'82 SC Distributor Adjustment Range

[David Inc.]

I've had a long term quirk to my car, that maybe is absolutely normal but feels wrong.

Whenever I insert the distributor and adjust timing I end up with the distributor adjustment bolt at either end of the adjustment slot, almost right up against the end. It feels like it should be somewhere in the middle, but no matter what I try I can never get the distributor to slot in there--I can feel the gears butting up and stopping.

Is this normal? One shop I went saw it and said it should be more towards the middle.

Right now I've got it cranked all the way counter clockwise because the other way jams the green wire against the fan housing. The timing is dead on and the car runs beautifully but man does it ever look wrong.

[Flat6pac]

Have you timed it correctly
2vacuum lines, one has vacuum at idle for retard
The other has vacuum at running speed to advance for driving.
The advance is pod connect closes to you, retard vacuum connect is the inside.
The retard, to check connection is correct, you can feel the vacuum on your tongue.
40 years, you never know what others do.
The other possibility is the dist. Is a cog off.
Set z1 and the rotor should be coming up to the mark on the dist. Where the cap sits.
There is 12 cogs on the dist drive so each cog is 30 degrees
Hope explanation helps.
Bruce

[David Inc.]

Yep it's timed properly, both at idle and 6000 rpm to confirm advance. The retard is disconnected. Been like this through a couple of top end tear-downs (one by me and one in a shop), first noticed it in 2014 after replacing the chain tensioners. In the past it's been all the way CW but I don't like the green wire resting against the fan housing.

[proporsche]

i know you know what you are doing..just a questions..
Timing set at warm engine ,right?
what is your spark plug gap?
What is the camshaft timing--numbers?


Ivan

[David Inc.]

Originally Posted by proporsche

i know you know what you are doing..just a questions..
Timing set at warm engine ,right?
what is your spark plug gap?
What is the camshaft timing--numbers?


Ivan

Last checked at warm-ish (I know I have to double-check), but previous iterations were done warm.
I don't recall the gap but they were adjusted to spec before install.
I had the cams reground a couple years back to 964 spec, don't recall my numbers but in spec per Dougherty.

It's not a new situation, and it's only been the one shop that mentioned it should be closer to the middle of the range (edit: they questioned my timing as well but also said that it "runs like a bat out of hell"). Just wondering what the adjustment is like for others.

Here's what it looked like back in '17 when I did head studs. You can see a very unhappy green wire there so right now the distributor is at the other end of the adjustment, but still in time.

[Schulisco]

On my SC the dizzy's mounting eye is also not in the middle, also not the 123ignition dizzy! Both were still not at the end of the adjustment space, there were approx. 7mm left, I mounted them in that way to have enough room to advance them. The 123 is different here, it only needs to bet set to 0°, the curve is programmed, the original dizzy was set as specified. IIRC there is a grub screw at the bottom gear of the dizzy? Probably this is misadjusted?!? The 123 additionally has an adjustable tightening rod. SO it can also be adjusted here.
Are you sure your dizzy is the right one for your car?

Thomas

[David Inc.]

Originally Posted by Schulisco

On my SC the dizzy's mounting eye is also not in the middle, also not the 123ignition dizzy! Both were still not at the end of the adjustment space, there were approx. 7mm left, I mounted them in that way to have enough room to advance them. The 123 is different here, it only needs to bet set to 0°, the curve is programmed, the original dizzy was set as specified. IIRC there is a grub screw at the bottom gear of the dizzy? Probably this is misadjusted?!? The 123 additionally has an adjustable tightening rod. SO it can also be adjusted here.
Are you sure your dizzy is the right one for your car?

Thomas

I'm not! It has the right vacuum ports but I've never really checked the part number against the engine. The engine is strong, idles well, revs well, and makes good power so it's effective even if maybe not correct.

Sounds like yours is closer to mine, but I have maybe 1-2mm gap between the stud and end of adjustment either way I put it.

[Schulisco]

Ok, this is an excerpt of the equipment table for US SCs, refer to the "Zündverteiler" (distributor) numbers:


Yours must be a 0237 306 016 supposing that your car is a US SC.

Thomas

[proporsche]

Originally Posted by David Inc.

Last checked at warm-ish (I know I have to double-check), but previous iterations were done warm.
I don't recall the gap but they were adjusted to spec before install.
I had the cams reground a couple years back to 964 spec, don't recall my numbers but in spec per Dougherty.

It's not a new situation, and it's only been the one shop that mentioned it should be closer to the middle of the range (edit: they questioned my timing as well but also said that it "runs like a bat out of hell"). Just wondering what the adjustment is like for others.

Here's what it looked like back in '17 when I did head studs. You can see a very unhappy green wire there so right now the distributor is at the other end of the adjustment, but still in time.

looking at your distr.It looks quite normal..the timing of your cams could be just this little difference..i would not worry about it,honestly

Ivan

[proporsche]

look here just one example i found on the net..as yours...

[David Inc.]

Well I guess the guy at that shop can eat feet. I will say I wish that it were closer to the middle just so that the green wire didn't have to have such a nasty bend to it to avoid the fan housing.

Originally Posted by proporsche

looking at your distr.It looks quite normal..the timing of your cams could be just this little difference..i would not worry about it,honestly

Ivan

Aaahhhh of course, the distributor gear goes off the intermediate shaft gear and the cam timing, not the crank. This makes a lot more sense, thanks, as it didn't seem quite so extreme an adjustment before I did the cams.

...wait...no, the timing gear is on the crank, no?

[boyt911sc]

Originally Posted by David Inc.

Last checked at warm-ish (I know I have to double-check), but previous iterations were done warm.
I don't recall the gap but they were adjusted to spec before install.
I had the cams reground a couple years back to 964 spec, don't recall my numbers but in spec per Dougherty.

It's not a new situation, and it's only been the one shop that mentioned it should be closer to the middle of the range (edit: they questioned my timing as well but also said that it "runs like a bat out of hell"). Just wondering what the adjustment is like for others.

Here's what it looked like back in '17 when I did head studs. You can see a very unhappy green wire there so right now the distributor is at the other end of the adjustment, but still in time.

David,

The orientation of the rotor is NOT pointing toward cylinder #1 (TDC @ Z1). Could you post a picture of the scribed mark on your DIZZY for cylinder #1? Thanks.

Tony

[David Inc.]

That's just an old photo showing the adjustment range from seven years ago. At Z1 the sprocket teeth line up and timing light is dead nuts on Z1. Edit: Woops! I meant the timing light is dead nuts on 5 BTDC, not Z1.

[boyt911sc]

David,

Could you post a picture of the rotor with respect to the scribed mark on the dizzy housing? A picture before you press down the distributor to the case? I think we are not on the same page. Thanks.

Tony

[David Inc.]

At ~TDC the rotor is pointing to the notch on the dizzy for cylinder #1. Can I ask what you're trying to see? I don't have the time to get to any disassembly for the next few days at least.

[PeteKz]

David, the dizzy on my 1980 RoW SC engine (with RoW distributor) is close to the same as yours. I have a small crescent space there. It's nowhere near the middle of the arc. If it runs well, then you know the rule: If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

As for the green wire: That normally routes up towards the coil, then into the wiring harness. Did you reroute your green wire?

[Alan L]

Mine is similar as are all I have seen. I have a small gap - maybe 5mm at that end.
There is another recent thread on this - same issue.
The poor old green wire takes a hard LH turn out of the dizzy. This is one of the problems with the green wire - it breaks at this tight bend. Not avoidable - unless you change the setup.
You probably don't have a problem. There is nothing that says the gap has to be centered.
Alan

[AndrewCologne]

Originally Posted by David Inc.

.... Whenever I insert the distributor and adjust timing I end up with the distributor adjustment bolt at either end of the adjustment slot, almost right up against the end. It feels like it should be somewhere in the middle, but no matter what I try I can never get the distributor to slot in there--I can feel the gears butting up and stopping.

Remove the nut from the dizzy and then pull out the whole dizzy a bit until you can turn the finger in a direction where then when putting the dizzy shaft back, the adjustment of the dizzy ends up in a way it rests properly in the adjustment slot.

But Im here with Ivan as when a proper adjustment is done, the nut always is very near to the end of the adjustment slot.

@ Tony
The orientation of the finger here in this specific adjustment case is not important if using a strobo light with engine running at idle and not a timing light at stalled engine like we used in adjusting the ignition in case of old VWs :-)

[David Inc.]

Thanks for the input all. I guess I'll just put it to the other end and deal with the bend in the wire. On this side it's damn near impossible to get a wrench on the not while the engine is running, and it only just makes timing.

Edit: I need to make a tiny little conduit that I can clip on the wire to enforce a minimum bend radius. I hate putting a kink in a wire, and I'm pretty sure it's why the last one I put in failed. That one was an Uro and not a Bosch, though I wouldn't imagine that would make a big difference.

[icarp]

I understand this is to satisfy the EPA , this prevents the user from changing to more advance than spec

Ian