1970 351W distributor issue.

R

rjlester

Senior Member
Hey guys,

I have a bone stock Canadian made 70 Meteor (same as Mercury Monterey) with the 351 Windsor and 2 bbl carb. Car has run great for the 7 years I've had it, but a problem has been getting worse over the last few years.

The original distributor I changed the breaker plate which solved a partial throttle or very light load hesitation/running rough problem. The problem came back as the miles went on. Last week (for about a year I only moved it around the yard a few times) I took it for a drive and it had a hard time getting to highway speed and had a massive backfire that swelled up the muffler.

So, I ordered rebuilt distributor from Rockauto. It was identical to mine, same part number. Looked like everything was replaced inside.

While it does run better, it runs terrible with the vacuum advance connected. Turns out, when the vacuum can pulls the breaker plate, it ends up closing the points! Same problem as the old one! I bench tested it with a vacuum pump, and when you apply vacuum, the points are closed even when you turn the distributor shaft and put the points on the highest point on the cam.

Has anyone else had this issue? I don't really want to go to electronic ignition as I have had those fail too. Never had a problem with points distributors like this before. Maybe it's a problem with these chinese made parts?
 
I should add that when the vacuum advance has fully turned the breaker plate, the points don't even touch the cam lobe at all.
 
That sounds sort of suspect. The breaker plate has to rotate around the distributor shaft pretty accurately. The points gap should remain the same no mater where the plate position is. If it doesn't then something isn't right. I love Fords but the Ford distributors were never a strong point with me. I like to have quick access to the centrifugal advance weight assembly and Fords don't have that. It may have been better to find a good aftermarket distributor rather then use a stock one. A stock one will work but you have to take the breaker plate out to get down into the mechanical advance unit. I's not easy due to the way they are made. It all has to come apart.

A person needs a good dial back type timing light to be able to check the centrifugal advance and vacuum advance function. With a bit of instruction, a person can really see how their crankshaft timing is working at different rpm levels. Otherwise, a person has to have access to an old distributor machine and they aren't common anymore.

Another issue could be a defective power valve if the engine still has the old Autolite 2100 type 2V carburetor. If it's leaking then it will dribble raw fuel right down the throat. Rubber and modern fuel don't get along well over time.
 
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Some good news. I reported to Rockauto that they sent a defective distributor. They sent me another one, and it works GREAT!! No measurable difference in dwell (maybe .001) when vacuum advance is applied. The car runs so good now, was a couple years since I really drove it at all. I'm able to keep the defective dizzy so I guess I get a free set of new points for my trouble haha. Thanks for your suggestions guys.

I also chased the power valve initially, but once I bench tested the distributor I knew exactly what was wrong.
 
rjlester said:
Some good news. I reported to Rockauto that they sent a defective distributor. They sent me another one, and it works GREAT!! No measurable difference in dwell (maybe .001) when vacuum advance is applied. The car runs so good now, was a couple years since I really drove it at all. I'm able to keep the defective dizzy so I guess I get a free set of new points for my trouble haha. Thanks for your suggestions guys.
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That's great. :)
 
I would not junk your old one. They can be rebuilt, the Mustang Barn in Pennsylvania is one place that can do this.
 
I am definitely keeping my original one. Someday I'll rebuild it. I had it recurved 7 years ago, and I may move the springs over to the new one at some point. Got fantastic fuel economy with it.

The one I bought was this one: CARDONE 302815 Remanufactured (listed under 1970 Galaxie)
 
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