? are vacuum advance distributors rebuildable?

[jerry]

my '75 02 has been running rough for awhile and because i'm so busy on my other two projects i decided to take it to a mechanic to sort it out.

fortunately, my worst fear (stripped sparkplug threads) was not realized. he corrected a couple sources of problems (too embarassing to list here) that i'll know better next time.

however, it appears that my distributor is not rebounding properly when the vacuum advance (or is it retard on the '75?) is activated. this is leading to erratic timing on occasion and he's not able to 'dial it in'.

can this distributor be saved?

[PSloan]

I think they sall the advance unit alone somewhere - but at the price i remember you're better off getting a good used one or even a nice tii dizzy

[Guest]

If you need one I will look and see what I have .

not sure I took the 76 out and put in an early vac advance.

[DukeRimmer]

my distributor is not rebounding properly

quote]

Sounds like it just needs cleaning, unless it's a retard, then it needs to find the dumpster.

[Guest Anonymous]

Your nomenclature throws me. If you are saying the vacuum advance/retard mechanism is no longer functioning , i.e, it will not hold a vacuum, then it is a matter of 2 screws and one "E" clip to remove and replace. While each unit may be specific to each application, it should be relatively easy to find a similar unit from any other marque that used the bosch distributor. Volkswagen, volvo, saab, mercedes, citroen, porsche, audi to name but a few.

If it is a retard mechanism, then you might consider capping the tube from either the manifold or carburettor and doing without it. However, a vacuum retard unit is not necessarily a bad thing from the standpoint of performance. For example, on the 3.0csi, many of the distributors employ a vacuum retard diaphram. It retards the ignition timing at idle, but permits advance as soon as the throttle is cracked. I beleive I had a 74 02 with that setup, but I am unfamiliar with the 75 model.

Gut luck