*groan* I think my distributor's shot . . .
 

My car is a '71 1.7l w/FI. It recently quit on me (in the driveway, fortunately). In going through various troubleshooting steps I've found here, I've determined the following:

1. There is @12 volts at the + coil terminal when - is grounded
2. The coil produces no spark
3. When I remove the distributor cap & turn the engine, THE ROTOR DOES NOT SPIN and THE POINTS DON'T OPEN.

This last part has me mildly alarmed, as a new distributor for this car is priced at OVER $1K. (Yes, that sound you hear is me crying.)

It's been a while since I've worked on an ignition system like this, but doesn't it sound like my distributor is IRREVOCABLY TATERED?

At least interest rates are low right now. Maybe a nice home equity loan will get my car back on the road . . .

Anyone been there? What was your experience? (Not with your home loan.) Are there any financially reasonable alternatives to the ONE THOUSAND DOLLAR DISTRIBUTOR? And finally, did something bust off of my dizzy & drop into my engine?

TIA,

Mark

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1971 1.7l 914

Check and see if the bolt holding it is loose...sounds like the dizzy has worked itself loose and the gear is not in contact....

i have an a-1 cardone rebuilt dist. from my flaps. it is working well and cost under 100 dollars. go for a compufire breakerless ignition also if you tear out the dist.. much nicer than points

I second the loose bolt idea; that same thing happened to me not so long ago.

Though I haven't yet checked the retaining bolt, I've gripped the dizzy & tried to twist & pull to see if it's loose. It't not going anywhere. Would it feel so solid if it had worked free?

Another point which makes me think I broke something bigtime is that when the car died initially, I tried to restart it a few times. Finally, it sounded like something jammed & then the starter wouldn't even turn the engine. I rocked the car back & forth in gear, after which the starter would turn the engine again. Guess I left out an important point.

Whatever the case, I'm sure I'll wind up yanking the dizzy for visual inspection. What I really need are some low-cost alternatives . . . and some idea if there's a foreign object bouncing inside the engine.

Thanks,

Mark

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1971 1.7l 914

Just a tought. I know this is not a chevy but I have seen distributer gears completly stripped on GM motors. This may fit in with the fact that you had to rock the engine to get it to turn over.

Hi, I recently bought a rebuilt distributor from kragen or pep-boys(can't remember) for $70 including core charge. I would check them out first. I'll try and find my recpiet to give you the exact store name :)

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73 914 2.0 (pile o' porsche)
corybrown@nctimes.net

Interesting how $70 seems like chump change in the face of the alternative . . . I'd be very happy to find out where you got that rebuilt dizzy!

Thanks,

Mark

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1971 1.7l 914