Rough Idle

Posted by steve828 On 2011/5/25 16:37:03

Having some similar problems as Cortcomp with a rough idle on my 1954 Super Clipper L Head 327ci 165hp. I noticed when I replaced the rotor and rotor cap on the distributor that some but not all of the contacts on the old distributor cap were nicked, almost like they were neatly chipped out with a small chisel. When I put on my new cap and rotor, the distributor made a noticeable clicking noise as though the brass contact on the rotor was making physical contact with the brass distributor cap contacts. Sure enough, I removed the new distributor cap and the contacts had the same 'chiseled' appearance. Thinking that I had the wrong distributor cap, I returned the new one to NAPA and exchanged it for another one. Same thing happened again. I filed down the brass contact on the rotor a couple of millimeters and the noise went away and the car seemed to run smoothly for a while. Now it's idling roughly again and it sure seems like it's 'missing' at highway speeds. I can sometimes get it to run smoothly at idle, with just a couple odd misfires, but then the next time I run the car, back to the same rough idle and misfire issue. After reading the forums, sounds like maybe a distributor problem. Just bought the car a month ago. Was gonna start trouble shooting the carb/fuel filter, but in view of the forum info on distributors, maybe it is more effective to start with the distributor. I welcome your opinions and expertise, as always. PS, how do I get to the grease cup on the distributor to replenish it? Thank You!