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Old 02-23-2009, 01:28 PM
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Distributor Fuzz

Well I'm putting all the decorations on my engine in anticipation of completion and test fire.
But first I took the Distributor completely apart. I found this weird fuzz under the plastic oil shield that sits under the flyweight plate. At first I thought this was a decomposed felt gasket or a sponge-like oiler for the shaft, but it just looks like built up debris. It was built up tight against the plastic insert, not down in the pockets. I'm guessing at this point it is lint that has come from all over the engine and got somehow stuck to the plastic. Maybe I have an accidental electrostatic oil filter in my distributor! If this is so then at least we know that a good volume of oil is run through the distributor shaft.
The photo shows the plastic shield out and the fuzz from the area that looks like wheel spokes.

Mr Bun says he knows nothing about the fuzz. He protesteth much, methinks.

russ
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Whiskeyjack a '68 Columbia 36 rebuilt A-4 with 2:1

"Since when is napping doing nothing?"

Last edited by lat 64; 02-23-2009 at 02:23 PM. Reason: spellin
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Old 02-23-2009, 10:33 PM
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My guess is that you're right about it being a shaft oiler. I've seen felt pads used for that. Post some photos when it's back together and in the boat.
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Old 02-24-2009, 04:21 PM
Russ Dreikorn Russ Dreikorn is offline
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Distributor Fuzz

I believe the fuzz you found is the reminants of a felt washer that belongs under the plastic cap. I've made then using heavy felt.
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Old 02-25-2009, 09:30 AM
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purpose?

SO...what does the felt washer do? Does it keep oil from sliding up the shaft and getting flung around?

Mr. Bun needs to go to distributor school!
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Old 02-25-2009, 06:17 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sastanley View Post
SO...what does the felt washer do? Does it keep oil from sliding up the shaft and getting flung around?

Mr. Bun needs to go to distributor school!
The washer is soaked in oil and then inserted under the plastic washer - it helps to lubricate the upper shaft of the distributor and the points mechanism above it.

(Subject, of course to Don's expertise!)
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Old 02-25-2009, 08:53 PM
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Fuzz

Thanks guys.
With the response I got from you all, I decided to go down to the ol' Electric rebuilders shop. You remember, the guys with dark shop in the bad part of town? He said the same thing and gave me a blank piece of "official" felt. It looks just like dryer lint that is stuck together. Now I owe him a coffee.

getting close to start day,

Russ
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"Since when is napping doing nothing?"
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Old 02-26-2009, 10:09 AM
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Talking

Any guesses on what type of oil to soak it with now? Ha, ha, it never ends!

I'm guessing its a special distributor oil that's only available by the gallon and by special order from some guy's basement that bought the last remaining stocks of it in the 80's.

Regular engine oil will certainly destroy all your hard work and cause your distributor to run backwards.
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Old 02-26-2009, 12:18 PM
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Smile oil

Whale oil. But only from beasts from the Austral latitudes. You see, my distributor spins clockwise. Anything else would be counter-cyclonic.

Time to reef. The glass is falling on this thread.
Russ
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"Since when is napping doing nothing?"
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Old 02-26-2009, 01:20 PM
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Mmo!

Given the rich history of MMO's ability to keep these motors running, I think I'd coat it in Marvel Mystery Oil.

And I guess I'd better check to see if I have some kind of felt lubricating washer in my distributor
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Old 02-26-2009, 03:21 PM
Dave Neptune Dave Neptune is offline
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Thumbs up felt

Russ, I think the felt was used to collect any oil that seeped up through the dist. shaft so it wouldn't rtide up the shaft and spray all over the electrical under the cap. It's been a long time since I had mine broken down that far but I think I remember a drain hole under the felt as well. Not to sure about the drain so if you find one in there coiuld you please advise?

David
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Old 02-26-2009, 06:25 PM
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drain

Yes,
Down in between the "spokes" there are two drain holes.

r
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Old 02-27-2009, 04:31 AM
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Distributor lubrication

I scoured the Internet couple of months ago for advice about distributor lubrications when I buffed up the flyweights. Here are what various authorities recommended for either the flyweights and/or the felts:

Engine oil.
Clean synthetic motor oil.
Lightweight 20W non-detergent engine oil.
Machine oil.
Light oil.
Automatic tranny fluid.
No lubrication on the flyweights, to prevent dust sticking to them.
On the MMI forums, the suggestion was to use a light dusting of MMO on the flyweights.

As usual, the advice is all over the map. Given who suggested light MMO on the flyweights, I did that. I am not sure I would use MMO on the felt, since it is designed to clean, and I would prefer light machine oil that lubricates long term.
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Old 02-27-2009, 09:19 AM
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Sounds good rigspelt. Machine oil (i am thinking sewing machine here) would probably be better. I was being slightly sarcastic about MMO, which as usual doesn't show up well on the Internet.

I should probably pull my dizzy apart and inspect it..that is one area I haven't really messed with since it seemed to be in OK shape, but I might as well.
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Old 02-27-2009, 10:43 AM
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Thumbs up Lube oil

Gentlemen, if you want a good lubricating oil for the "weight pivots" and the "slides" they sit on what you need is an oil that stays put BUT is not really a heavy grease. I have screwed around with distributors for most of my life and have had really good results. It's been 5 years since I have changed my A-4 Ign. cap and last month when I did everything still moved freely and very little sign of rust. The oil I have always used is a machine oil for lubricatig sliding and pivoting machinery parts. It is a very "STICKY" oil with a fairly heavy viscosity and excellent stay in there properties. The oil is often called "Way lube" and is classified as a "Vistac" grade. I get mine from Chevron in 5 gallon pales and it may be available in industrial supply places, ask for "way lube" and they may have it in quarts or pints. I'm guessing that it is about a 50wt. oil and when you put a drop on your fingers and spread them apart the oil actually "webs" between them. The only oil I know of from a hardware type store that has any "Vistac" qualities but is a lot lighter wt. is "3-In One oil" of which one of the three is a "Vistac" type as it does "Web" slightly. It's really good on bicycle chains and skates as it stays in there better than most. Staying power is good and it doesn't take but a drop or two.

David E-35MkII 1970 original A-4 still a ticken!!!!
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Old 02-27-2009, 09:36 PM
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After pondering your thread about oil on the felt, I would assume that this is more for air than a lubricant felt. I can't see why someone would design something with such an internal maintenance feature. I would assume that this is a piece of felt to keep dirt out. The drain holes you referred to in the spoked area might be for air flow. I would think that the accessory gear would create some kind of air compression. As far as a lubricant is concerned, I would use a light Lithium grease on the weights the kind you get from a cycle/bicycle shop. Oil attracts dust and dirt. I plan to use standard points on mine and when the time comes that I change my points, I will service my distributor with a little bit of lithium grease.
It's a wild guess regarding the felt

WOW! was I wrong ! After taking my distributor apart, I found that I also had the same fuzzy stuff. It almost looks like some kind of packing material to hold the oil for the bushing. It's also obvious that by oiling that little piece of felt under the rotor cap, the oil would run down the shaft onto the weights and then down to the fuzzy stuff. I think 3in1 oil would work best here.
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Last edited by Dromo; 02-28-2009 at 11:15 AM.
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Old 02-27-2009, 10:31 PM
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Its worse than I thought...

It comes in five gallon buckets!

Thanks, Dave.
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Old 02-28-2009, 02:00 PM
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old AMC Distributor

I found this in an old repair manual I had laying around. Looks identical to the A4 distributor except for the plate,the mainshaft itself and maybe the housing is a little shorter .Of course there is no Vacuum control on the A4
Still no darn fuzzy stuff
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Old 02-28-2009, 03:13 PM
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Fuzz busters

Dromo,
This is great information. It tells cheapies like me where to get spare dist. housings.
That was most likely a 6-cylinder 258 ci. But AMC was building Jeeps with four-bangers then too, and also I bet some old ramblers(AMC) from the fifties may have had 4-cylinders. You can see where I'm going with this.

I repacked my "seal" with felt but it was very difficult to press the plastic disc back on. I had to make a very thin washer from the felt because the flange on the plastic disc goes up, so there is just not much room squeeze the felt into.

I will see if my junk car friends have any AMC distributors around.

Russ
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"Since when is napping doing nothing?"
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Old 03-02-2009, 03:25 AM
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Unhappy

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dromo View Post
I found this in an old repair manual I had laying around. Looks identical to the A4 distributor except for the plate,the mainshaft itself and maybe the housing is a little shorter .Of course there is no Vacuum control on the A4
Still no darn fuzzy stuff
Can everyone see that little part that says "lubricator"?

That is the "fuzz" you have found in your distributors. It lubricates the plastic cam on your "point unit" that rubs against the "cam and breaker" on the mainshaft.

It is supposed to be lubricated on a regular basis (like quarterly) when servicing the engine.

My guess is the reason you have found yours in various pieces and places is that no regular maintenence was done on the distributors over the years (other than replace the points and condenser) hence, the slow self-destruction of the "lubricator" and probably the rapid wear of the "point unit" plastic cam until our A4's run rough, cough, backfire etc. and we are left to ponder the ultimate question why???

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Old 03-03-2009, 10:10 AM
Dave Neptune Dave Neptune is offline
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Question Felt

In days of when men were bold and Electronic ignintions werent invented-----.
A little over twenty years ago when I converted my A-4 to an electronic ignition my memory was a little better. Back in the day of points, maintanance on the distributor was needed a lot more often. At the base of the distributor I had and replaced when rebuilding/converting a felt disc that sits under the plastic disc. This collects any excess oil riding up the shaft from being slung all over the interior and allows it to collect and drip back into the crankcase via the drain holes. Now up to the points, many manufacturers of ignition products had a felt strip mounted to the point assembly that rubbed on the dist. cam to clean and lubricate the cam allowing better point performance by reducing wear and maintaing dwell. Now to the counter shaft, on top of the retaining screw and under the rotor you would often find a round piece of felt that I can remember my grandfather always adding a few drops of oil to lubricate the counter shaft. And whenever he had us check a distributor even if we didn't do a tune-up he would have us pull the dipstick and use it to put a few drops of oil on the counter shaft "lubricator".
3-in-one oil is probably the best lubricant alternative that is readily available in reasonable quantities. If you know someone with a machine shop see if they could sell/give you a few ounces (lifetime supply) of "way-lube / vistac oil" it really has a lot of staying power.
Lots of old distributors and magnetos that I have rebuilt over the years even had oil cups on the distributor so you didn't have to open up to lube the shaft.
Most of the dust created inside the distributor comes from all of the arcing destroying the points and the wear against the cam adds some. With an electronic ignition there is almost no dust created except for a little from the rotor arcing keeping everything nice and neat. So unless you are using your A-4 for running around in dusty fields there should be nothing inside that didn't start outside of the distributor except a little oil coming up the shaft from the engine.
That's my two more cents, out!

David
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Old 03-07-2009, 08:19 PM
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Thumbs up

David I would say that your explanation hit the nail on the head. I think you probably put an end to this distributor fuzz quagmire. Just another example of the wealth of knowledge on this forum.
Cheers Rick
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Old 03-07-2009, 08:57 PM
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Thanks Dave!
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