Here is my distributor:




The rotating part on a few of the little splines makes contact with the stationary 'fins'. I was told by the local autoparts store that they should not and there should be an air gap. I used emry cloth on the shaft and its all really shiny and smooth. I had no issues taking the assembly apart.

Assuming this is correct, what should the gap be? I'm toying with the idea of sand blasting or taking a wire wheel and dremel to clean this one up and resetting the gaps. (the touching may also be due to the rust, its not THAT bad)

I also believe the one from Autozone ($130) looks more like this:


Is this any better than the stock one? I can rebuild for under $50. Is it worth the expense?

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1987 Fiero GT 2.8

The 'gap' required is not that critical. Assuming your shaft bearing is tight and there is no wobble, get some pliers and bend the lower tabs so they miss the spinning ones. Rust is even less critical....all Fieros seem to have it.

Edit:....I like that 'Warranty is void if module is removed' sticker....

[This message has been edited by Gall757 (edited 07-19-2011).]

The Autozone pic you have is of a later design distributor.
If it were me, I'd just replace the distributor. That's what I did when mine went bad. I had to pull it anyway, so I just replaced it.

Rust doesn't affect the magnetic properties of the star wheel. However, cracks in the magnet that's sandwiched in there can, though not always, mess up the ignition properties a bit. If the car runs fine, just bend the ears so that there's the smallest gap with no contact and you'll be fine.

This is an A1 Cardone 30-1633 unit. Around $100.00 at RockAuto.com. I put one in my engine last month.

-Joe

[This message has been edited by josef644 (edited 07-19-2011).]

They clearly look better de-rusted and cleaned up. De-rusting them won't make them work any better however.

On the pick up use a paperclip to 'depin' one of the metal connectors out of the plastic shell. Then twist the wires together to shorten them. Then slip the pin back into the plastic connector. Then your pick up coil wires won't get caught in the distributor cap. If you look at the distributor above, it is destined to FAIL over time. With the distributor installed in the engine, it's hard to see down there. Much less it is hard to keep the pick up wires from getting pinched in the cap. Clearly the above distributor will have that happen. Then over time the pinched wire will short out and that Fiero will fail to run. My pick up coil had the excessively long leads also. Applying the twist to them makes them stay in place naturally.

Check for lateral movement in the shaft bushings. If minimal then clean it up and it should preform great. A check for the magnets is to attach a volt meter to the leads of the pick up coil. You should read 1v AC when rotating the shaft at 'cranking' speeds

[This message has been edited by phonedawgz (edited 07-19-2011).]

I put in a Cardone distributor in my 88 GT. I used a junk one for core and kept the old one for a backup. I'm thinking of getting one for my 87 GT. The innards of the distributors usually get a lot of corrosion but still work. After 25 years I replaced it a decade or more ago with no real issues.

quote Originally posted by Old Lar: I put in a Cardone distributor in my 88 GT. I used a junk one for core and kept the old one for a backup. I'm thinking of getting one for my 87 GT. The innards of the distributors usually get a lot of corrosion but still work. After 25 years I replaced it a decade or more ago with no real issues.

The Cardone ICM working ok? I havent put my engine back in the car yet, and plan on doing the wire twist as PD explained above after work tomorrow.
-Joe

quote Originally posted by Formula88: The Autozone pic you have is of a later design distributor. If it were me, I'd just replace the distributor. That's what I did when mine went bad. I had to pull it anyway, so I just replaced it.

I compared the two side by side. There is a night and day difference. The 'new' one felt smoother, and I could feel the magnetism as I rotated it. I will be buying it this weekend. (I'm little short on cash at the moment, but they are holding it for me.)

quote Originally posted by Old Lar: ........I used a junk one for core and kept the old one for a backup........

^^Excellent idea...

Anyone in the Dayton Ohio area have a junk one I could have as a core?

If your old distributor isn't good enough to use today, do you think it will be good enough to use sometime later?

+1

watch out for fuzzy thinking......that's how my garage ended up full of junk.

quote Originally posted by phonedawgz: If your old distributor isn't good enough to use today, do you think it will be good enough to use sometime later?

quote Originally posted by Gall757: +1 watch out for fuzzy thinking......that's how my garage ended up full of junk.

Agreed. Issue resolved.

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1987 Fiero GT 2.8

The old one worked, but last year I was planning on the Power Tour 2010 in the 88 and I did not want any issues to happen on that road trip. In my parts box that I take with me, I keep the old distributor, coil, rotor, cap, module,

quote Originally posted by josef644:

The pickups are Delco D1907



If these were a "factory" unit - what cars to check at the wreckers for these??


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My World of Wheels Winners (Click on links below)

3.4L Supercharged 87 GT and Super Duty 4 Indy #163

[This message has been edited by fierosound (edited 09-04-2011).]

So, do the newer styled distributors use the same pick up coil, module, rotor button, and cap as the older ones ?

quote Originally posted by Rocky Top: So, do the newer styled distributors use the same pick up coil, module, rotor button, and cap as the older ones ?

Module, rotor and cap for sure. Not sure about the pickup.

[This message has been edited by fierosound (edited 09-04-2011).]

quote Originally posted by phonedawgz: If your old distributor isn't good enough to use today, do you think it will be good enough to use sometime later?

It makes a good priming tool!

I was having tons of trouble getting my car to start at one point. I finally ended up pulling the distributor and changing the pickup and what a night and day difference. I also used some emery cloth to clean the rotating part and it looks good as new and more importantly it WORKS good as new! I haven't had any issues starting it since.