RE: [T3] Rebuild my Distributor?

["Fuhriman, Mark" <mfuhriman@fugro.com>]

Greg wrote:
> 	I believe your distributor is the one that looks brand-spanking,
> all shiny new?  It's gorgeous.  Where do you think the oil is getting in?

Yep, all clean and shiny inside and out.  I don't think that felt pad is
over-lubed.  I add just a drop of oil about every 6 months.  And it's really
just a trace of oil that I find in there - couple of drops is all.  Way
cleaner than a few other distributors I have seen.  I have read that oil can
work its way up in there from the case if some internal seals or bushings in
the distributor get worn.
>
> 	In removing the points to clean them etc., I suspect you had to
> perturb a couple of things (like, even the points' electrical plug).  Any
> chance one of these other things might have been the true culprit?

Oh yes, it's always possible!  But I don't think it's likely.  I have gone
over that harness pretty well.  Tight new connectors soldered into the
harness all over the place.  There *are* 1 or 2 more crimped connectors I
need to solder.. But these connectors are all unrelated to this problem.
And I'm positive the connectors for the triggers are tight and clean.

It's strange that cleaning my already clean-looking triggers temporarily
fixes everything.  Twice now.  I'll be brave and keep driving until the
missing/no-start thing happens again.  And then see if working over the
trigger contacts on the side of the road works yet again.  ??

And Greg, thanks for offering your spare trigger contacts.  But do you
really think all three of my sets could be intermittent?  They are all
Bosch, and they all have zero (or as close as I can measure to zero) ohms
across them.  But I won't dismiss the idea of trying a 4th set!  I'll let
you know if I need them...

Jim wrote:
> My best guess is that your REAL problem remains unsuspected. This all
> sounds like a case of several compound problems which all overlap and
> make each other hard to find. The best you can do is deal with them
> one at a time and slowly eliminate them.
>
Yes, overlapping problems.  And weird new symptoms when I change out things
like ECUs (recall the intermittent dead 1/4 injectors with the replacement
ECU).  I think in the next few days I'll try Russ' old "A" ECU and see what
happens.  That will make a third ECU trial.  (I'm currently using my
original ECU, btw).

Should I bother trying another pressure sensor, too?  That's about the only
FI component I haven't swapped out (though measured coil resistances and
vacuum holding are all OK on mine..).  I'm having a hard time finding one
for my model.  Anyone have a '68-'69 pressure sensor for sale or rent?  I
need the one with Bosch number 0 280 100 001.  I'm probably at that point
where I just need to change things like that out until I don't see problems
for several hundred miles.

-Mark Fuhriman
 '69 Fastback



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