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Originally Posted by rickjordan
The car has a loping idle as if she is misfiring. Using my timing light, I found that there is a noticeable pause is strobe light pattern on cylinders 1, 2, and 8. The other cylinders didn't miss a beat. We checked under the cap and there is no corrosion on any of the tips, they all look the same, clean. We did however notice that the rotor itself has a lengthy crack in it. It runs almost the whole length of the rotor, meaning from the center point out to the edge. It's a hairline crack, but noticeable.
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Is the rotor redish with a black sealer stripe from near center to near edge? Is the crack on the top of the rotor where the black is? Under the black sealer is a resistor used for ignition noise ( radio static )
Quote:
Originally Posted by rickjordan
Now, this car as I said has the old points ignition system and this is where my knowledge is a little thin. At the base of the rotor shaft, on one side is a metal tab which is secured to body of the distributor that has what appears to have felt on it. This however appears to be very old and the felt part that touches the rotor shaft is all worn down. It looks as if the metal may be touching the shaft.
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The is an oiler, only the felt should touch. No big deal at this point if is isn't working, metal should not touch the shaft.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rickjordan
On the opposite side there appears to be what I guess would be the "points". There is a spring load device and clearly there is a "make or break" contact point on it. I also notice near this and a hair away from the shaft, what appears to be a magnetic sensor which I assume senses the position of the rotor as it spins. We noticed that this part of the shaft has evidence of surface rust/grime/dirt.
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You are correct on the operation of points ( contact set ) . What you are describing as a sensor is likely the condenser. It would be a metal cylinder about 5/8" diameter 1" long with a single wire leading to the points.
With the key off, pull the cap. Rotate the engine until the points are open fully ( take a look at where the point arm rubs the shaft, turn until the arm is at the top of any of the 8 the high spots )
Measure the gap between the contacts, as a general rule it should be near 0.016" ( match book thickness is the time honored standard ) In reality anything from 0.012 to 0.020 will let the car run.
I'm guessing the point gap is sub 0.005.
The rusty shaft may or may not be an issue, if nothing rubs there don't worry about it.
Lastly, if you hold the rotor and rotate it CW and CCW, it should turn and spring back, this is the mechanical advance system.