What kind of distributor is this? help!

[Wind Breaker]

Hello. I'm a noob to this forum, mostly - but not completely - a Landcruiser noob. Recently bought a 1976 40 (build date 9/76), got the FSMs, and being trying to figure out what the PO did to it.

A lot of the emissions equipment is present, but looks to be either not connected or incorrectly connected so I think it's effectively desmogged. The emissions computer is missing, and the VSV doesn't look like what's shown in the FSM.

Truck starts and runs pretty well, but seems to have a little less power than I think it should. I'm guessing/hoping this is due to a bad desmog job.

After lots of searching and reading, what I think I should do is try to finish the desmog the right way, and just keep the EVAP, power valve, and a vacuum advance distributor. And that's where I'm stuck - can't find any info about what distributor I have, and how to hook up the vacuum lines. Comparing to pics at SOR, it looks like the stock semi-transistorized vacuum advance distributor. Here are some pics - they're not the best quality, but hopefully they're enough.

Can anyone tell me what type of distributor this is? Vacuum advance or retard, and how should the vacuum lines be hooked up (or plugged)? A pic of the bogus VSV too just for kicks.





Thanks in advance for any input/help, and let me know if different/better pics needed.

 

[edwjmcgrath]

If it has a little less power than you think it should, it's running perfectly!

 

[spotcruiser]

I'm thinking that's your stock distributor, but I don't have a '76 smog diagram so I'm not sure. The vac hose on the left appears to be retard and the one on the right appears to be advance. You can verify that by sucking on each hose (separately) while watching the contact plate inside the dizzy. Clockwise movement of the contact plate is retard and CCW movement is advance.

There's probably no way to make that distributor work to your absolute satisfaction and your carb is probably not set up for proper vac advance. People typically have their carb drilled for ported vacuum and change out the dizzy to either an earlier (sometimes called non-US) version or a later Federal model with vac advance.

Can anyone tell me what type of distributor this is? Vacuum advance or retard, and how should the vacuum lines be hooked up (or plugged)?

 

[Wind Breaker]

Thanks, spotcruiser. I'll checkout how the contact plate moves when I put vacuum to it and post back here.

Thanks also for the Seattle Cruiser heads link/invite - looks like I'll be out of town for the next meeting, but if not will come by.

If anyone else knows for sure what the distributor is, please chime in!

 

[Wind Breaker]

I sucked on my distributor tonight. Your guess was right - the top/left hose caused the plate to move clockwise, the bottom/lower hose moved it counter clockwise.

My carb looks to be the stock 1976 California model.

So, to finish the desmog the right way, do I need to go buy a vacuum advance distributor and coil from SOR or some MUD member? And you're saying I'd probably need to replace the carb too?

 

[Wind Breaker]

Thanks again, spotcruiser. I will join the Seattle group - sounds great. I've read a fair bit about desmog but mostly in the 60's area - I'll concentrate my searches in the 40/55 area and keep slogging through.

Question for you or anyone else, still about the dizzy: according to this MUD link about cruiser distributors:

- 1975 and early 1976 trucks had a vacuum retard dizzy
- late 1976 and 1977 had vacuum advance

Build date on my truck is 9/76, sort of late 1976. Is sucking on the ports and watching the plate rotation a definitive test for retard vs. vacuum, or is it possible I have a vacuum advance dizzy?

 

[spotcruiser]

Yes, CW rotation is retard. CCW rotation is advance. It's primarily a retard distributor with a lessor advance port. I don't have a '76 smog manual, so I don't know under which exact conditions the advance functions. It does appear to be similar to a '78 Federal distributor and probably works the same. On a '78 Federal engine, the advance (I don't know how much advance) only functions when the engine is warmed up, the transmission is in 4th gear, and the engine RPM (vacuum) is above a certain level (it is tested at 2500 RPM, but I don't know when it initially kicks in). Under other conditions (cold engine, not 4th gear) it's either running static timing or retarded. You can still purchase a '76 Toyota smog manual from SOR if you wish to know exactly how that system worked.

Bottom line, it's not an ideal distributor for a desmogged engine.

Is sucking on the ports and watching the plate rotation a definitive test for retard vs. vacuum, or is it possible I have a vacuum advance dizzy?

 

[Jacket]

Data point: My stock 5/76 has just the one vacuum port on the left/top (retard).