which distributor (1 Viewer)

[CRUSIERFISH]

hey, on my 74 '55 my vac advance doenst hold vacuum and the dist shaft has excessive play. I have the pertronix kit already so should i get another 74 and down dist and convert it or should i go with a newer set up. thanks

 

[Poser]

Well,

If it is a USA distributor, it is a vacuum retard, not advance, and if the distributor shaft has 'excessive play', I would replace the distributor. There are many options. Getting away from the points set up is not a bad idea. I do not have any time with a pertronix set up. 78 and on distributor and igniter/coil asssembly would be a good option. If you use the later modle, larger distributor, you will need to modify your side cover, or replace it with a later 2F one that is already set up for the larger distributor. You could always try and find someone that has removed a distributor similar to what you have, and go that route too.


Good luck!

-Steve

 

[Romer]

Steve, I know its a newb question. Whats the diff between retard and advance? What are the benifits of each one?

Thanks,

ken

 

[Tooth Fairy]

I've got a Mallory magnetic that I've been happy with on my 2F for about 4 years now.

 

[haystax]

Do you know the Mallory part number? I've been looking for a Unilite or magnetic for the 2F and haven't found one. Well, really haven't tried that hard, kinda been lazy and hoping someone else around here would post it up someday. Wanna help me out? Thanks

 

[Landpimp]

I can't think of any benifit to a retard.

I think this is correct, if advacne the canister(where the hose hooks to) will face toward the front of the cruiser........if retard it will face the firewall.

[quote author=Romer link=board=1;threadid=15208;start=msg143812#msg143812 date=1082683542]
Steve, I know its a newb question. Whats the diff between retard and advance? What are the benifits of each one?

Thanks,

ken
[/quote]

 

[CRUSIERFISH]

toyota epc and my haynes/chiltons manuals refer to my set up as advance, mine is on the front side of the dist, but really who knows what the PO put in there has anyone had luck with used or should i go with a new oe style/aftermarket

 

[Landpimp]

I sure am happy with my fj60 dizzy/ignition swap, my 45 has never run better.

[quote author=cruiserfish link=board=1;threadid=15208;start=msg144274#msg144274 date=1082756265]
toyota epc and my haynes/chiltons manuals refer to my set up as advance, mine is on the front side of the dist, but really who knows what the PO put in there has anyone had luck with used or should i go with a new oe style/aftermarket
[/quote]

 

[Romer]

I was more curious what the advance actually does for. What function the vacuum provides the distributor. The rotor spins around providng a charge to the point on the bottom of the cap that goes out through the wire to the spark plug. How does Vacuum help and what is the diff between retard and advance in this function. Like I said, its a newb question, but I'm an engineer. I like to know how things work.

Thanks,

Ken

 

[Landpimp]

advance will advance the timing
retard will retard(drop) the timing

none of this happens at idle.

take a timing light, shine it on the flywheel, remove the hose to the dizzy and suck on it......you will see the timing advance(and rpms increase I recall)

and that the extent of what I know........so I know very little.

John

[quote author=Romer link=board=1;threadid=15208;start=msg144281#msg144281 date=1082757041]
I was more curious what the advance actually does for. What function the vacuum provides the distributor. The rotor spins around providng a charge to the point on the bottom of the cap that goes out through the wire to the spark plug. How does Vacuum help and what is the diff between retard and advance in this function. Like I said, its a newb question, but I'm an engineer. I like to know how things work.

Thanks,

Ken
[/quote]

 

[Romer]

Aaahhh, so John as the engine rpms increase as your driving and the vacuum pressure increases, the timing will advance slightly to give better performance while your driving. When yo come to a stop, the pressure goes down, so the timing effectively gets retarded a bit.

Thanks, probably simple to a lot of folks, but I build satellites for a living. Our engines run on a mixture of amonniumn and other toxic materials.

 

[Landpimp]

yep, thats pretty much how I understand it. But when at idle(if a advance dizzy) the timing will never go lower that its been set(ya know on the BB) so NO it will not retard the timing it will just go back to where it was set in the 1st place.

and for how or why a retarded dizzy works I have no clue......I can't make any sense of how(or what purpose) it would work if the timing was retarded...........ANYONE?

John H

[quote author=Romer link=board=1;threadid=15208;start=msg144304#msg144304 date=1082761324]
Aaahhh, so John as the engine rpms increase as your driving and the vacuum pressure increases, the timing will advance slightly to give better performance while your driving. When yo come to a stop, the pressure goes down, so the timing effectively gets retarded a bit.

Thanks, probably simple to a lot of folks, but I build satellites for a living. Our engines run on a mixture of amonniumn and other toxic materials.
[/quote]

 

[CruisinGA]

Retard=more complete burn and better emissions. Thats it.
Early way of getting better emissions.
Vac advance makes a BIG difference. I can feel it kick in on my truck when I hit higher RPM"s. Feels almost like turbo lag. This is partially because my truck has low compression and is weak at lower RPM's.

 

[Romer]

Thanks Bailey and John. I appreciate help with the basic lesson. By Retard John, I meant back to original at Idle. Retarded from the advanced point.

 

[Sandemonium]

Retarded '74

I have a '74 with excessive play in the distributor shaft and am looking to get it rebuilt.

My question is - Since the diaphram is pointing back towards the firewall I assume I have a vaccum retard. If reatrding the ignition is not a good idea why not plug the vacuum line coming from the carb to prevent the retarding?

Also, anyone know of a good place to get the distributor rebuilt in the Phoenix area?

Thank you.

 

[texas77fj40]

i was having tons of problems with my stock 77 distributor so i got one from an fj60 you have to replace the engine cover but that's no big deal. my cruiser runs great now and i don't have to worry about points getting wet either. also after any switch make sure your timing is right or you'll have a red hot muffler.

 

[Pin_Head]

I
I think this is correct, if advance the canister(where the hose hooks to) will face toward the front of the cruiser........if retard it will face the firewall.

Actually there are lots of different distributors, so it is a little more complicated than this. The variations are which direction the vacuum actuator arm is pointing (clockwise or CCW) and which direction the actuator arm moves when the vacuum is applied (in or out). In other words, there are different variants with the vacuum can pointing in opposite directions (front or firewall) that are both retard. To make matters worse there are variants with both advance and retard connections and ones with two different advances. Oy

Vacuum advance is a means of fine tuning the advance in response to the air velocity (by the Bernoulli effect) in the carburetor at the throttle plate and not simply to RPM. It retards the timing in WOT conditions to prevent preignition and then advances it it as the load decreases.

Vacuum retard is usually controlled by the emissions computer to reduce smog.

 

[Sandemonium]

'74 Distributor

Looking at the Actuator arm it points Counter Clockwise and when vacuum is applied it moves clockwise.

From what I can tell the part number on the distributor is 19100-00866 tag is very weathered....

Also this FJ40 is desmogged except for the Charcoal Canister

Thanks for the info......

 

[65swb45]

Aaahhh, so John as the engine rpms increase as your driving and the vacuum pressure increases, the timing will advance slightly to give better performance while your driving. When yo come to a stop, the pressure goes down, so the timing effectively gets retarded a bit.

Thanks, probably simple to a lot of folks, but I build satellites for a living. Our engines run on a mixture of amonniumn and other toxic materials.

Ken, I put a basic description of distributor advance under section 10 of the FAQ on my website if you're interested.

 

[madoc1]

i know the purists will hate this, but give some consideration to a dui dissy. put one in a76 2f along with new wires. wow, what a difference! goood mech. curve plus vav. advance with no ping. just an idea.


jim