Distributor problems.
Distributor problems.
Author
Discussion

david350

Original Poster:

52 posts

279 months

Tuesday 12th September 2006
quotequote all
Hi all, I have just tried to replace the rotary arm on my newly purchased 350i FHC, and I have broken the spindle of the distributor and as it is a sealed unit, it will need to be replaced. I have tried one or two sources with little success so far, does anyone have any information or experience of their replacement.

Such as; where would I get one. The year of the vehicle is 1988 and it has the ignition module bolted to the side. Part number 419718,35DLM83787

How much would a replacement unit cost?

Could I have it refurbished?
I have only covered 30 miles and I am keen to get back on the road.

Cheers in advance. David.

GreenV8S

31,017 posts

313 months

Tuesday 12th September 2006
quotequote all
You can buy them on eBay, but you would need to check very carefully to get the same spec (umpteen different RV8 distributors over the years) and probably need to transfer your mech advance across to make sure you got the same advance curve.

What's this about it being a sealed unit? Just scrape the wax out of the screw heads and have at it, man! They aren't particularly complicated, and if the alternative is throwing it away you don't have much to lose. I don't know what you've managed to break or how far in you'll have to go to fix it, but avoid disturbing the position of the pickup if you can help it. Other than that you just need to follow your nose.

Incidentally, what *have* you broken? I can't think of anything fragile that you can get at without going past the anti-tamper cover. Just about the only failure mode I can think of is pulling the shaft up so the mech advance mechanism comes out of engagement, and that's easy enough to put back as long as you haven't stretched the springs.

gsx600

2,740 posts

277 months

Tuesday 12th September 2006
quotequote all
Yeah, just take it apart and you should be able to fix it that way, once you undo the 3 screws holding the plasic cover on you should be able to see what is moving. From what I remember there is a plate that you can undo to get to the advance mechanism, slide it all back together again and then put plate,& cover back on and then fit back to car and time it all up again

david350

Original Poster:

52 posts

279 months

Tuesday 12th September 2006
quotequote all
Many thanks for the information, I will give it a go.