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A14 distributor


barman1971

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first understand that i come from the world of old school air cooled VW's. so if this sounds stupid i understand that. Is there a centrifical advance distributor instead of my silly vacume system? it seems like my spark is not right.. either good at idiol, or good at rpm but cant seem to nail it down in the " sweet spot" i have the manuall and .18 to.22 is deffinatly not the spot for my engine.. im bafalled... I though i had carb problwms but now i dont know maybe is a combo of my carb and distributor? i found this car in a bar so there is really no telling how long any of this stufff has sat or how long its been in the car.

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When i set the point gap to .18 or .19 my car will not even idle. when i set it higher it idles ok but then if i step on the gas the rpms actually fall and the motor hesitates like its not getting fuel or spark. There are sort of flat spots in the power band. When i first got the car running it was really only in one spot on the throttle so i figured the carb. But now after i replaced the plugs, points, and condenser it seems that i can move the flat spot around but adjusting the point gap. hmmmm. so i thing its the distributor now? but no matter were i set the gap all the way from .15 to wide open i can not get all the things i expect. idle, run through the power band , and even acceleration? new carb? new distributor? new exhaust? were do i start? please help me....

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Is there a centrifical advance distributor instead of my silly vacume system?

 

Your dizzy has three types of advance.

 

Static timing: this is dialed in with a timing light at idle. Yout static advance is locked in and never changes. Usually 10-12 degrees

Vacuum advance: There is zero vacuum advance at idle but vacuum is supplied just above idle from a port on the side of the carb. The vacuum advance is load dependent and becomes lower and lower as the throttle is opened. Usually 0 to 20 degrees

Mechanical advance: Using centrifugal force against weights and springs, this advance begins at or about 1,000-1,500 rpms and maxes out before 3,000 rpm. Usually 0 to 20 degrees.

 

All three are absolutely essential for proper running, performance and economy for street driving.

 

 

Be sure to check your valve lash before setting the carb mixture and idle.

Set idle mixture and idle speed.

Set timing.

 

If problem persists, check the vacuum advance by removing the cap to expose the rotor. Suck on the hose to the vacuum advance and check that the rotor turns clockwise and holds until you release it. Vacuum advance is presumed to be working.

 

Engine off. Look down the carb and pump the throttle. You should observe a strong squirt of fuel from the accelerator pump into the primary. Without this, engine will stumble just above idle when the throttle is opened suddenly.

 

Primary jet is partially plugged causing a lean condition. Lean fuel mixtures like lots of spark advance so maybe this is why you could move the problem around by changing the points gap.

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  • 3 weeks later...

The simple solution here is to throw the points dizzy in the trash and replace it with a later model electronic distributor. Then you never have to set the points again. :)

 

This fixed several problems on my '75.

 

I've started to research how I can get rid of my points dizzy or convert it somehow (76 B210 a14). I see on ebay there is a inexpensive kit to do this such as here, but I'm not %100 on if that will work well. It also states that it may require their recommended coil.

 

I read on datsun1200.com today that I can use a 78 model b210 dizzy as stated here:

 

datsun1200.com

 

 

Was that what you were referring to?

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It's easy. No need to buy an expensive kit.

 

1976-up B210s have electronic ignition.

* 1976-1977 have a distributor with separate box about 6 inches square. You would need both.

* 1978-1982 B210, 210, and 310 (FWD) all have the 'matchbox' distributor. Plug-n-Play. This is the easy swap. Get one at a wrecking yard for $35.

 

Just make sure that any distributor has no play in the shaft bearing. That's probably what's wrong with your's, that or worn out advance bearings.

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i just took a look under the hood and there is no seperate box on mine, even though supppsedly my dad has always stated the year of the car is 76. i even had my neighbor confirm that umder the cap, points exist. i guess ill hit up p n p tomorrow

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i just took a look under the hood and there is no seperate box on mine

That's right, there is no box under the hood. It's inside the passenger compartment.

 

That's another reason why the matchbox type is preferred.

* 1976 is low-energy.

* 1977 & up are high-energy.

 

I was wrong about the 1978, it's not the matchbox type, but it is high energy and works very well. Also not all 1976 have electronic ignition.

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  • 1 month later...

Generally the 'remote igniter' (dizzy with a separate box usually mounted in the cab) was used on all '78 vehicles with the exception of California where it was used as early as '76. All dizzys from '79 and up were the 'matchbox' type with the small box mounted directly on the side of the distributor. As far as I know either type were high energy output with special low impedance EI coils.

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Generally the 'remote igniter' (dizzy with a separate box usually mounted in the cab) was used on all '78 vehicles with the exception of California where it was used as early as '76. All dizzys from '79 and up were the 'matchbox' type with the small box mounted directly on the side of the distributor. As far as I know either type were high energy output with special low impedance EI coils. My '78 620 required a plug gap of 0.038- 0.042" in order to take advantage of this 'hotter' spark.

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If the car starts there is nothing wrong with the ignition. By changing the point gap you are just moving the timing by around 10deg. Set the points correctly and time it by moving the distributor.

The flat spot is during the off idle or idle transition phase of the carb circuit. The idle jet has a very small opening and can clog quite easily. some carbs have a small brass cap on the top with the idle jet just below for this reason.

Between the regular fuel filter and the carb there is a few feet of fuel line which if left sitting for a long time will deteriorate and when brought back into use will shed little bits into the fuel stream and make this problem re-occur.

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