Can you disassemble a stock Hall's ignition distributor on a stock 79 CA bus without taking it out of the engine? I understand if may be easier to do so if it is taken out. However, I am trying to minimize the bus' exposure to my mechanical bad luck. I want to look inside at the mechanical weights and clean what I can, reassemble and see if I can get the mechanical advance to work. I believe my vacuum advance is working fine, but I do not think the mechanical is advancing at all.
If it can not be done then I will bite the leather strap and pull it after being placed at TDC. Thanks for your input. Hope I put this in the right category.
Jack
disassemble halls ignition 79CA bus
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- Getting Hooked!
- Location: Gulf Breeze, Florida
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- Amskeptic
- IAC "Help Desk"
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Re: disassemble halls ignition 79CA bus
I strongly recommend that you pull the entire distributor. It is very easy to do. Index both the location of the rotor inside the distributor cap and the location of the distributor body against the engine, loosen the 10mm clamp nut (that long hex bar deal) a lot, then twist and pull out of the engine.jackstar wrote:Can you disassemble a stock Hall's ignition distributor on a stock 79 CA bus without taking it out of the engine? I understand if may be easier to do so if it is taken out. However, I am trying to minimize the bus' exposure to my mechanical bad luck. I want to look inside at the mechanical weights and clean what I can, reassemble and see if I can get the mechanical advance to work. I believe my vacuum advance is working fine, but I do not think the mechanical is advancing at all.
If it can not be done then I will bite the leather strap and pull it after being placed at TDC. Thanks for your input. Hope I put this in the right category.
Jack
The little screws used to hold things together on the distributor do not want to fall free inside the engine area.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles
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- Getting Hooked!
- Location: Gulf Breeze, Florida
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Re: disassemble halls ignition 79CA bus
Not to sound too dense......By indexing you mean to mark the rotor position on the rim of the distributor itself and mark the body of the distributor (such as with a line) as it sits in the engine so that the body of the distributor is put back in the same relative spot as when it was taken out? Correct?? I'll take another look at Bentley's and other posts before I pull it. Thanks Colin.
Jack
Jack
- Randy in Maine
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Re: disassemble halls ignition 79CA bus
If it were me, I would get the engine to TDC (using the timing scale and the notch in the fan pulley) almost ready for #1 cylinder to fire (by looking at the rotor position). If you feel the need, put a sharpie index line on the clamp and the distributor.
Then just remove the 8mm nut (with the 13mm head) that holds the distributor clamp to the engine case. In a perfect world it would then just pull out (straight up). Sometimes you have to wiggle it a bit if it has not been out lately.
As well as owning a tube of Bosch distributor grease for relubication, having a new distributor O-ring would be nice to have prior to re-insalling it. That is actually one of the few things the VW dealer still has for us.
Have a good look (and clean up the electrical connection) at that where that cable mounts (from the distributor to the igniton module). They like to chafe sometimes.
Then just remove the 8mm nut (with the 13mm head) that holds the distributor clamp to the engine case. In a perfect world it would then just pull out (straight up). Sometimes you have to wiggle it a bit if it has not been out lately.
As well as owning a tube of Bosch distributor grease for relubication, having a new distributor O-ring would be nice to have prior to re-insalling it. That is actually one of the few things the VW dealer still has for us.
Have a good look (and clean up the electrical connection) at that where that cable mounts (from the distributor to the igniton module). They like to chafe sometimes.
79 VW Bus
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- Getting Hooked!
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Re: disassemble halls ignition 79CA bus
Randy,
Thanks for the quick reply. Your description is just what I read/figured. It is just nice to hear someone agree with you before you try something new. On your rotator, is that the Bosch lube or just the lighting? Thanks.
Thanks for the quick reply. Your description is just what I read/figured. It is just nice to hear someone agree with you before you try something new. On your rotator, is that the Bosch lube or just the lighting? Thanks.
- Amskeptic
- IAC "Help Desk"
- Status: Offline
Re: disassemble halls ignition 79CA bus
The r-o-t-o-r is dry and must remain dry as must the inside of the distributor cap.jackstar wrote: On your rotator, is that the Bosch lube or just the lighting? Thanks.
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles
-
- Getting Hooked!
- Location: Gulf Breeze, Florida
- Status: Offline
Re: disassemble halls ignition 79CA bus
Sorry, need more coffee. Or glasses. Or a clue.