Fun with distributors.

[sb001]

So..my replacement distributor came in the mail today for the 72 super autostick I am trying to finish up. It is a 113-905-205 AM distributor, which was for non-US 1972 autosticks.

I thought I might provide a small tutorial given the opportunity, since occasionally a post pops up on here about someone concerned that their distributor rotor isn't pointing correctly when they install the distributor, and is worried that their timing will be way off. There could be a few reasons for this and a similar situation has happened to me here, but I want to show that it doesn't matter as long as you compensate for it.

First off, I set my pulley to 0 TDC and ensured I was on TDC for cylinder #1 by visually checking the rockers:

It was kind of hard to tell from the angle I took the photo, so I drew a red line to show #1 intake and exhaust-- and #2 intake-- closed, with #2 exhaust open. This is correct valve positioning for #1 TDC.

With the pulley at #1 TDC, looking down the distributor shaft hole I can see that the drive gear is aligned properly, with the "slot" between the dog ears perpindicular to the case (well it's not perfectly perpindicular but close enough):

And the smaller dog-eared side is to the back of the car, this is correct.

NOTE: Lots of times when a "distributor-clocked-wrong" thread pops up on here, it's because someone inserted the drive gear wrong, where this slot is angled in some crazy direction, so the distributor shaft (and consequently the rotor) end up pointing somewhere weird--in fact I almost blamed Zundfolge for inserting my drive gear wrong until i realized it's correct. The point is it doesn't matter- same principle applies as you read on.

When I install the new distributor I received, check it out-- with the distributor fully installed (shaft all the way down in the hole fully meshed with the drive gear), the rotor is pointing 180° out of alignment!:

How could this happen one might ask? Well I am no distributor assembly guru, but since everything else lines up, I can only assume that somehow the distributor shaft is somehow installed 180° wrong on the distributor I got. Again though, the point of this writeup is to show that IT DOESN'T MATTER.

Anyway, because the shaft is 180° off, when I install the distributor cap the rotor is pointing to the cap connector with the red arrow, which is exactly opposite of where it should be pointing:

But all I have to do is connect #1 spark plug to THAT connector, instead of the one opposite, and then go around the cap clockwise 1-4-3-2. The car will start right up and run. (Haven't gotten to that point yet but video to follow.)

So the bottom line is, everything else being equal, wherever your rotor ends up pointing when you install your distributor with the engine at #1 TDC is where you connect your #1 plug wire, and then go from there. HTH

[Tim Donahoe]

The previous owner of the distributor probably noticed that his distributor drive dog was 180 degrees out, and instead of repositioning the drive in the motor, he repositioned the distributor shaft 180 degrees to match. I guess he didn't want to put his number 1 spark plug wire in the number 3 spot on the distributor cap.

My distributor is 180 degrees out, but I simply rearrange the plug wires like Steve has shown here.

The only issue with this fix is when you go to sell your car, you should inform the new owner that the distributor is 180 degrees out. He--like me, for instance--may have been away from VW's for twenty years, and when you go to adjust your valves, using the rotor-pointing-to-the-notch-on-the-edge-of-the-distributor-method--even though you also lined up your crank pulley TDC mark--you're actually at your number three at TDC, instead of number one. This makes for a lousy valve adjustment .

Tim
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[vamram]

I would just remove the dog from the bottom of the distributor and flip it 180* so that the rotor points to the correct place and you don't stretch your wires. A lot easier to do than much of what you've already done!
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[sb001]

[gt1953]

It is easy to swap the drive on the bottom of the distributor. Tools need are patients first. Then a pick tool to get the circle spring removal started, a decent vice to hold the distributor while driving out the pin that hold the gear dog on. Just make sure that you do not put it on the same way you took it off.
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[allenw]

I was in the same boat flipped the bottom of the dizzy drive and all is good.

[Zundfolge1432]

Lookin good, its a little more involved to switch the dog around. Tools needed
Bench vise, a punch or drift, small pick, scribe. I'll post up some photos too.

Here's what I got in a pile of parts for free the other day the procedure is same.

Hook the end of spring and walk it off without deforming it

Marked position of dog we are going to rotate 180 and reinstall pin

The correct size punch oh shit its not harbor freight.

So tap the pin out turn 180 reinstall pin and spring. Be careful using the vise it would be easy to deform the aluminum body if you get carried away. If pin doesn't move try hitting from other side. A little oil might be good idea too.

[Glenn]

I bet that distributor has a 3* retard on #3... which is now #1.
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[Tim Donahoe]

In my previous post, I apparently called the drive in the motor a "drive dog", whereas, you guys call the distributor shaft a drive dog.

Either way, I won't take out the distributor "drive" (that part which sits inside the engine) until I take my engine apart for a rebuild--which I hope will be many moons from now. Until then, I just rearranged my plug wires. None of them "stretched" when placing them, after all, and the engine runs fine as it is.

Tim
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[Zundfolge1432]

[67rustavenger]

sb001 - Nice tutorial on a common issue that perplexes many new VW owners. Your pics clearly explain what happens when one either incorrectly install the dist drive gear or the dist drive dog at the base of the dist. thanks for that.

Zundfolge1432 - Thanks for the tutorial on correcting the dist drive dog. I have done this on one of my dists that was incorrect.
I do disagree with one bit of advice that you indicated in the last pic. It's not a good idea to clamp an aluminum dist body in a vice. I know, you warned of the dangers. I can't find the pic that either Glenn of tsab posted of the method they use to drive the pin out of the drive dog. But it's best to rest the teeth of the gear against the anvil portion of the vice and drive the pin out while supporting the body from below with a block of wood. That way there's no chance that the dist body gets deformed from over zealous vice users.
Oh and I don't think HF sells that 5/32" drift punch

Thank you both for a useful post that will help future users.
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[sb001]

Zundfolge thanks for the writeup on how to swap the dog around- I might try that. For right now I just installed the plug wires as mentioned earlier, with #1 wire being to the far left and then 1-4-3-2 around clockwise and it fires right up!


Link


I still have a bit of buttoning up left to do but it runs great!

[heimlich]

Over on my distributor rebuild thread I posted a photo I found on TheSamba.

Just line the rotor up with the notch on the distributor pointing to #1. That's what the picture shows.

When you try and take off the drive dog do not put the aluminum part of the distributor in the vise.

[sb001]

[Zundfolge1432]

[Glenn]

[Zundfolge1432]

[wcfvw69]

[Glenn]

[Zundfolge1432]

I was thinking that someone somewhere had fabricated a holding device or fixture to really hold it in place. Being as I can't tighten the vise real tight to avoid crushing the body. The old steel bodies are more forgiving than aluminum, just wondering.