I was told my distributor in my 315 motor had bad "dwell"... Not a term i'm familiar with. I'm told I need to replace the distributor so my question is what's my best and least expensive way to go with this dilemma? Any interchangeable ones by chance and if so, what are they? Please help me get this going for summer cruising...
Take the cap off, then the rotor. Grab the shaft & wiggle it. If it isn't badly worn, it can be tuned.
The distributor was a little loose when the initial starting occurred. It was turned a little to try to help with a smoother idle. After tightening it, it seemed to lose spark but when loosened once again, it would fire over... i'm not extremely mechanically inclined, can do basic work but just seems odd to me that the car would start when the distributor is a little loose but wouldn't when tightened. Which is what determined to be the bad dwell according to a local technician. I'll look into your suggestion and see what results from that. Thanks 302GMC!
Contact 73RR here on the HAMB by private message or at his website http://www.qualityengineeredcomponents.com/
Most distributors these year have double pointers. If you have a singel one look if there is mounting brackets on the other side for pointers. Its a real pain to change and adjust the pointers at the back of engine so i mark the distributor and take it out to do that. Hotheads have some different replacements if your not are happy with the one you have.
"dwell" is the time the points spend closed, expressed in degrees of distributor rotation. When the points close, current flows through the primary windings of the coil, creating a magnetic field around the coil. After 'dwelling' in the closed position for 16 to 20 degrees (typical spec) the points are opened by the distributor cam lobes, causing the current flow to be interrupted, the magnetic field collapses across the secondary windings of the coil and....voila'....you get a high voltage output from the coil that is supposed to make its way to the appropriate spark plug. "bad dwell" , an unusual term in my experience, but if correct, is a consequence, not a cause. If the dwell can't be set accurately and maintained, a function of the points opening and closing at a predictable rate, then it likely would either be distributor shaft bushing wear or distributor cam lobe wear, or both. If your distributor is beyond economical repair, there is a Mopar Direct Connection electronic (no points) distributor that is, as I recall, a direct bolt in replacement for your stock dizzy. It is available from several sources, including Hot Heads. Ray
Nope! That's why I mentioned the Hemi Tech Index, it's a bolt in on the low deck Dodges, not the high deck.
Thanks everybody for all the advice. I knew coming here for guidance was better then google for endless searches.
ah, yes..........memory fade strikes again! Need to use the longer drive shaft or adapter/extension. Ray
ok... Update on my distributor issues. It's all resolved, installed new bushing and it fired right up! With that, came a new issue. After running for a few minutes and shutting the car off, trans fluid shot up out of the dipstick.....Grrrrr! Is it a possible vent tube clogged? Also, will this cause the pushbutton not to function properly as well? Pushbutton transmission set up is totally new to me, first time owning a car with this. Any ideas?
Highly recommend buying a FSM (factory service manual) before messing with the PB drive. The adjustments are a bit touchy. .
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