Posted by Alan Bowes on October 15, 1997 at 22:10:40:
In Reply to: Dumb Question #17 posted by Gerry Zell on October 15, 1997 at 20:39:40:
: My M-37 has an aftermarket 12VDC Distributor.
: on the stock engine. What would be the most common replacement?
: What could be used? How can I tell what I have?
: The one I have has a vacuum advance assembly that is capped off.
: What be the most desirable replacement?
: Gerry Zell
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Hi, Gerry,
The distributor itself isn't voltage-dependent...just the coil. In order to tell what you have, I think we'd have to have some additional information. Are there any markings on it? Any numbers? What does it look like? Does this aftermarket distributor have a built-in coil like the original? As far as a replacement goes, I would, without doubt, put a STOCK distributor on it. If you have a non-standard distributor, unless you have one that is specifically set up for that engine (I believe that they do exist), it is unlikely that either the vacuum advance or its centrifugal advance (if it has one) would be anywhere close to correct for that engine. The fact that you said the vacuum advance was capped or disconnected suggests that it is probably not intended to be used on that engine. You should be able to get rebuilt or NOS distributors for the 230 (or is yours a 251?). One drawback to an original distributor is that it uses shielded, waterproof ignition wires and shielded sparkplugs, which cost more than ordinary auto ignition parts. On the plus side, an original distributor does work properly, it looks original, and it will help maintain the value of the vehicle (if you are keeping it original).
By the way, is the rest of the system converted to 12 volts?
Alan