[Mgs] Unsteady timing

[Rick Lindsay]

Folks I would like to back up Paul's comments with my
experience.  I have purchased "professionally" rebuilt
distributers for our cars and have found that the
rebuilders install any just springs AND any vacuum
capsules that happen to be in the parts bin.  When I
asked the vendor he looked the unit up on his computer
and said something like, "Yep, that's the right unit. 
Fits MGB, Mini, Herald, Morris..., whatever."  (I
can't remember the real list but it was long.)  In
short, they were offering a generic unit claiming that
it fit about anything with a hole for the drive!  And
that may be okay if the goal is just to "get it
running" but we are NOT that customer.

regards,

rick

--- Paul Hunt <paul.hunt1 at blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

> Ron - for a new distributor I'd say that is wrong. 
> I'd expect the light
> spring to be under some tension, only the heavy
> spring should be loose on its
> pins.  It is this that gives the 'curve', which is
> actually a knee rather than
> a curve as the rate of advance is high initially
> when only the light spring is
> in use, then when the heavy spring comes into play
> the rate of advance is
> reduced.  I have had a 'professionally' rebuilt
> distributor in the past where
> there was only one spring inside, it had the
> incorrect maximum advance stop
> (he had ground the number off so you couldn't read
> it but made no attempt to
> grind the stop as well to give the correct figure)
> and an incorrect vacuum can
> for the reference number.  I am very suspicious of
> new or rebuilt
> distributors.  Even Moss admitted they had been
> selling distributors with the
> wrong curve for years, taking the manufacturers word
> for it.  Eventually they
> tested some, found them consistently wrong, and got
> the manufacturer to
> correct it.  I wonder how many suppliers would do
> that?
> 
> Paul.
>   ----- Original Message -----
>   ...  I tried turning the rotor anti-clockwise. 
> There is a small
>   degree of slop before the spring pressure is felt
> and when  the rotor is
>   released it does not return completely to the
> clockwise stop.  The rotor
>   will move a few degrees counter-clockwise before
> the spring pressure is
>   felt.  There is no sideways movement.   Does that
> sound correct or is there
>   too much play in the rotation?
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