1. Registration trouble? Please use the "Contact Us" link at the bottom right corner of the page and your issue will be resolved.
    Dismiss Notice

Distributor Install

Discussion in 'Early CJ5 and CJ6 Tech' started by FinoCJ, Jan 31, 2017.

  1. Feb 7, 2017
    FinoCJ

    FinoCJ 1970 CJ5 Staff Member

    Bozeman, MT
    Joined:
    Jul 18, 2013
    Messages:
    5,593
    Exactly...Not sure why the wrong cap always seems to come up the the FLAPS database...but now I have the correct part number and can go that route.
     
  2. Feb 7, 2017
    Walt Couch

    Walt Couch sidehill Cordele, Ga. 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    cordele, Ga.
    Joined:
    Mar 29, 2007
    Messages:
    5,915
    So what part number do you have for the cap with the tower over the window?
     
  3. Feb 7, 2017
    FinoCJ

    FinoCJ 1970 CJ5 Staff Member

    Bozeman, MT
    Joined:
    Jul 18, 2013
    Messages:
    5,593
    Yes - wanted to do some cross referencing to get as much info as possible. Here is what I have found...Seems as though the website pics are pretty accurate so look for the #1 cap tower to be above the points window for the correct part.

    Correct part numbers:
    BWD C175 For Oreillys, it can be found under 1968 CJ5 V6 and also be found under 1967 CJ5a V6 (but not 1967 CJ5 V6).
    Airtex 4R1250 from Rock Auto
    ECH RR189 for napa/echlin
    DR 982 (Delco Remy OEM part number I believe)

    The common incorrect part (under some different brands):
    BWD C169
    ECH RR184
    Delco D371A
     
  4. Feb 7, 2017
    Walt Couch

    Walt Couch sidehill Cordele, Ga. 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    cordele, Ga.
    Joined:
    Mar 29, 2007
    Messages:
    5,915
    strange?

    something doesn't make sense.
     
  5. Feb 7, 2017
    sterlclan

    sterlclan Member 2022 Sponsor

    exploring the...
    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2009
    Messages:
    3,869
    i agree but the wrong cap wont even attach to the distributor the screw clamps arent in the right spot.
     
  6. Feb 7, 2017
    FinoCJ

    FinoCJ 1970 CJ5 Staff Member

    Bozeman, MT
    Joined:
    Jul 18, 2013
    Messages:
    5,593
    I got it to work by putting the index mark (tooth) on the base of the cap by the vac can (no metal ridge on the distributor there), but then the hold down clips are out of place. Luckily I never really had to use it like that - definitely not the way to go.
     
  7. Mar 10, 2017
    FinoCJ

    FinoCJ 1970 CJ5 Staff Member

    Bozeman, MT
    Joined:
    Jul 18, 2013
    Messages:
    5,593
    Back on the distributor issue - I thought I had this figured out when I removed the oil pump and re-installed etc...but I guess I don't. When cranking the engine over, it keeps binding up the distributor. Upon close inspection, the base plate (or whatever its called that the points would normally be screwed on to - or maybe the plate that plate is screwed onto) seems to be riding up out of the lower distributor housing. In my case, I don't have points but rather the magnetic pick-up for the pertronix ring, but pushing that pick-up up into the ring and rotor is causing problems. Even if it still had points, that plate shouldn't move vertically correct? What keeps this plate from sliding upwards....as far as I can tell, it should be free to rotate a bit so the vac-can advance can move it, but the vertical position should not change?

     
    Last edited: Mar 11, 2017
  8. Mar 11, 2017
    Walt Couch

    Walt Couch sidehill Cordele, Ga. 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    cordele, Ga.
    Joined:
    Mar 29, 2007
    Messages:
    5,915
    There is a very thin retainer ring that goes into a groove in the upper housing bushing and it holds the breaker plate down. Maybe it has slipped out of the groove.
     
    FinoCJ likes this.
  9. Mar 11, 2017
    FinoCJ

    FinoCJ 1970 CJ5 Staff Member

    Bozeman, MT
    Joined:
    Jul 18, 2013
    Messages:
    5,593
    Thanks Walt - I will definitely look for it.
     
  10. Mar 13, 2017
    FinoCJ

    FinoCJ 1970 CJ5 Staff Member

    Bozeman, MT
    Joined:
    Jul 18, 2013
    Messages:
    5,593
    Here is a pic of the bottom base/breaker plate that slides down into the housing...Looks like there is a snap ring groove, but no snap ring. The inside of the housing has a groove as well that I think aligns and would hold the plate in place?

    Edit - it looks this tubular neck should NOT come out of the housing. I think the ring Walt is talking about is still there - its holding the breaker plate to the this tubular neck? Guess the question is how does this neck (that the breaker plate is attached to with the snap ring) attach to the inside of the housing. Even if I found ring...not sure how I would put it on and install it down into the housing unless it had some sort compression that allowed it to slide into the housing and then expand or snap into place in the housing?

     
    Last edited: Mar 13, 2017
  11. Mar 13, 2017
    FinoCJ

    FinoCJ 1970 CJ5 Staff Member

    Bozeman, MT
    Joined:
    Jul 18, 2013
    Messages:
    5,593
    I think I am seeing some of the problem...I have 2nd distributor that is kind of an emergency back-up or maybe in this case for parts (the lower portion of the housing has serious wear). I took the second one apart to see what I could learn: To remove the the breaker plate requires removing the snap ring at the at the top neck - My old one the entire breaker plate and the tubular portion that goes into the shaft was sliding right up and out. The breaker plate is still held to the tubular neck by the snap ring that Walt mentioned above.

    Here is a pic of the second distributor breaker plate - you can see the plate has slide off of the tubular neck which is still in the housing - I can't actually get this tubular neck out to see how its attached inside the housing. On the above pictures of my current distributor, the tubular neck came out of the housing - whatever is supposed to hold the tubular neck in place inside the housing is broken or missing. I was hoping I could move the tubular neck from the parts distributor to my current one and re-install the breaker plate. Not sure if that is really possible.

     
    Last edited: Mar 13, 2017
  12. Mar 15, 2017
    Walt Couch

    Walt Couch sidehill Cordele, Ga. 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    cordele, Ga.
    Joined:
    Mar 29, 2007
    Messages:
    5,915
    Sorry I got sidetracked from this thread. That tubular piece (upper bushing) is pressed into the dist housing at a special elevation and with precision alignment to correspond with the lower bushing. What you see in that breaker plate should not be there. The upper bushing and breaker plate should not be a tight fit. The plate rotates on that bushing.
     
  13. Mar 15, 2017
    FinoCJ

    FinoCJ 1970 CJ5 Staff Member

    Bozeman, MT
    Joined:
    Jul 18, 2013
    Messages:
    5,593
    No worries Walt - I kind of figured it all out when I took apart an old salvaged distributor I keep around for parts. I tried pressing the the upper bushing back in - it went in too easily and wouldn't stay in place. When I pressed it far enough in that it wouldn't move - it was too far down to properly accept the breaker plate and the snap ring that hold it in place. I was able to remove the breaker plate from that bushing without too much hassle so I am going to use the salvaged distributor housing with good bushings and put the good breaker plate and other pieces (drive gear etc) to make one usable distributor from the two. Even if its not perfect it will be my spare - I found a cardone rebuilt unit at FLAPs on the shelf for reasonable price and they will take core on the damaged housing etc. The jeep is running on the new distributor - currently back on points for a bit - but will eventually get my pertronix set-up swapped onto the new dist.

    thanks - was great to work on a running engine for the first time in months - dwell, timing, carb idle etc.
     
  14. Mar 16, 2017
    Walt Couch

    Walt Couch sidehill Cordele, Ga. 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    cordele, Ga.
    Joined:
    Mar 29, 2007
    Messages:
    5,915
    Good to hear. Glad they took that piece of junk as a core. :D
     
  15. Mar 16, 2017
    FinoCJ

    FinoCJ 1970 CJ5 Staff Member

    Bozeman, MT
    Joined:
    Jul 18, 2013
    Messages:
    5,593
    Yea - was starting to feel like no matter what I could do with the distributors I had, I was working with damaged and worn junk. Actually, I think I damaged the distributor and caused the failure to begin with...and while that is really frustrating, it doesn't change the reality that its not usable as is. The price of the new distributor was immediately forgotten the moment I drove the jeep around the block for the first time in 5 months or so. I've gone this far with this engine, both in terms of rebuilding and spending, its not worth using a poorly pieced together distributor from 2 pieces of junk.
     
    75 DJ likes this.
New Posts