71OldsCut

Hi everyone,

Hopefully everyone is doing well. Has anyone had or known of a car that went through HEI distributors? There was a post I had going with all sorts or issues before that touched on this, but the history is - upgraded from points to HEI using a Summit brand HEI. It had a wobble to it at first, idled rough, created a toxic gas smell, and in gear the slightest pressure on the gas created a severe hesitation and if pushed would either stall or backfire.

I returned that an paid the difference on a Pertronix D1100 model. At first, it ran great, huge improvement. Then on first test drive stalled. I found that one of the three wires going from the base to the cap (red wire) had fallen out of that clip. After that was reinstalled it ran great.... for six weeks where it died on the highway. It would start and idle, but very rough and was right back to severe hesitation with the terrible smell. I changed the module with the spare I had in the glove box at the side of the road, with the thermal paste stuff. No change. All the wires seemed connected too, so I have no idea what went wrong. I was able to very slowly on the shoulder get the car home. If I was extremely gentle and accelerated very slow I could get it up to about 30-40MPH. Probably could have gone faster but I was out of the way and that was good enough for me.

Returned that distributor, and figured I would try another of the same because it did work well for a while, and since it had a loose wire right out of the box maybe it had other issues that just surfaced. The new one is in and it is back to running good. I put about an hour on it today, but it was a nervous drive, lol.

Should I be looking for something else thinking that maybe my car is somehow killing these things, or just assume that I had a run of bad luck getting defective distributors and now have a good one? I really don't see how the car could be hurting these. It is just the one power wire to it, and the tach wire. My voltage gauge read from about 13.9V to 14.5V today so I don't think those are bad numbers. I just haven't really heard of anyone complaining about these being such a problem....

Olds64

I had a Summit HEI distributor that died on me, specifically it was the pick-up coil. Rather than repairing it, or ordering another distributor from Summit/Jegs I got an OE HEI distributor from the parts store. The good thing is that it now has a lifetime warranty.

Is this in your 71 Cutlass? Do you have the vacuum advance hooked up to manifold or ported vacuum? Install one of these. It will fix the problem of the 12V spade connector falling off while driving down the road.

Fun71

I think you just got unlucky with the previous distributors, but I guess time will tell with the newest one. My car has a GM HEI from a 78-79 403 and it's been running fine since around 1985-ish, so if your "new" distributor fails, consider finding a used GM HEI instead of another "new" one.

71OldsCut

Yes, sorry it is the 1971 Cutlass with the 350 4 barrel, basically stock. I actually had one of those pigtail connector things, but during the first struggle with the Summit distributor I thought maybe it was the way I did the wiring so I cut it out. I plan to put it back in, but just want to get some miles on the car and some confidence back first. I have vacuum advance connected to manifold vacuum. I have 14* initial timing, about 8* from vacuum and the HEI claims 23* and I am running the 2 medium springs it came with installed. I will probably change one out for the lighter spring later and check the all in number and what RPM it happens at. I was just happy that the new distributor got it running nice again and didn't want to go reving anything too much yet.

I did contact Pertronix to basically just ask if these are problematic or if they get lots of warranty claims, not like they would give an honest answer anyway, but thought it would be worth a shot. I got this back:

"All our our Ignition products have a 30 Months (2 yrs. and half) Warranty and coil is 90 Days. All of our products get inspected, tested and quality assurance before shipping out (Depending if it has been a repackage from one of our Distributors). Thank you."

Now the part about that making me wonder is "depending on if it had been a repackage from one of out distributors". Not sure exactly what they mean, but if that means warranty claims are checked over and if deemed still good are cleaned and re-sold as new, that is alarming to me, and perhaps what I got the first time. I understand re-selling inspected/repaired warranty claims as a refurbished unit and offering a discount for those who are gamblers, but as far as I knew I was purchasing a new part at full price.

oldcutlass

Make sure you are running full voltage to the distributor and not off the resistance wire.

joe_padavano

All I can say is that I've never had a problem with a factory HEI distributor. Buy a used one for $15, throw in a new module, coil, and rotor, and it runs forever. Of course, I've never had a problem with points, either.

71OldsCut

Interesting. I am actually going to be close to the wrecker I go to tomorrow morning. Their inventory says they have a 1984 Custom Cruiser, a 1988 Cutlass (specific model not specified, hopefully the Supreme). I will stop in if the weather cooperates and see if either of those cars has one to take.

joe_padavano

Don't waste your time. 1981-newer have the computer controlled carb and distributor. It won't run right without the ECU. If the HEI doesn't have a vacuum advance canister, it won't work.

71OldsCut

Well then, I guess best to find that out before I waste time and money with those ones. Something from the mid to late 70's will be a hard find in a wrecker around here but I will keep an eye out in case one shows up in their inventory or a local ad.

Fun71

In the classified section there's an ad with a GM HEI distributor for $20:

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...dge-il-132085/

Check the last post; it says as of June 3 the distributor was still available.

71OldsCut

Thanks! I always forget about that section. I have to remember this site isn't just for help, lol.

redoldsman

I ran a junkyard HEI distributor in my 72 350 Cutlass for over 20 years and it was still in the car when I sold it. It was a case of install it and forget about it.

71OldsCut

That's what I want to hear. If I can get one and as noted above change the module, cap and coil is that about all there is to worry about or is there more that may need to be done like if there is excessive play in the shaft movement or something?

Inline

Well, if you buy JY distributor, and are going to install it and forget.. They are pretty easy to disassemble totally. Id do that and clean it completetely, replace the crusty *hit in the oilwell
within the baseplate ( its under all the advance/trigger mechanisms), and put it back together. Advance springs might be a good idea to replace too, and the plastic buttons where the advance weights rest. Plus to check how worn are the pins where those aforementioned advance weights pivot.

olds 307 and 403

Honestly I would bet they are the same as the $40 Ebay distributor. I have one of those, came with a quality cap, rotor, advance mechanism and distributor body itself. I changed the coil to an Accel in cap, regular Supercoil, the big Gray one and also the Brute Thunder coil. I also put in a Pertronix Ignitor 3 module. As said the factory HEI are good but I have seen 3 pick up coil failures personally. Our 75 Cutlass 4 door with the 350 Rocket, nicknamed "The Beast", Dad's 83 1/2 ton and the Olds 307 in my 78 1/2 ton. It shows they aren't infallible, even factory parts fail. Bad part is all were running perfect then stalled and no restart. This is why I carry a whole bin of parts in my old cars.

71OldsCut

Good info. I think I will still try to get my hands on an old one that I can take apart, clean up and put new parts on to keep in the trunk with the timing light. Hopefully this new one keeps working but it would ease the nerves to know that if it goes the same way as the last one that i could be up and running in a half hour or so and might have better luck with a rebuilt old HEI.

Destructor

I just installed a Summit HEI, started instantly ran fine but only timed it by ear. I bought a newer style timing light to replace my 35 YO light. but could not get the car started yesterday. I'll try again today before I call the junk yard to haul the car away.

71OldsCut

So the newly installed Summit brand distributor just started and ran fine only once? Hopefully it is something obvious and simple....

Olds64

Before you buy a used distributor to refurbish do some pricing at the auto parts store and on-line. All together a used distributor, cap, rotor, hei module, etc. might be just as much as a new distributor. Of course, everything at the parts store is made in China or Mexico now so that might be a concern.

Destructor

My piece of junk still sits in the garage dead with a Summit HEI. Strange thing is it started instantly after I installed it and ran pretty good only timed by ear, I never got a chance to time it with my new Chinese made timing light, which also probably doesn’t work. Petronix lobe reader also didn't work correctly. I never had as much issues with points. I just got sick of cleaning and /or replacing them every spring after sitting over the winter. I had some trouble with bad conensors but my last one has held up well and I carried a spare.

71OldsCut

That is unfortunate to hear, but at the same time nice to know I am not the only one that has had nothing but problems with these things. Hopefully this Pertronix D1100 gets more than 6 weeks like the last one. I will have to go back and check the dates on the reviews for the Summit HEI. The reason I took the chance on it was because it had by far the most reviews at 32 if I recall, with all but 2 of them being very positive. I wonder if Summit used to be made in USA accounting for the mostly positive reviews but at some point outsourced them to China or Mexico.... Happened with Fram filters if I recall correctly.

joe_padavano

Sorry, but all I can say after reading this thread is that I'm laughing my *** off at these "upgrades".

71OldsCut

Can't fault you for that. I was explaining all this to my dad this weekend and he was laughing too, but wasn't surprised that a 40-50 year old original part sitting in a junkyard would be of better quality than "new and improved" stuff that is brand new out of the box today. Sad really....

71OldsCut

Has anyone tried one of these:

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...1221893&jsn=12

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...1221893&jsn=13

I wonder if a remanufactured AC Delco, or Autoline (never heard of them) might be better. The AC Delco one would need a cap and rotor it looks like, but maybe these are held to higher standards than the aftermarket stuff? Although I have heard that AC Delco isn't what it used to be either....

I just went with a 1976 Cutlass because it is being parted out in the classified section here and was looking for what new parts would cost to clean up the distributor, but it can't make its way to Canada so that won't work out. From what I understand a 1975 to 1980 should work with my car. It looks like cost to buy the one being parted out, ship it here and pay for a new cap, rotor, module and coil would be cost comparable to getting one of these remanufactured units so maybe its worth a shot to keep around as a spare...

Fun71

I looked those up yesterday but decided not to post about them. Any of the reman distributors will use an original GM body and shaft, but with aftermarket module and pickup, plus it appears you have to supply the cap, rotor and coil, so those could be of any quality level.

The Cardone brand is carried by a lot of the local auto parts stores and is also the cheapest of the three reman on RA's site:

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...stributor,7108

It just doesn't seem to me that there's a whole lot that can go wrong with a distributor - there aren't very many parts, and they are all easily changed if they fail.

oldcutlass

Don't forget there are core charges applied to those distributors if you don't return your old one.

coppercutlass

Just FWIW. Ibhave been running the EBAY pro comp HEI in my olds powered Pontiac for 8 years now. I'm running a sniper EFI set up on it and no issues .

Destructor

If I can’t get my worthless piece of junk started this weekend the points distributor goes back in, I’ll just clean the points and reset. I may put a disconnect plug on the distributor wire so I don’t have to mess with the nuts on the coil anymore. Points always worked well throughout the driving season but they didn’t like sitting 3 to 4 months unused during winter. My 71 Deville was also stored in the winter but not totally unused. When the roads were clean and dry I would take it out for a ride, I also suspect the points were made of better materials. One of my everyday drivers was a 72 Eldo, I hardly had to touch the points in that beast.

olds 307 and 403

I had an Autoline remanufactured distributor. Same tag, thought it was Autolite all this time. It had a more points like curve but otherwise worked flawlessly.

71OldsCut

That's nice to hear a good review on an Autoline.

Is there any difference in these things from a 1975 to a 1980 or a preferred year? I found a guy locally that says he collected these cars and has lots of these, including some that he can confirm were running when pulled.

Also, is there any way to check for wear on the shaft or anything other than checking the amount of up/down movement? I was told the old points distributor from my car was worn in the side to side movement but when I had it out I couldn't really feel anything noticeable....

Now I just have to figure out if a professionally refurbished unit like the AC Delco or Autoline would be a better choice than getting this old one and throwing new parts on it. It looks like the final cost of buying and changing parts will be about the same as the Autoline/AC Delco option.

Destructor

Brand new Summit HEI distributor worked very well for one day. I left the car alone for a week. Today I had my girlfriend crank while I rotated distributor, it fired up just like it was starting then quit just as fast while I was testing for spark, basically no spark or intermittent. I only got a couple sparks out of it. Tested a couple more times, no spark no coughing or smoke, nothing. New distributor is junk.

71OldsCut

That is similar to what mine did. Ran well initially then went bad. It would start and run at least, but very rough and only in park.

I did notice through pulling plug wires that there were weak cylinders and the ones that were weak changed from day to day. I also noticed that the timing light would kinda bounce all over the place and not provide a consistant flash at the right time.

If you happen to figure out what happened I would be interested to know. It sounds like coils and modules typically completely fail, and I did change the module with no change. Only thing I didnt try was the coil. Easiest thing to do is probably just return the piece of junk and try another.

One interesting thing it did a few times was after a day of frustration and giving up, I would go out the next day and for whatever reason it seemed better. It drove nice a few times around the block, the fell on its face and had to be limped home. To me there are just loose wires somewhere inside or something...

Fun71

I would agree if you look at the distributor as "one part", but if you look at the distributor as a "system of parts" then it may be that only one "subsystem part" is junk and the rest are OK. It should be possible to determine why the distributor doesn't function properly and correct the fault. A big part of my day job is doing system level electronics troubleshooting to identify the faulty part, which is the reason for the above statement.

Destructor

The metal work looks decently made as does the cap and rotor so I am suspicious of the electronics. This past winter I built a vacuum tube stereo amp, it wouldn’t work correctly. I used high quality parts but had one bad cap in the power supply, it took a while with some help from the kit supplier to find it. Since the distributor is under warranty I’ll probably just return it.

droldsmorland

You're chasing your tail and throwing parts time and money at it vs troubleshooting root cause.
Is your engine to battery and engine to frame and firewall grounds present clean and tight?
Is 12 VDC present at the HEI dist + terminal with the key on?
Is 12VDC present when it's at idle, (when you can get it to run?).
You did install a new 12ga stranded wire from the fuse box, keyed "ON/OFF" right?

Have you looked at the spark plugs? How do they "read"?
Centrifugal weights are not part of the root cause. Olds engines typically prefer to run medium to heavy springs, (one of each if desired they can be mixed to achieve the right curve).
You don't want full advance to early. 25-2700 RPMs is where the timing events should all be "in".(Street driven mild to moderate Olds engine).
When it won't run can you see strong squirts of fuel in the carb when you look down it while actuating the accelerator?

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...-spark-138196/

Specifically, post #17

I recommend the DUI 52K Volt HEI distributor (properly installed good grounds throughout the car) with Taylor Spiral core wires and Autolite plugs. I did this to mine in 1990. Still running strong. Don't forget to dial in the fuel curve in conjunction with the spark curve. They play together throughout the RPM band..

71OldsCut

As always, thanks for the great tips and knowledge droldsmorland. Your previous posts/threads have definitely helped get my car back on the road and running well. I believe the above comments will help Destructor, even if it is just checking some things off a list to help be sure it is the distributor like it was for me. With my third one installed it is still running good, though it hasn't been driven much since then. Hopefully it was just a bad run of poorly built parts and all will be good now. I did manage to track down an older original HEI that I will be picking up tomorrow. I will add a new coil, module, cap and rotor and just keep that in the trunk as a back up to ease my nerves. Hopefully Destructor can confirm the above and if need be get the distributor replaced under warranty and have his second one do the job.

bccan

I run an old Mallory 75 Series, very high quality HEI unit that I don’t know whether they even have them anymore. Ball bearings, billet, highly flexible & adjustable advance mechanisms, uses a Ford pickup unit (that did crap itself after appx 10 yrs). Dist was expensive but was worth it IMO, can’t recall the model # though. I keep one of those cheapies in the trunk as a backup which I had to drop in when that Ford pickup died. Funny thing is it died as I drove someone to the parts store to fix their car @ the CT Olds show a few years back.

This Mallory distributor that I have is the best I’ve seen for a tuner that wants complete control over all aspects of vac & mech advance limits & rates, they are totally different design from GM. If I were to buy something else it would be a DUI model. Have had a used OE HEI in the red car that has been flawless for 10 years of 24/7/365 use. Although some have had success with the cheapies I wouldn’t trust them for regular use, the failure rate is way too high.

droldsmorland

Welcome. Glad I can help. Here to help reduce hair and money loss whenever I can.