Dist Cleaning Question

JSDSKI · 07-04-2002, 12:01 PM

Using the thread suggested by Early S_Man, I pulled the dist for cleaning. Pulled out felt plug. Found a circular piece of wire just sitting loose. It is slightly bent and probably unusable. Is this the infamous "circlip" described in Warren's post? I thought a circlip was more like the piece used to hold the vacuum advance arm onto the plate?

Anyway, can I just lift the shaft straight up to reveal the advance springs underneath? The shaft seems to catch on a flat washer (that doesn't have a split in it) and I'd like some guidence before increasing force for removal...(I can hear the hoots now - c'mon be a man - break out the firewrench!!)

Its a Bosch 231.169.003 on a 2.4 911T w/ MFI

Thanks and Happy Fourth

JSDSKI · 07-04-2002, 12:09 PM

Okay - there is a screw (other than the one loose in my head)
I forgot that releases the plate....duh

Early_S_Man · 07-04-2002, 12:41 PM

Yes, in this case the 'circlip' is/was a flat, split ring of spring steel. A motor/generator/alternator repair shop may have a suitable replacement. In the markrd diagram below, I have circled the flat washer, circlip, and felt plug that go back in that order. It usually takes a couple of flat-bladed jeweler's screwdrivers to get the circlip to seat properly in the groove in the hollow recess of the cam/shaft. If you press the circlip down at an angle ... then press the lowest end into the groove, and hold it there with sideways and downward force with one of the screwdrivers, while slowly and carefully pressing rest of the circlip lower, beginning at the end already in the groove ... working slowly around the circumfrence ... it will snap into place.

I assume you did not have the #7 point plate assembly removed ... before attempting the remove the cam & shaft, before, right? Good luck!

JSDSKI · 07-04-2002, 05:14 PM

Hey Warren - we all owe you a big thanks for the extra effort and support you put in on this forum... your threads, tech articles, graphics, and advice have put this 911 first timer ahead of the game....and I'm sure that's true for a lot of other people as well.

You were exactly right I just missed the screw through the dist. body that held the points plate in... everything was pretty straightforward after that. I used pliers to "re-round" the circlip and snapped it back on after cleaning the innards. I'll look for a replacement next week.

Car's running ok - just need to be retimed.

Do you have any idea where to get the fiber spacer that was beneath the weights... does Bosch still have them? Mine was shredded.

Thanks again.

Early_S_Man · 04:17 PM

Stoddard's has a Teflon replacement for the original wafer-thin phenolic piece for 356 distributors, and it is very close to the required 6-cylinder part's dimensions, but may require some trimming to fit. At least the Teflon won't fracture the way the original Bosch piece does!

NLA.602.102.00 SLIDE SURFACE Available $1.15

http://www.*************/partsindex.htm