Best Spider Diagnosis Wins

["Giller,Bruce C." <bgiller@domain.elided>]

> I crank the starter, the engine fires a little but steady oil pressure light
> scares me.  Wait for trooper, call tow truck, get towed home.
> 
> Is the problem electrical and the oil light only came on because the engine
> quit with the key on?  Or  do I have a problem with the oil pump/distributor
> driving gears?

	Probably the sensor more than the pump.  Check the sensor, wiring and fuse.

> Was I suprised.  There are one-inch diameter holes in three sides of the
> distributor cap and the contact on the end of the rotor is gone!  I did find
> hunks of distributor cap resting on the air conditioning compressor.
> 
> Sooooooooo, the new question is -- how much play should there be at the top
> of the distributor shaft - where the rotor goes.  I've got a quarter of an
> inch or more side play and a half inch up and down.

	There should be no movement side-to-side and maybe up to 1/8" up and
down.  Your distributor is trashed, big time.  I had a Peugeot 504 who's
distributor self-destructed in much the same manner - way too much
side-to-side oscillation until the rotor hit a distr. cap post and flew
apart.  I had the distributor rebuilt by a local shop and it only took
about 5 minutes of running the engine before the distributor was in the
same condition (the local Peugeot shop said my dist. had normal play!). 
Sold the car soon afterwards.

	The shop I dealt with moved from Va to NC to be closer to NASCAR
action.  But they will rebuild distributor according to your specs. 
They rebuilt the distributor on my Moto Guzzi for around $90.  They are :

	Nelson Specialties
	706 Performance Road
	Mooresville, NC 28115
	704-662-6600 phone
	704-662-0258 fax

	Another route is to buy a new one, a used one or get RML's package
consisting of Bosch distributor/coil/control module.  According to their
advertising, their package will 'awaken' L-Jetronic cars.  They have a
website but I can't find my bookmark for it right now.

	Bruce

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