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Re: Distributor Rotor explosion

To: Awgertoo@aol.com
Subject: Re: Distributor Rotor explosion
From: "Alan Seigrist Blue 100" <healey.nut@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2006 10:15:37 +0800
Michael -

Sounds like your Disty is shot - probably the shaft wobbled too much
and the rotor arm hit one of the  spark plug wire contacts, shattering
the rotor.

There are two advance springs on the weights in any Lucas dist, you
probably saw one of them got stretched out when it got caught up on
the rotor pieces.

With the bad bushes, sloppy rotor, scewed up springs and bad vacuum
advance... it seems clear you only option is to buy a new unit, or
send this on out to be rebuilt by someone like joe curto or maybe
margaret lucas at mo ma?  I don't know who does vintage lucas
distributors in the US, but that's your only choice.  Total cost will
be around ~$150 to ~$200.  Not bad considering once done it will
probably last 200K+ miles.

Alan

'53 BN1 '64 BJ8



On 6/25/06, Awgertoo@aol.com <Awgertoo@aol.com> wrote:
> Yesterday on the way back from Akron the 3000 developed an intermittent mild
> miss, as if one cylinder was misfiring.  This morning I removed the
> distributor cap and saw that the nut securing the contact set was a bit 
>loose--I
> tightened the nut, replaced the cap and went for a test run.  I got about 1/4 
>mile
> and the car died.  I again removed the distributor cap and the rotor was 
>missing.
>
> I found one piece of bakelite and the brass arm on top of the distributor
> plate.  Upon disassembling the distributor I found the arm rivet, the 
>springplate
> that goes inside the rotor and another coil spring about 3/4" long laying in
> the body of the distributor --this was not an advance spring  nor the spring
> under the cap contact--those were all intact.  I can't find any springs in the
> distributor--any thoughts here?  It is definitely larger than either of the
> above.
>
> There was a fine shower of brass filings throughout the distributor--should I
> be concerned with the shaft bearing surface?  Also the advance diaphragm was
> inoperative--who sells these parts?  The distributor has the following numbers
> stamped into the body:
>
> DM6A406620
> PEG 560
>
> Thanks in advance--Michael Oritt




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