Is it possible to put the distributor in 180 deg out. I thought that they could only fit one way, now being told different. If they can be put in 180 deg out what would be the tell tale signs. Mine does not have the small grove on the rim. When i changed mine i turned the crankshaft pulley to TDC, made sure the gap on the tappets was correct and the rotor arm was pointing at the no 1 connector. however now being told that that could be pointing at the no 3 connector, totally confused because surely if the connector is connected to the ht lead that goes to the no1 spark plug it shouldn't matter. should it? It is a bosch coil, bosch leads but simmonbcc (bought off fleabay) electronic ignition 009 distributor.
I recently found out on here that the oil lube for the dizzy is dependent on the orientation so will not be getting its lube if 180 degs out. I changed mine! I think the notch in the dizzy casing is where No1 plug should be and if vac dizzy then the vacuuum can should be right infront of you as you look at the dizzy. Cheers Ben
The dissy doesn't really care which way round it is, as long the leads are in the right firing order. Does your engine run? I assume it does, in which case you might want leave the dissy alone, although Dr Ben's right about the lubrication slot. If this isn't lined up, the dissy shaft doesn't get oiled. It's possible that someone's put the dissy drive shaft in 180* out. Rotate the engine clockwise until the rotor's pointing at no 1 lead, then whip the dissy out and peer down the dissy hole. You'll see the top of the driveshaft at the bottom, with an offset slot on it. The slot should be east/west across the engine, offset towards the back of the van. This is the correct driveshaft position. If it's not right, you might want to change it. This involves jamming a length of dowel into the driveshaft hole and slowly pulling the shaft out. The peril is that one of the adjustment shims at the bottom drops into the crankcase...
Did I read somewhere that 009 distributors have a 3 deg. retard ground on no. 3 lobe to stop it cooking ? If so, timing it up 180 out would be a problem ??
It is quite possible the driving dog on the distributor has been fitted 180 deg. out just to add to the confusion. Think the aftermarket distributors need checking before fitting. Caught me out once.
You have read it, but not about 009s... I'm not sure what the 009s original fitment was, but it wasn't a vw!! Not a road going one anyway!!
So can i just ask, These ar'nt vac advance so is it essentially an oo9 http://www.vwheritage.com/vw_spares...tor-AC905D186_act_shop.product_pID_187644.htm
You've got it... mechanical advance only!! Not ideal in a bus btw I'm not sure about that either... info on where the 009 exactly came from is a bit sketchy... industrial engines normally had a more robust dizzy/coil system!! You can also use 009s on Model Ts... I've also heard mention of ford mexico, but you'd know more about that than me
The early dizzys were vac only without the mech advance i thought The retardation was because the cooling air was passed through the oil cooler then over number 3 cylinder so number 3 ran hotter than the other cylinders Ill need to dig through some links to be sure on the 009 but your correct in that there not ideal for a big heavy bus Dizzys all depend on if there vac only advance,mech only andvance or a combination of both Then after that its the advance curve Theres so many copies and types floating round nowadays its hard to be sure exactly what has what curve
Worth mentioning that some distributors also had a vibration-sensitive advance mechanism, in addition to a vacuum unit. These "shake-n-vac" units were used primarily to put the freshness back in older, worn engines.
Back to the topic, on a T4 yes it is if the bakerlite washers have crumbled away leaving the dog free to swing about, as you can't clearly see the base of the distributor to check it's fully home it is possible to think you have it right when you're 180 degs out. Can't go wrong with the clear view of a T1 engine.
