Burning Rotors again

Dave Bell · 09-23-2002, 06:59 PM

Burned up another distributor rotor with the Crane ignition and hi-power coil.... amazingly... until the momoment the motor died, there was not the least bit of missing or hesitation in the running of the car.... The night before when I filled up with gas, MPG was normal....

Only thing missing from the attached photo is the small 1/4 inch piece of carbonized whatever that was left connecting the center and edge of the rotor... it all fell apart in my hand after I took it out of the car on the side of the road... had to tape the rotor back together just to take the photo.... I have no idea how it still ran so well.

After a number of mods... different plugs, different rotor... the hi power ignition keeps blowing the rotors out...No apparent damage to plugs or wires or the distributor cap.... I wonder if someone makes a VW type rotor that can take higher power?

Alternative is to scrap the PS-91 coil and go back to a standard coil.

- Dave

campbellcj · 09-23-2002, 07:24 PM

Wow, that looks nasty

As you may recall, I have the same ignition setup. No word from the PO about rotor or point issues (it still has points) and I haven't experienced anything yet, although I haven't driven it a helluva lot. (Maybe 1000 miles in 3 months, most of which was in a single weekend.)

From what I recall, my car has a rotor that's the orangy-browny color, like the cap. I can check it to see if there's a visible p/n or something, if you'd like.

Oh yeah...just remembered that I have the dreaded 009 distributor though. Personally I think with this car it seems to work fine, although I don't have any frame of reference for comparison. I have no idea if the 009's rotor would be compatible with the distributor you've got...

Brad Roberts · 09-23-2002, 08:13 PM

Dave,

contact CB performance. They make a special cap and rotor for use with that GM coil (crane calls it Ps91) The coil is off of just about every GM truck up until 1999. They also use a GM module from a HEI dizzy to fire it.

B

Dave at Pelican Parts · Dave at Pelican Parts's Garage

If you look over on http://www.aircooled.net , there is a tech article about removing the resistor that is inside of the Bosch rotor. Some FLAPS brands don't have the resistor, which makes them more problematical for stock ignitions, but for high-powered ones you do not want the resistor in there.

It may take a search (I've seen the article but I don't know exactly where it lives) but it's worth it.

--DD

JohnConnolly · 09-25-2002, 10:58 AM

We have been offerring this product since we opened. Other stores either deny, or don't understand the problem.

http://bugman.50megs.com/RotorTech.html

is a good how to on it, or we offer them already modified, including rev limiting models.

John
Aircooled.Net Inc.

Brad Roberts · 09-25-2002, 12:13 PM

SOLD.

Thanks John. Its a little more work than I would want to do, but its good to know that removal works.

B << nothing but crank triggered

Dave Bell · 09-25-2002, 12:25 PM

John -

Thanks man... that is great.... I will do the mod this weekend on the current rotor and a spare.

Gotta love these 914 lists for answers.

- Dave

JohnConnolly · 09-26-2002, 11:02 AM

PS: add dye to the epoxy for a stock look, that's what we do (Eric left his clear in the how-to article).

John
Aircooled.Net Inc.

campbellcj · 09-26-2002, 11:56 AM

Thanks from me too...I will pick up a spare rotor and mod it just in case

Dave Bell · 10-02-2002, 10:18 AM

Thanks again to John... I made up 3 "Hi-Power" rotors using old and new stock I had lying around... I got a little better at as I went... see photo left to right.... All work... middle on is in the car now.

- Dave