Need help putting a DUI dizzy back together (2 Viewers)

[jestlurnin]

This is on my 77’ 55

Ok guys I’m dizzy ignorant. I’ve changed rotors before etc., but have never had to fix something like this before.

I’m assuming these metal things (are they weights??) came loose and cracked the rotor.

1. Why in the heck would this have happened?
2. I obviously need a new rotor. Easy enough.
3. Other than putting a new rotor in how are these metal things supposed to go back in? Looked on the interwebs and can’t find a reference photo.

Any and all help/advice is welcome.

 

[jestlurnin]

Found a reference picture. Still stumped on how this happened and where the posts that go through the weights that the springs attach to went…

 

[jestlurnin]

Learning more. Found these bad boys with my magnet in the dizzy. Can’t find E clip. Very strange this woulda just exploded like this. Was running fine one day then the next this.

I did find a mud post from 2013 where it looks like this had happened to someone before.

Maybe I should go back to an OEM dizzy?

 

[1911]

Those are the counterweights for the mechanical advance. The posts obviously screwed out or broke off; most likely they are down in the body of the distributor somewhere.
What make is the dizzy? No idea if you can get parts for them or not. You might just want to buy a better one.

 

[1911]

Maybe I should go back to an OEM dizzy?

An FJ60 “big cap” dizzy is a nice upgrade, and all electronic. You’ll need the dished pushrod side cover to go with it.

 

[pb4ugo]

Ive never seen anything like that. Those are really just a GM HEI distributor. 1st I'd contact the manufacturer. If that goes nowhere then you might be able to find an old gm 6 cylndr distributor to scavenge parts from.

 

[jestlurnin]

It’s a Davis unified ignition dizzy.

Can I get a rotor and new weights for this at any auto parts store or do I need to order from Davis?

 

[1911]

It’s a Davis unified ignition dizzy.

Can I get a rotor and new weights for this at any auto parts store or do I need to order from Davis?

View attachment 3862641

It says “DANGER”, I guess they weren’t kidding.

 

[pb4ugo]

You can get the rotor and cap at an a/p store. They'll sell an aftermarket weight/spring kit, but they are for more performance. Dui, probably set the weight and springs for your application(advance curve) of the engine. You should probably keep what you have. The weights, springs and the center piece that's held in by the E clips. I think the part that had the posts is fixed to the driveshaft. Maybe dui has experience with this failure.

 

[jestlurnin]

Thanks @pb4ugo

I’ll hit the autoparts store tomorrow and see if they have a new rotor and hopefully a weight kit with new posts and associated E clips.

I’ll use the same weights as they look mostly unharmed. I’ll just try and put everything back together. Maybe an E clip just happened to work its way off somehow which caused the catastrophe.

I’ve ordered directly from Davis before shipping is usually pretty slow though. I’ll give them a call and see if they sell the advance weight kit as well and when it shows up I’ll just replace everything new.

 

[pb4ugo]

The a/p store won't know anything about dui distributors. To get a cap and rotor you have to ref maybe a 80's or early 90's gm v6. I doubt they'll have any other internal distributor parts except the electronic parts. The kit is just weights and a variety of springs to alter the advance curve, which you don't need.

 

[Slow Poke]

I fought with a DUI dizzy for a couple years before going back to OEM. I’ve never had an issue since.
Just a thought

 

[jestlurnin]

City racer might have what I need to get rid of this POS.

 

[Grayscale]

The a/p store won't know anything about dui distributors. To get a cap and rotor you have to ref maybe a 80's or early 90's gm v6. I doubt they'll have any other internal distributor parts except the electronic parts. The kit is just weights and a variety of springs to alter the advance curve, which you don't need.

The firing order is different between the 2F and my dad's '92 Buick 3800 V6. I'm thinking that this DUI is for a Chevy inline 6, 250-displacement.

 

[pb4ugo]

The firing order is different between the 2F and my dad's '92 Buick 3800 V6. I'm thinking that this DUI is for a Chevy inline 6, 250-displacement.

The firing order on the cap would be the order you install the plug wires on the cap in relation to when a cylinder is ready to fire.

 

[pb4ugo]

A spark plug fires every 120 degrees of rotation of the crankshaft on a 6 cylder engine.

 

[Grayscale]

Harmonics and balancing. The inline 6 is perfect at it. The v-6 sounds like garbage before it was balanced.
The Buick V-6 firing order is 1-6-5-4-3-2 (and there is no distributor, on this early 90's engine)
2F firing order is 1,5,3,6,2,4

 

[pb4ugo]

To be clear. I am not saying you can just swap a gm hei dist. I'm suggesting the op maybe able the scavenge parts from one.
I don't think the OP will find the posts that broke. If I was looking, i would look for something out of a chev 4.3L and carefully compare parts. Personally, I would buy a replacement distributor.

Harmonics and balancing. The inline 6 is perfect at it. The v-6 sounds like garbage before it was balanced.
The Buick V-6 firing order is 1-6-5-4-3-2 (and there is no distributor, on this early 90's engine)
2F firing order is 1,5,3,6,2,4

OK, so it was a trick question. Back in the 80's I seem to recall something about gm making 2 v6's of similar in design, one was odd firing and the other was even firing. Whatever that means.

Yrs ago I worked with some old mechanics that used to work on Buick straight 8's. They would compete with each other on who could get the engine to idle at the lowest rpm, which required accurate valve adjustment.

 

[rlong]

I don’t believe those pins (or new ones) can be secured in those likely wallowed out holes, and that plate is permanently attached to the main shaft, and not typically replaceable. I would replace with a complete distributor of your choice.

 

[jestlurnin]

@rlong if you look at the picture in my first post right under the top spring the stud is held in with an E clip. If I pop that E clip off the stud will drop out and I’ll be able to remove the central metal piece that the weights attach to with spring.

It’s definitely fixable if I can find the replacement E clips, studs and new weights. Weights look pretty easy to source but the studs and the E clips are eluding me. Summit has a couple kits that look like they might work but different “studs” way of securing the weights.

I’d like to put this back together while I decide on the best OEM replacement.