Hey, I've recently been doing a tune up on my 78 malibu with the stock 305 engine. I decided to check the distributor cap even though it seemed fine, boy was I wrong, a huge chunk had melted off the bottom of the coil! So I got a new coil and distributor cap and rotor but I now notice that the centrifugal advance is very rusty and the springs seem loose and sloppy. I know very little about the ignition system and I'm not sure if I'm up to pulling the whole distributor out. Is it possible to just remove the centrifugal advance part and either clean it or replace it? Thanks for any help.
rusty HEI distributor
- Thread starter k-man
- Start date
The centrifugal advance is actually underneath on the main shaft. So the only way to get it apart is to pull the dist out and dismantle it. I have successfully freed them up by just removing the springs and weights and spraying WD 40 around the advance plate and working it back and forth. Make sure you pay attention to how the weights sit before removing them and you will be ok.
is it safe to use non residue electrical contact cleaner on the distributor or could it leak down into the engine block?
k-man said:
im sure it would be ok, even if some went down in the motor it wouldnt hurt anything.
do yourself a favor buy a new Dist........
they are easy to swap out,you do not own a malibu
and expect to not get your hands dirty and learn
what makes it tick.....if that were the case you would have
bought a honda
I had a similar problem years ago on a 1984 monte daily driver
the dist was rusted solid......went to a junkyard and for 10 bucks found a clean looking unit and swapped it in my monte
and the difference in performance was astonishing-back then we didnt have ebay and the web loaded with HEI's we had to pull the parts off a donor car......
they are easy to swap out,you do not own a malibu
and expect to not get your hands dirty and learn
what makes it tick.....if that were the case you would have
bought a honda
I had a similar problem years ago on a 1984 monte daily driver
the dist was rusted solid......went to a junkyard and for 10 bucks found a clean looking unit and swapped it in my monte
and the difference in performance was astonishing-back then we didnt have ebay and the web loaded with HEI's we had to pull the parts off a donor car......
you can definetly handle pulling the dist
get a decent used one or a new one....you will be happy if your old one was shot
get a decent used one or a new one....you will be happy if your old one was shot
When you replace the stock distributor is it worth changing the mechanical advance with a high performance one that has lighter springs and such. I've been reading that it's desirable to have the ignition advance earlier so you can add a bit more initial advance. My manual says to use 4 degrees initial advance but allot of people seem to use something like 8 degrees for better engine response and power.
If you use one of those advance kits just use the springs only don't use the weights or center section. I would use one stock spring and one of the lighter springs from the kit. Try about 10 to 14 degrees initial timing . Drive it and listen for pinging.adjust from there a few degrees either way.
ok so i got a new distributor as I'm finding mine is just too worn out to be worth fixing. I got decent stock replacement from procomp electronics and I've read up on how to install it but I was wondering if anyone here has any tips that might help? From what I've read I turn the engine over untill the engine is at #1 TDC then mark on the engine where the rotor is pointing. Remove the old one noting it's position and install the new one in the same position with the rotor pointing in the exact same direction. This is where I'm a bit confused, it says the rotor will rotate a bit when I install the distributor since the gear is angled so how can I make sure it's not off one gear tooth? If I do install it so it's off by one will I blow up the engine or will it just not run? Thanks in advance for any help.
It won't run, or it will run poorly (little power, may not rev). Also if it's too far advanced (i.e. a tooth off) it'll probably want to backfire through the carburetor when you rev it. Also, if you can't get it to point the exact same spot as the original distributor, use a long handled flat screwdriver to make sure the slot in the oil pump shaft is pointed the same way. It's down inside the engine directly below the distributor. If you look at the bottom of the dist. shaft you'll see a flat piece that runs across the bottom, this drives the oil pump. Hope this helps 
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