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RE: EI Distributor Installation Question(s)

To: "Roadster List" <datsun-roadsters@autox.team.net>
Subject: RE: EI Distributor Installation Question(s)
From: "andy cost" <andycost@earthlink.net>
Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 19:23:59 -0500
The distributor gear is off one tooth.  Trust Gary he is right on this one.
The gear and drive are held on the shaft with roll pins.  There is no way to
assemble the drive shaft 20 degrees off.  Also, make sure you have the wires
on in the right order.  It is very common to get the #2 and #4 wires swapped
accidentally.

The curve on the distributor has nothing to do with the problem you are
having.  It is a mechanical system that advances the timing after the motor
is at 1500 rpm's.

Make sure the motor is at top dead center on the #1 piston.  You can verify
this by pulling the valve cover and the #1 intake and exhaust lobes on the
cam will be pointing in the 10:00 and 2:00 positions.

I usually mark the side of the distributor cap where the #1 wire is
connected.  That way I can tell when I install the distributir drive if the
rotor is pointing in the right place.

The rotor should be pointing close to the #1 wire but just past the mark you
made.

My bet is that the oil pump drive notch got turned a little during the swap
process.  Did you remove the stand that the distributor bolts onto?

I've also found that a worn timing chain/gears can cause the timing to be
off a little which makes it hard to tell if everything is lined up properly.

Andy

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-datsun-roadsters@autox.team.net
[mailto:owner-datsun-roadsters@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of Matthew A.
Smith
Sent: Thursday, September 07, 2006 6:07 PM
To: 'datsun roadster'
Subject: EI Distributor Installation Question(s)


Hi Folks,
Here goes:
Just so you understand, I'm not trying to slight Gary Boone in any way. I
have the utmost respect for what he's done for us Roadster Owners and our
cars. I also know that he's got other projects now and I've decided not to
bother him about this again (unless this doesn't work!).

That said, I have a GB EI Distributor. It's sitting in a box. I've tried to
install it several times to no avail. Every time I've tried to install, I
get it to a point where I have it all bolted up, but can only get it to
BARELY even run. Actually it gets to within 20 degrees timing of where it
needs to be. I emailed Gary about this, and he said that the gear in the
bottom of the hole the (slotted wobbly thing on the bottom of the)
Distributor goes into is probably a little off. I pulled the gear and got it
re-set (several times) to be in the (11:25) position (nearly perpendicular
to the engine) as the instructions say, but that's not right. That
orientation works for the STOCK dizzy, but not for this one.

The rotor is in the right position with the gear like that, but the CAP on
the EI Distributor is in a different orientation than the stock one. i.e.
the clips (ears, whatever they're called) are in a different orientation to
the plug wire connectors (contacts, nipples, whatever they're called) on the
cap.

The Distributor is for a "Non-Smog" 2000, which is what the CAR is. I have
recently found that the Engine was replaced during the resto job, and I
don't know if it is a "Smog" 2000 or not. Loreli is a 70 SRL Solex, which
came to me from CA, but it doesn't have the telltale signs that it was a
"smog" car, such as the evap tank in the trunk, etc.

Here are the questions:
I have seen posts about the "recurving" of a distributor for "non-Smog"
opposed to "Smog" cars. Would a Boone EI distributor with the opposite
"curve" (smog vs. non-smog) cause this issue?

Is the "curve" only related to the timing advance at higher RPM, such as
vacuum advance (which this car doesn't have either)?

Should I try again and throw the 11:25 orientation of that slot on the gear
out the window and try rotating that gear till I get the rotor lined up (or
nearly lined up) with the contact (such as 1:35 orientation or thereabouts)?

Will that cause me some other SERIOUS issues with the oil pump? Cam? Crank?
Valves?

Your answers anxiously awaited!

Matt Smith,
And Loreli (Chattanooga's One and Only 70' Silver Solex) HAHAHA!




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