Re: Delco Remy Distributor 1110811

Posted by Fish'n Jim On 2017/1/8 9:42:25

Diagnosing points based vehicles is becoming a dying art. I'm sure everyone will have their own methods on here and I'll be rebuked, no doubt, but;
Of all the things mentioned, if she's "missing", I'd put the condenser and coil in last order. Usually, if those are bad, it won't start or be hard to.
A condenser can be checked with a meter, to see if it's in spec or not. I saw a recent article from an old timer master where he showed NOS condensers go bad on the shelf, and new ones often aren't good, so even if you change it could be faulty or not to spec. So check. The ones at the store may have sat a long time in today's market.
What I was taught;
Check plugs first. Then points, cap/rotor, and wires. We always changed the condenser with the points because it's a cheapie, and later you could even get new points sets with it built in, so you replace it all as one unit. I like to use the induction timing light and go around each cylinder and check to make sure it's sparking consistently before tearing apart. We had inline type back in the day when I started. Induction type came later. Often just one cylinder is the issue, like a loose wire, plug, etc..
Timing should also be checked after the points are adjusted. The idle speed has to be correct rpm.
Most places no longer have the distributor machines, so you're fortunate. I've been looking for one... Another dying art: adjusting/checking distributor timing centrifugal advance curves...
Over time, wear on the points cam lobes occur so the factory gap settings may not be ensuring the points close. I prefer to set on dwell. Cams aren't easy to replace if you can find one, or make one. At that point, it's a simple swop to change to a "pointless" electronic ignition which is independent of a mechanical cam follower, but has to be a 6V in this case.
And if the ignition all checks out, you get bigger internal engine problems.