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Model specific boards => Golf mk2 => Topic started by: Jameslloydrichards on 04 October 2009, 16:54
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So, I've just fitted a new distributor to my valver. All good, ignition leads in the right place, fires up and runs
BUT I've just tried to time it, using a gunson strobe. and am trying to line up the notch on the gearbox housing with the 6 degree before TDC mark, which I marked as indicated on another forum, have disconnected the red lead to coil. However the only way I can get the gearbox mark and the 6 degree before tdc to line up, is to turn the distributor (when you are looking at it in front of you, so looking at it from the passenger side front wing), all the way round clockwise, even then I can't turn the distributor far enough clockwise to get them to line up spot on.
Cambelt was done about two years ago and its run fine ever since. Has anyone got any ideas? FYI when I disconnected the red lead to the coil, and had the distributor in the same position as the last one, it runs lumpy and idles at about 750 rpm, however much you undo the idle screw.
I'm stumped, pure and simple! Have I missed something, just can't be right that you have to turn the distributor all the way clockwise, and it still doesn't line up, I would have thought the distributor should sit about half way round in it's available travel. Just took it for a drive and it seems to have plenty of power.
Cheers,
James
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have you put the dizzy on 180 Deg out?
nick
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Cheers for ths swift reply nick. All this is looking at the dizzy from the passenger side with the dizzy in front of you. The Hall sender connection is at the bottom, and at TDC when the engine is off, the rotor arm is pointing to 11 o'clock. So I think I've put it on o.k. But if it's on upside down, I'm pretty embarassed, but that would explain the problem!!
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I'm not even sure you can put them on 180 Deg out but your symptoms sound like that's the problem. I've done it a couple of times on classic minis.
Nick
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Well I'm stumped really, not a mechanical expert, but I've followed the guides on the forum I think. I guess I could take it to a garage and get them to check it our, I'd rather not though!!
I would have thought if I'd put the distributor on the wrong way round, then the car wouldn't start at all, but of course I'm not sure.
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There's no harm in whipping it off and spinning it round 180Deg and trying again.
nick
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have checked and it's defo on the right way round with the hall sender at the bottom left, front of the car, when you are looking at it. Spinning it through 180 would lead to the hall sender being at the top right, towards the back of the car. Checked a few pictures of other valvers and I'm 99.9% sure it's the right way round
Any chance it could be a fault with the dizzy? It was a recon one from GSF.
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Did you move the engine with the dizzy off though? THe location of the dizzy is relative to the camshaft not the physical engine and bay. Take the dizzy off but turn the shaft inside 180Deg and see if it'll go back on.
Either that or pop the spark plug out of number one and using a screwdriver check that when number 1 is at TDC that the rotary arm is pointing at the number one lead.
Nick
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Fair enough, I'll give that a go, prob tomorrow morning as its getting dark now. Just one question, if I do that, I assume I'll need to swap all the ignition leads around.
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No because your just rotating the shaft half way round then putting the body back on as it was before. The leads will still be in the correct position (assuming they were in the first place.).
nick
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cheers for all your help nick, just would have thought that if the rotor arm was 180 degrees out (i.e. I take the dizzy off, spin the rotor arm through 180 and put it back) the engine wouldn't start. I'm also going to check that the old distributor looks exactly the same as the new gsf one, just to be sure....
Cheers for your patience though mate, much appreciated.
James
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No worries fella, hope you get it running tomorrow. There's nothing worse than a car that refuses to run right, proper annoying.
nick
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Sounds like its out 180 to me as well, sometimes you just cant see the wood, for the trees!
Thom
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It's not one of the Gunson guns with adjustable advance is it?
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Nah, just a basic one.
I did see another post that said someone had a similar problem with not enough advance available on the dizzy. For them, seems that the idle microswitch which should activate when you take your foot off the throttle sometimes gets stuck and therefore doesn't send the engine management into 'idle mode'. Hence not being able to keep the revs up to 1,000 with the red cable to the coil disconnected. I think this is defo part of the problem, I was using a screwdriver wedged between the microswitch and the plate on the throttle valve which hits the microswitch, to get it to idle up to 1,000. But thinking about it, that could have put everything out. Took it up to my local garage, who are really good with the distributor cranked all the way round clockwise, as I mentioned this nearly gets the mark on the gearbox housing and the 6degree tdc mark lined up when timing with the gun, and the car flew, no hesitancy, nothing. I could possibly file the brackets on the dizzy that hold it on to the cam side of the engine, so I get some more movement and I'm sure if I could twist it slightly more, I'd be able to get the marks to line up. But It shouldn't be the case that I need to do that.
It is odd, the dizzy/rotor arm, can't be out by 180 degrees, the car just wouldn't run properly.
Don't think the cam belt timing is incorrect either, as I mentioned, the cambelt was changed a year ago, and the car drove fine, till the new distributor was fitted (gsf one). So we'll see what the garage say, could be that somethings slightly 'out' on the new dizzy, but I doubt that. Think the cylinder head is standard, cos of course fitting different cams could change things with timing. But as I said the old dizzy worked fine with the adjustment on it pretty much half way between the limits of it's adjustments, clockwise/anti clockwise, so we'll see what the garage say.
Hoping I get a call from the garage saying, 'yes mate, you hadn't adjusted x, so that was causing the problem!'. Not great as I want to drive the car down to cornwall on Wednesday and just don't feel confident in it at the mo!