A worn (wobbly) shaft will cause the car to run lousy, and can even cause it to
not run at all.
It can overheat the coil by never opening the points, and having excessive
current then flowing
steadily through the coil, burning it up. It can also cause the rotor to be
smacking into the
distributor cap.
The good news is that is probably is repairable, as opposed to simply replacing
the entire
distributor. But you won't do it through regular automotive chanels. You'll
have to tear
the distributor down to determine if indeed the bushing in the housing has worn
out, or
if the shaft itself has been chewed up. Then you'll want to go to a bearing
supply house
and have them measure the old one (take your parts with you), and give you a new
bushing replacement. It's actually a pretty straight forward job.
If the shaft is bad, you may still be able to use it by having it built up and
turned down
at a machine shop. You might even be able to do the job at home with epoxy if
the
damage isn't too bad.
Lastly, don't forget to check and see if the shaft is indeed straight. They
can, and
do, bend. This will cause you to think your timing is drifting if you check it
on
different lobes each time. Measure each lobe and you will have a very good
idea if the shaft is straight or not.
|