Hi all, I'm again in need of some shared wisdom - hopefully one day I'll be able to reciprocate. I was changing a worn out distributor clamp today and had the distributor out for a check. I bought a pertronix kit for a new vac advance distributor a while back and replaced to points with the timing module myself. As the car was in the garage a while later I got them to install the whole ignition kit along with the new distributor and time the engine. After checking the distributor today seems its nearly buggered - there's no gap between the timing module and the magnetic collar so the timing module's getting worn away (not to mention the dwell being out I guess??). It looks like its been installed wrong - maybe needing a spacer under the module as its crooked as well as having no gap. Now maybe I'm going mad but I'm also sure the timing module I fitted was small and black like the one below. And I'm sure I fitted it correctly with the right gap. So the question is has the garage fobbed me off with an ill fitting replacement? And if so why? Thanks
do you have the reciept for the one you bought , you will need that if you have words at the garage , hers a sample reciept if you cant find yours
Perhaps they wired it wrong destroying it, and replaced it with one they had lying about but didn't have the magnet for and the 2 don't work together.
Yes that were my initial thoughts. Could you tell me just by looking that the collar and timing unit are incompatible? The timing unit doesn't fit flush on the base and I'm almost certain mine did. I'm almost certain as well the unit was black.
Also would could this have done any damage to the engine? The unit itself doesn't look irreparably damaged I must admit.
I think Zed's theory is a good one. It doesn't look like a Pertronix to me. Is the distributor actually your one? It won't have damaged the engine, which I assume runs ok. My concern would be, due to the cack-handed installation, the thing becomes unreliable in the future. I'd have a word with them. They'll likely say "they all work the same, don't they", but you don't want your ignition suddenly packing up.
The gap is only there to save the damage your picture shows. Changing it has a tiny effect of the dwell angle, I'm just amazed they did that and let you drive off. What did they expect to happen? If you can mount it to avoid contact and it works, it works, but I wouldn't be happy. It won't have damaged your engine - probably. If the rubbing had forced the collar to rotate, the timing will be out and the collar useless. Do you have a problem with the engine? I connected one of these wrong once, it was a pertronix. I wasn't thinking and put the black wire with the black wire on the coil, but of course VW black wires are 12V pop. I replaced it with a new identical pertronix at my own cost. I won't do that again.
Yes its a good theory. They seemed dodgy at the time. I now remember questioning them after the job (3-4 months ago) about the coil. I was sure the flamethrower one I bought had a sticker on it, the one they installed didn't. They assured me it was fine and I took their word for it. Beginning to think otherwise now. Would a miss installed unit destroy a coil too? So assuming for a second they have been dodgy - do we have a name and shame board? Obviously will contact them first.
The petro nix one comes with slip spacer to ensure you get the correct gap ...0.8mm ? That's not a Petronix one
I've been having a problem increasing in magnitude for a time now, may well be unrelated. Its a slight pulsing of power - particularly when the accelerator is only slightly down. Its there in all gears/speeds. Almost like power, slight lack of,power, slight lack of etc a couple of times a second. Jerky and annoying. It started about a month ago and has got steadily worse to the point I've stopped using it till I can find the fix. She still pulls strongly otherwise and ticks over fine. 74', 1600, new carb too, timed 3/4 months ago with all this above. Bought it 6 months ago, haven't checked valve clearances yet - next to do. any ideas ;p ta muchly btw
Yes I've still got the spacer - its about .8mm if I remember. Is the one there an inferior make perhaps? just a guess
That'll be the vac advance plate (the pickup's fixed to), being dragged about by the collar, boinging to and fro taking the timing with it - it's attached to a springy diaphram in the vac can. I think you've found your problem. I would certainly give it a full service. You'll know where you are then.
Yes of course zed. To post prematurely would be silly, just like you say, thanks. but still assuming the worst, do we have a good/bad garage section? I've dealt with two in Bristol in the last 6 months - this one (bodge jobs all round), an another with an engine out for a new fan. The other one left a breather pipe dangling against a heat riser melted straight through. Glad it wasn't the fuel line. I'm yet to find a good one, any advice? shame I can't get to yours zed - i'd be there in a second if it was closer!
I'd doubt it. If anything, the other way round. I'd have a firm word with them, although I doubt you'll get much joy. Another poss is that they've nicked your stuff and replaced it with tat. If it doesn't work out, I'd buy another Pert, maybe another coil, but just a stock Brazilian Bosch (nothing blue, nothing made by Pertronix). Then pee through their letter box...
Cheaper, but pertronix are ridiculously priced. If you end up replacing I'd recommend an accuspark one off ebay - a whole electronic vac advance distributor with electronic ignitio for £60 delivered - less than a pertronix module.
Ug. So my guess is now they've just nicked my stuff... Funny how things at the time don't seem important but then you remember later on, like the coil not having a sticker, also I remember having a set of pedal/gear lever boots that I could never find just after it came out of that garage. Again it could just be me, but still...
That was my thought when the coil came into the equation. Baysearcher will know a good garage in Brizzle won't you moi loverrr.
You've been shafted. They knew/know you couldn't prove it - deny everything. Funny - I spent a pleasant day with Jason fron Dubs & Classics today and we were having the same conversation about unscruples - Take distributor from bus A and put in bus B, Take distributor from bus B and put in bus A, Sell both customers a second hand distributor you "happened to have" - "Done you a favour gov, a new ones £x and these old ones are better... Having said that, my experience from the inside is that the vast majority of garages are honest and quite happy working for a living.
Yes I have. :-( Bastards So anyway, I would hate to have some poor soul make the same mistake as me. If it is foul play after speaking directly with them, do we have a garage section? Sorry to labour this bit - perhaps its not a good idea and the wrong place for it. Any thoughts?
