GoWesty Aftermarket Distributor

[Wildthings]

Anyone have any experience with this distributor? Comments?

http://www.gowesty.com/product/electrical/3909/distributor-new-?v=

.

[DanHoug]

what the heck?!!! $70?

unlike days of yore where a distributor was a precision assembly with flyweights that moved a mechanical advance, all it needs to do in a 2.1 is spin a disc with 4 slots cut in it. a very cheap chinese dist MIGHT be okay in this application, if sufficient care has been taken to get some sealed bearings in the right spot or a lubrication path for engine oil.

someone try one and report back!
_________________
-dan
60% of what you find on the internet is wrong, including this post.

'87 Westy & '89 Westy both 2.1 4spd

Past projects can be found at--
www.thefixitworkshop.com

[DanHoug]

adding to this thread, whoever buys one, please report back on:

- does an OEM Bosch cap & rotor fit on this? this is one spot where i'd ditch the offshore cap and rotor and put on a Bosch. but it must fit and fit well!

- it'd be interesting to see the Hall sensor assembly and maybe even get a part number off it. there's LOTS of these types of sensors and wouldn't hurt to pick up a spare for $4 or something.

- i'd like to know if there shaft bearings are sealed or whatever. this is my biggest concern... that a bearing might toast and a) get noisy, b) drop duff into the engine case, c) lock up and break the drive gear.

$70. might be worth buying one just to take apart!
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-dan
60% of what you find on the internet is wrong, including this post.

'87 Westy & '89 Westy both 2.1 4spd

Past projects can be found at--
www.thefixitworkshop.com

[ZsZ]

JPGroup Classic line 1191101100
probably chinese made repro. usually OK quality.
http://en.jpgroup.dk/company/quality/

here its for around 50 EUR so even a bit cheaper
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Zoltan
1.9 MTdi 2wd Multivan (ex Caravelle)
Van since 2006, engine since 2008

[Zeitgeist 13]

I'd love to dissect one of these, as I've seen the internals on other Chinese distributors and they aren't built to last. One I saw had an internal blockage which inhibited oil from migrating up to the upper shaft bushing, so consequently the rotor wobbled and impacted the cap--after just two years.
_________________
Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[DanHoug]

wish there was a US Distributor (so to speak) of all these bits...
https://www.onlinecarparts.co.uk/car-brands/spare-...parts.html
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-dan
60% of what you find on the internet is wrong, including this post.

'87 Westy & '89 Westy both 2.1 4spd

Past projects can be found at--
www.thefixitworkshop.com

[Gauche1968]

Of course, there is no option for a 1.9L with a vacuum can distributor.
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1984 Vanagon GL
1984 Vanagon Westy

[Nuthin2It]

Actually, Vanagain has Bosch distributors for the 1.9L:

https://www.vanagain.com/shop/ignition-distributor-025905205k

It would be hard to justify that price for a backup unit. Still . . . . . .
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1985 Westfalia 15 degree EA288 Boxeer

[hdenter]

Wow, STFD! $450... I'm going to say that's a little usury... It's not an original distributor for Porsche 356 or something.

Hans
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'79 triple white convertible bug
'84 sunroof vanagon
'85 weekender

[Gauche1968]

[fortheloveofvdub]

Just finally figured out my timing issue on my new go westy distributor as originally asked of. The slot the cap “locks into” in the case of the distributor was just too big (enough to allow 1/16” or so of rotational movement). It was enough to completely loose spark. Had a second new cap that fit the same way. As long as you keep hand pressure on it it runs. Go westy has always made things right over the years with me. Gotta remove it still, again, and I’m not driving it, still.
I’m leaning toward getting my old one rebuilt.

[fortheloveofvdub]

Just finally figured out my timing issue on my new go westy distributor as originally asked of. The slot the cap “locks into” in the case of the distributor was just too big (enough to allow 1/16” or so of rotational movement). It was enough to completely loose spark. Had a second new cap that fit the same way. As long as you keep hand pressure on it it runs. Go westy has always made things right over the years with me. Gotta remove it still, again, and I’m not driving it, still.
I’m leaning toward getting my old one rebuilt.

[Wildthings]

[bobhill8]

Hey - I just installed one of these GW aftermarket distributors the other day. It solved my Hall Sender issue but I agree that the cap is a little looser than I would expect. The standard ones really are held in place but I also thought this one is a bit loose. Haven't noticed any driving issues but am just getting back on the road this week. Will try another cap and see how it fits. There is a guy on here that rebuilds Bosch distributors. Anyone have any experience with him?

[borninabus]

the van distributors are just a bit different than the older models.
anyone who is competent can do one.
i did one (a 1.9) some years back for a customer. there are pics in my gallery.
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88 Van WBX, A/T - 13 JSW TDI 6M/T - 2012 Touareg TDI Sport

[SyncroHead]

First, I think this thread should be titled "Classic Lines" Distributor, because that's the brand of the unit, regardless of who it's sold by. I installed one of these in July.

I had my original VW/Bosch distributor fail in early July while returning from a 4WD trail. Engine was running worse and worse until it just died. After checking fuel and other ignition suspected causes, found the hall sensor wiring inside the distributor was compromised. In the original distributor, the wiring runs from the hall connector side under a plastic shield to the hall sensor on the opposite side. We were able to swap in another distributor and started right up. (Skipping the stories involving strap-towing and how/where we got another distributor to swap.)

Next morning got ahold of Van Cafe and ordered one of these new "Classic Line" distributors and had it overnighted to Bryce Canyon Resort - friendly guy there.

Van Cafe website is very clear about how this distributor takes a different rotor than the original distributor. Cap is same, but rotor is different, so I also ordered a spare rotor to keep in the van. The new distributor came complete with new rotor installed and a new cap.

Upon installing the distributor noticed the hall sensor setup is quite different than the original. In the new unit, the hall sensor is directly coupled with the hall connector on the same side of the distributor. No wires running to the other side, no plastic shield needed to protect the non-existent wires. Much simpler and seems more robust.

Well after the trip, a couple weeks ago I was doing fuel injector replacement and testing and noticed the rotor was able to twist back and forth on the distributor shaft quite a bit. Checking further, I could see the tab up inside the rotor's drive hole was narrower than the slot at the top of the distributor shaft. I checked the spare rotor I ordered and found the tab inside it was definitely wider. Installing the spare rotor on the distributor was nice and snug and did not have any twisting "play" that the other rotor had.

I've connected with Van Cafe about this and they were concerned about the sloppy fit of the rotor and sent me a new rotor at no charge. Still, I'm concerned about how this came to be. I speculate that the requirement about a different rotor had to do with a narrower slot in the distributor shaft and therefore needed a narrower tab in the rotor. But, perhaps they made a manufacturing change and started making the distributors with the wider slot, but still assembled them with the narrow-tabbed rotors. ??? Admit this is just speculation here. Van Cafe didn't have answers either.

The rotor I got as a spare looked just like a regular Bosch rotor, so I tried on the Bosch rotor onto the new distributor and it fit well just like the spare rotor did. I've not run the engine with the Bosch rotor, but I think it would be just fine.

If indeed they once had a narrow slot shaft and narrow tab rotor this would certainly mean the Bosch rotor would NOT fit. I can't fully explain this, but the Van Cafe website still has the admonition about this distributor only taking the aftermarket rotor.

https://www.vancafe.com/025905237AFT-p/025905237-aft.htm

GoWesty's site shows this same "Classic Lines" distributor using the standard rotor.
https://www.gowesty.com/product/electrical/3909/distributor-new-?v=

Also appears to be the same as Bus Depot's distributor. Their listing specifically says it uses stock replacement parts.
https://www.busdepot.com/025905237x

None of the three sites says it's a "Classic Lines" products, but zooming in on GoWesty's photos and having installed the unit from Van Cafe, it's clear that these are both Classic Lines products. Bus Depot - no photo zoom, but loks like the same unit.

Any further insight into this rotor mystery appreciated.

Jim Davis
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"A Vanagon? It's not a car or a van. It's a hobby!"

Check out:
www.VANAVATION.com
www.SyncroSafari.org and
www.Vanagons.org

[Tbob]

Hey, Jim! As usual, I speak out of some level of ignorance, as a friend of mine says "they write books about what I do not know". But a couple of years ago I had a rotor fail on one of my waterboxers. Since I had a box of distributors from watercooled inline engines that I had accumulated over the years, I thought I could find a temporary replacement. Lo and behold, the watercooled distributors used a rotor with a much smaller rotor locating slot than the old air cooleds, and the waterboxer I was working on, so the rotors had a corresponding narrowerer locating tab. So it was a no go.
So my theory was that the rotor installed on your distributor was the wrong rotor, originally intended for an older Rabbit or Golf. We know such things could never happen with the fine(cough,cough) quality control coming out of China, so I am at a loss at how this could have happened. Actually, the surprise would have been if it had the right rotor on it.
Don't get me started on Chinese made car parts. They have cost me much more than I could have ever saved. The lost time, the short service life and the breakdowns just aren't worth the low price. And since they have taken over the market, it is hard to get otherwise. Damn!
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1969 Deluxe, owned since 1973
1973 Westfalia, owned since 1983
1980 Westfalia, watercooled conversion
1985 Westfalia, stock!
1986 Westfakia, Audi I-4 conversion
A couple of trucks and a couple of Jeeps

[SyncroHead]

[crazyvwvanman]

I think I can shed at least a little bit of light on this rotor issue.

A few weeks ago I helped a friend install one of the JP "Classic Line" distributors to replace his badly worn out 400,000 mile distributor, 87 Syncro Westy.

The rotor from his old original Digifant dizzy was way too loose to even pretend to work on the Classic Line dizzy. I mean it would rattle around on the shaft and fall off if the dizzy was turned upside down.

No way, no how could the same rotor fit both in his case.

Now it seems like JP Group has sold 2 versions of the "Classic Line" dizzy, one that fits a stock rotor and one that doesn't. If so, is one a later version? Don't know yet.

Mark

[DanHoug]

some photos of stock things...

80-85 rotor on left, has large diameter rotor shaft. Digifant on right.

also, a closer shot of a gorgeous, low hours OEM dist i picked up on eBay for $55. i'd rather have this as a spare than a new Chinesium one.

_________________
-dan
60% of what you find on the internet is wrong, including this post.

'87 Westy & '89 Westy both 2.1 4spd

Past projects can be found at--
www.thefixitworkshop.com