set up for higher emissions and greater fuel economy. only reduces NOX at idle (standstill) and runs hotter at idle. set up for cooler running and greater fuel economy at cruise but produces more NOX.

one thing i have always been interested to know is whether the european spec D jets made use of a double vac can on the distributor. i do know the 1.8 euro spec twin carb only had a advance vac can only. (no strict emissions standards in europe/ROW at that time). the combined twin cans (and retard cans in particular) are VW engines in USA only.