another question
 

So I am changing the plugs, but I am still using my Bosch blue coil with the MSD. Should I switch to the MSD coil or keep the blue one?
Thanks
Ryan

ryan:
i have the bosch blue coil and it works great....

gary

update
 

OK so I changed out the plugs and now it starts and runs, but it runs kind of rough. So I busted out the timing light and my timing is jus a hair off. And now I have another question. If I crank the car and have the timing light on, I need to move my distributor to the left to get the timing just right. But even with the distributor at the furthest to the left I can make it go, the timing is still just a hair off. I did a search and found that my plugs may have been gapped to small so now the are at .045 the median between my search of what I should have them at with MSD. My question now is how do I get the timing right? Do I have to pull the distributor and adjust it? Every other time I used the timing light I had to adjust the distributor slightly, but I don't know what to do now. Also on the day of all my problems it was fairly nice high 60's low 70's today it is colder mid 50's. Would this be affecting the timing as well? I was pretty stoked when I found that it was only the plugs...Please let me know what I need to do now.
Thanks
Ryan

So can anyone help me figure out what my next step should be?

From your posts, it would seem the distributor might be one tooth off in
it's mesh. Also, you may have at least one bad wire or wire connection to a plug from the coil bouncing around. If the car idled a lot smoother previously then I believe I'd look for one plug misfiring and/or a bad connection at the dist. cap. If the mistiming you mention is minor then I
doubt it's a timing problem. Check ALL connections and plug wires very
carefully.

pookie,

What condition are your spark plug wires in? I replaced mine last summer when I had cold-starting issues and my mechanic regapped my plugs. I used Jacobs Electronics wires ($129) and they snap on the plugs very securely and don't fall off. The car has started and run great ever since!

So I checked and one of my sparkplug wires, and one of them was loose at the cap, so i tightened that up. Then I tried to set the car at TDC and if you look at my pics you can see that the rotor is not pointing at the notch. One thing I found out is that I need a new alternator belt, it seemed to keep slipping while I was turning the motor by hand. Anyways, when I used the timing light to check the timing it was dead on for a second, and then off just a hair, and it would keep switching back and forth. You would see it dead on and the next time it would be off just a hair. This is checking the timing at idle by the way. So, if anyone has any ideas please let me know.
Thanks
Ryan

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1078944685.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1078944736.jpg

forget about the alt belt. mine slips too when i try to turn the motor over. use your hand to push the belt in to tighten it while you turn the big nut. are you wires new or old? the stock ones?

My plug wires are at least 3 years old, because they have been on the car since I got her. I don't understand why it would be right on for one turn and the next turn be off just a hair. And then the whole rotor being just a hair off. Hopefully someone will let me know what to check next.
Ryan

Maybe the distributor shaft bearings are a little worn. Just a thought on the rough idle. Is it possible that the coil clunked the dist. cap hard enough to crack it a little. I dropped a socket on the distributor cap of my old 6 series BMW years ago and it cracked it (very small hairline) enough for it to misfire a bit at idle. It ran smooth otherwise.

Cheers,

Geoff

my spark plug wires ran good/bad intemittentenly. (crap i spell like...crap) i tested with an ohm meter. do a search, john walker and early s man, helped me see the light. my car is running great now. it is strange turning the ignition without saying a prayer first :)

Ryan,

Distributor bushing wear is a possibility, but sticking centrifugal advance weights are possible, too! Take distributor out with engine turned to TDC #1 ... thoroughly degrease with Brakleen, then check by holding dist. gear with one hand, and turn rotor against the springs ... if weight's action and resistance against the springs isn't smooth and consistant, then cleaning and lube is called for ...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5432&highlight=distribu tor+lube

update
 

Just as an update I found that my spark plug wires are 7 years old. I also found that the wire going to the #4 cylinder seems a bit loose on the distributor cap. I also found that the wire going from the dist. cap to the coil is loose. Apparantly my rotor is also a couple (2-3) years old. So, I had planned on pulling the distributor and doing Early_S_man's test to check it out (thanks for all the info by the way). I spoke to a mechanic buddy of mine and he also thought the distributor may have skipped a tooth. I had also planned on getting a new rotor and dist. cap. Since my plug wires are 7 years old should I go ahead and plan on getting new ones as well? Does all this seem like the right path to take or is there something else I need to do?

Thanks again
Ryan

Ryan,

You can replace just the wire and reuse the ends ... by using bulk replacement ignition cable. The braided shielding can be ditched or reused. The rubber air seals need to be replaced, too, if cracked or shriveled up! VW part 111.905.049 ... at an independent VW shop or foreign parts supply. The official superceded 'A-suffixed' part won't work on the 911 Beru connector!!!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=48282&highlight=bulk+ig nition+wire

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=49301&highlight=spark+p lug+wire%2A+crimp%2A+mercedes

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=82774&highlight=spark+p lug+wire%2A+crimp%2A+mercedes

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7497&highlight=ignition +wire+beru

dist question
 

Okay so I've come up with another question. If part of my problem is that my distributor skipped a tooth, if I put a mark on the dist so I know where it came out, and then pull the dist out, then I would have to rotate the dist counter clockwise to put it back in, therefore throwing off the mark I made, will this affect anything? Besides from the obvious that I will have to reset my timing, is there anything else that could be damaged from me rotating the dist and putting it back in?

Thanks
Ryan

another question
 

So I have the distributor out and everything turns really smoothly, my question is, according to Early_S_man's link what plug am I taking out to fill the dist with oil? I know it may seem common sense but I did not see it specifically pointed out in the post.

Thanks
Ryan

Ryan,

The felt plug is under the rotor. There is a shaft with two polished bearing surfaces that need to be well lubricated at every oil change ... the shaft is what the gear is attached to, and the hollow outer tube is what the rotor and trigger 'star' attach to ... it's rotary position is controlled by the centrifugal advance and vacuum module.

update again
 

Well...I thought I had her going. Actually I did so...After pulling the dist and oiling it up I rotated the rotor slightly and placed the dist back in the car. Tried to start the car, it started and idled smoothly. YA! So I got out the timing light and checked my timing, spot on YA! So after letting it warm up some more I tried to give it some gas(just a little as if you were backing out of a parking spot) car coughs and chuckles and almost dies, if I lift off the gas the car goes back to idling smoothly. So I though my idle was a little slow,(I met a guy yesterday who has a 75 and it was idleing way higher than mine) so as I touched the screwdriver to the idle adjustment screw the car dies. I try to restart it, and nothing, it tries and tries but just will not start. So I start all over again, I can hear the fuel pump hum, I lift up the sensor plate and can hear the injectors jetting, but it just will not start. I think part of my problem is that my wires, rotor, and cap need to be replaced, so I am ordering those today. Also you can almost smell I would say like a burning plastic smell near the dist cap, nut there is no smoke or anything showing signs of melting. Please help me figure this out because I am really close to giving up and taking this thing to the shop.

Super frustrated
Ryan