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#Post#: 102246--------------------------------------------------
Distributor LT connections
By: kiwi s3 Date: April 1, 2017, 8:44 pm
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Hi everyone,
On the way home on Thursday, the engine in my S3 cut out. I
checked the points and rotor arm (standard Lucas 25D4), then
gave up and called the AA (it was cold and raining).
The chap that came out was great and diagnosed that the pigtail
connector from the grommet on the side of the distributor to the
points had failed - when he took it out it disintegrated, with
the connectors on both ends coming off.
He rigged up a new wire direct from the points to the coil and
all was well. I drove home and ordered the new pig-tail
connector.
Today it started running very rough so I opened up the
distributor to check the temporary wiring. What I found was
that the ground wire from the body of the distributor to the
central plate had also now disintegrated. It's not attached to
the plate at all and only a few strands of wire on the body end.
It will be the same age as the other wire (original?) and
probably got disturbed during the repair.
It seems the original ground wire was soldered on to the plate.
I've managed to rig up a new cable from the body to the mounting
screw for the condenser, but it's very tight for room around the
edge of the distributor and I did not have the right type of
connectors (the ones where the wire is at a tangent to the
mounting screw). I'm not happy with the fix, but it does seem to
be working for now.
The best way will be to solder it, but I presume this will need
a certain amount of distributor dismantling and professional
tools to do.
Is there an easier / better way to attach the ground wire?
Cheers,
Mark,
Wellington, NZ.
#Post#: 102248--------------------------------------------------
Re: Distributor LT connections
By: pintofale Date: April 3, 2017, 5:17 am
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Hi Mark,
I am not sure what distributor you have, but a soldered
connection onto the plate doesn't sound like a good idea - a
metal-to-metal pressure connection like a crimp or a bolted up
loop is always going to be an electrically better connection
than a soldered joint. I would use a crimped eye and bolt/screw
that to the plate. Make sure everything is nice and clean.
It's also worth thinking about an electronic ignition - the
powerspark unit which replaces the points and condensor made a
noticable performance difference on mine compared to brand new
freshly tweaked standard kit, plus it's gentler on the coil.
Cheers,
Neil.
#Post#: 102249--------------------------------------------------
Re: Distributor LT connections
By: kiwi s3 Date: April 4, 2017, 1:44 am
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Thanks Neil,
I'll have a closer look at the connector on the base plate.
Electronic ignition is the next thing on my to-do list. The
Accuspark stealth unit is available locally with a new coil for
a reasonable price.
I presume this still needs the ground wire on the base plate,
but with the condenser removed, there should be more room to
route the wire where it can move without fouling anything.
Cheers,
Mark,
Wellington NZ
#Post#: 102251--------------------------------------------------
Re: Distributor LT connections
By: NoelC Date: April 7, 2017, 4:32 am
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Another vote here for electronic ignition. I am running it on
all 4 of my petrol series in one form or another and it is
probably the single best upgrade you can make as far as I'm
concerned. I prefer to replace the distributor completely, and
having experience off road whilst the optical trigger kits
(Lumenition Optronic) are supposedly better as the most accurate
I prefer magnetic trigger as it isn't susceptible to
condensation/water droplets on the 'eye'.
The most recent kit I fitted to the '72 station wagon was a
Powerspark High Energy full kit (new, complete distributor with
high energy module, new genuine Lucas coil and new HT leads) -
absolutely transformed it. I think the whole kit delivered came
it at less than £100.
HTML http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Simonbbc-Ignition-Solutions
HTML http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Simonbbc-Ignition-Solutions
- the
webstore can be a bit of a mare to find your way around but
they're quick and helpful at responding to messages.
#Post#: 102261--------------------------------------------------
Re: Distributor LT connections
By: Doug_T Date: April 8, 2017, 3:46 pm
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And yet another vote for going electronic here. I've had both
the Powerspark and a Lumenition Magnetronic and find them ideal.
#Post#: 102295--------------------------------------------------
Re: Distributor LT connections
By: kiwi s3 Date: May 6, 2017, 7:46 pm
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Based on all the advice, I've decided to go for electronic
ignition. The next question is weather to just buy the
electronic module or a complete new distributor. I've read
horror stories about the quality of replacement distributors.
Checking out my distributor, there is quite a lot (several mm)
of 'up-down' movement on the distributor shaft and a little
(~1mm) of 'side to side' movement.
So, a couple of questions:
- Is there a limit to the amount of acceptable movement of the
shaft? Is my distributor 'Normal' or 'Knackered'?
- Is it best to get the existing distributor overhauled, or are
there quality replacements out there (for a reasonable price)?
Cheers,
Mark.
Wellington, NZ.
#Post#: 102297--------------------------------------------------
Re: Distributor LT connections
By: pintofale Date: May 8, 2017, 4:41 am
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I think that if you go electronic then none of those concerns
matter anywhere near as much as they do with a conventional
ignition, because you will always have a massive voltage (and
therefore spark) at the plugs even if your LT is a bit
sub-optimal. Providing you can set the timing right and it
stays right, and the vaccum advance works well enough, you will
be ok. My disti is 58 years old and still going strong!
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