[Healeys] Distributor Rotors and No Start

BJ8 Healeys sbyers at ec.rr.com
Wed Apr 16 12:31:14 MDT 2008


Hello, Jorge -
Part of the problem might be the quality of the rotors available now, but part of the problem could also be side play in the distributor shaft due to worn bushings.  I imagine that there are a lot of 40+ year old distributors out there that problem.

Back about 1990, my BJ8 started cracking and breaking rotors on a regular basis over a period of a several months.   I occasionally found some brass powder under the distributor cap.  After I finally figured out that the dizzy shaft had significant play when wiggled side to side, I concluded that the rotors were contacting the terminals inside the cap and that was what was cracking or breaking them.  I opted to change my distributor for a Mallory dual-point and have never had a rotor problem since.  My decision was prompted by realizing that it would be several more years before the internet took hold and the Healey list expertise was available, and at that time I had no clue who could rebuild a Lucas distributor.  The Mallory was about half the cost of a new Lucas dizzy from Moss.

Make sure your dizzy shaft is in good shape.

Steve Byers
HBJ8L/36666
BJ8 Registry
Havelock, NC


---- Jorge Garcia <fortee9er at yahoo.com> wrote: 
> A couple of days ago I finally found the cause of the
> no start condition on my BJ8 - that damm rotor. This
> is the second rotor failure I have experienced with my
> Healey. The stop that locks the rotor to the
> distributor shaft looked like it had been chewed off
> from the rest of the rotor. BTW this last rotor was
> stamped "Made in West Germany".  I ordered a "premium
> replacement from Moss that should be here in time to
> allow me to take my Healey out this weekend for the
> first time this year.
> Is the quality of the rotors made for our cars of such
> poor quality that I should keep a spare just in case
> or is there something wrong with my distributor?
> Jorge
> 1965 BJ8


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