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Re: 76 Midget 1500 Distributor and Ignition timing

To: "\"Brent & Tatiana \\\"Monito\\\" Wolf\"" <brent.wolf@gte.net>
Subject: Re: 76 Midget 1500 Distributor and Ignition timing
From: Trevor Boicey <tboicey@brit.ca>
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 1999 03:31:21 -0400
Cc: spridgets <spridgets@autox.team.net>
Organization: BRIT Inc.
References: <005101bee9e5$eacae2a0$4103fed0@computer>
Reply-to: Trevor Boicey <tboicey@brit.ca>
Sender: owner-spridgets@autox.team.net
Brent & Tatiana \"Monito\" Wolf wrote:
> I recently purchased a 76 Midget. From everything I can find this engine
> should have a distributor with a vacuum advance, (Lucas 45DE4). But after
> closer examination (when I went to check/adjust the timing), it does not.

  Depending on where and when the car was made for, it will either
have vacuum advance, vacuum retard, or neither. It's ok if yours
has neither.

> On the electronic control module there is an RCA and two
> sets of numbers, 68263 and 8137 I believe - they are kind of hard to read.
> Does anyone have an idea of what make, model, etc this ignition set up might
> be.

  Is it an aftermarket unit?

  The early Midget 1500 distributors had the lump on the side, with
the electronics in them. They always failed, so all of them have
aftermarket devices. This system was the EID system. Awful. Got a
few dead ones around here.

  The "later LUCAS" ones, called the CEI system, worked fine. The
guts of it were Delco.

  If it's aftermarket, sky is the limit.

> Should it have a vacuum advance. The distributor appears to be after
> market in that the wires for the pick-up unit have been RTV'd to hold them
> out of the way.

  The distributor could likely be stock with an aftermarket
trigger. Very common.

> Oh, yes - Setting the timing as specified in the handbook and Haynes manual
> (2 ATDC), the engine runs like sh-t.

  2 ATDC at idle is for the cars with the vacuum retard only.

  This is because, at idle, the retard is... well... retarding. So
you take this into account when setting the timing. Then when you hit
the throttle it stops retarding and all makes sense.

  Since you don't have the retard, 8-10 BTDC is typical.
 
> What else needs to be checked?

  What else doesn't work? ;>

-- 
Trevor Boicey, P. Eng.
Ottawa, Canada, tboicey@brit.ca
ICQ #17432933 http://www.brit.ca/~tboicey/
"That nice man from the future in my bedroom" - Ajax

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