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Distributor Wiring???

msommer001

Full Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2009
Messages
370
I was doing some under the hood cleaning and inspection after changing fuel filter and adding some heat deflection sleeves on the fuel line. I have been having some issues off the beginning cutting out under load.

While I was working I discovered the distributor wiring harness was very badly deteriorated and all the wires were melted at some point then covered by electrical tape by the PO.

Can you just replace the wiring pigtail?

If a new distributor is needed, what is the best option? Is it a good time to upgrade? If so, what is he recommendation. I am willing to spend the money on the right options but I am nervous about setting timing.

All other aspect of the motor are stock. 1977 bronco, ranger.

Thanks in advance for all the help and guidance.


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msommer001

msommer001

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Jan 15, 2009
Messages
370
Looks like I can replace the pick up coil. Anyone have a videos or photos showing removal and installation?


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DirtDonk

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Nov 3, 2003
Messages
47,355
Yikes! Those wires definitely got some singe action going on. Do you know what happened to them?

Yes, as you found out you can replace the magnetic pickup and get the new wires on the distributor side at least. How did the other wires fare?

Paul
 
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msommer001

msommer001

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Joined
Jan 15, 2009
Messages
370
Yikes! Those wires definitely got some singe action going on. Do you know what happened to them?

Yes, as you found out you can replace the magnetic pickup and get the new wires on the distributor side at least. How did the other wires fare?

Paul



They were in this condition since I purchased, just covered by electrical tape.

Should I replace with stock pickup or move to a modern version. I am happy with what I have just checking.


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Alpacket

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Joined
Oct 31, 2012
Messages
241
I guess I won’t know if anything is missing until I get a replacement one.


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I was just thinking, if the reluctor needs replacing, I might just get a rebuilt Duraspark II from one of the big parts houses. It’s not terribly difficult to replace that pick up and reluctor, but at some point, a rebuilt one makes sense to me. You will have to time the engine, but I think you’re on seven cylinders at best right now.
 
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msommer001

msommer001

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Messages
370
I was just thinking, if the reluctor needs replacing, I might just get a rebuilt Duraspark II from one of the big parts houses. It’s not terribly difficult to replace that pick up and reluctor, but at some point, a rebuilt one makes sense to me. You will have to time the engine, but I think you’re on seven cylinders at best right now.



I was thinking replacement of cap, rotor, plug wires, plugs and the pickup coil. I don’t know much about finding top dead center and then setting the timing so I was hoping to prevent complete replacement. Money is not the issue, time and knowledge is.

If there is a way to mark the current position and then transfer that over as a place to start setting the timing, then I think I can get it done. Starting from scratch makes me nervous.

Thanks for all the help and guidance.


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msommer001

msommer001

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Jan 15, 2009
Messages
370
I was thinking replacement of cap, rotor, plug wires, plugs and the pickup coil. I don’t know much about finding top dead center and then setting the timing so I was hoping to prevent complete replacement. Money is not the issue, time and knowledge is.

If there is a way to mark the current position and then transfer that over as a place to start setting the timing, then I think I can get it done. Starting from scratch makes me nervous.

Thanks for all the help and guidance.


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I can actually see the timing marks fairly clear. I will clean them up a bit and see what they look like.

Currently stock set up, cam, carburetor etc. I should be able to identify TDC or 10 degree before using the timing marks and timing pointer. Right?


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msommer001

msommer001

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Messages
370
I can actually see the timing marks fairly clear. I will clean them up a bit and see what they look like.

Currently stock set up, cam, carburetor etc. I should be able to identify TDC or 10 degree before using the timing marks and timing pointer. Right?


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0e81f2d373d2e5d1cbefbd118986f982.jpg




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DirtDonk

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Nov 3, 2003
Messages
47,355
those are surprisingly easy to read for the obvious age of the damper unit itself. Notice the deterioration of the rubber insulator/isolator ring? Pretty bad.
If you turn the crankshaft over by hand you should at some point be able to see a pair of tick-marks of some kind along the inner edge of the rings. They would normally line up with each other across the rubber band. If the rubber has deteriorated sufficiently it will let the outer ring slip in relation to the inner hub.
If you note that the ring has slipped, you might as well buy a new one now while you're at it. Not only will you never be able to accurately time the ignition, but at some point it will fail catastrophically and you'll have a heavy iron ring bouncing around on the hub or pulley!

So check for that at least and then go on to time it.
And yes, you should be able to find the 10° BTDC mark and line it up with your timing pointer. Then when adjusting the distributor for the new parts you line up one of the arms directly in the middle of the magnet and that will put you pretty darn close.
That's assuming of course, that you have the correct damper and pointer set!%)

I can see the gap you're talking about, but I'm pretty sure I can see an arm in there. The rust give it a certain camouflage aspect.
But you still need to replace it or the distributor in order to get the new wires and connector. Hopefully the one on the body side is still in good shape, but that's questionable right now.
For that you can get a new one, a used one from the junkyard, or make your own.

Paul
 

Alpacket

Full Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2012
Messages
241
those are surprisingly easy to read for the obvious age of the damper unit itself. Notice the deterioration of the rubber insulator/isolator ring? Pretty bad.
If you turn the crankshaft over by hand you should at some point be able to see a pair of tick-marks of some kind along the inner edge of the rings. They would normally line up with each other across the rubber band. If the rubber has deteriorated sufficiently it will let the outer ring slip in relation to the inner hub.
If you note that the ring has slipped, you might as well buy a new one now while you're at it. Not only will you never be able to accurately time the ignition, but at some point it will fail catastrophically and you'll have a heavy iron ring bouncing around on the hub or pulley!

So check for that at least and then go on to time it.
And yes, you should be able to find the 10° BTDC mark and line it up with your timing pointer. Then when adjusting the distributor for the new parts you line up one of the arms directly in the middle of the magnet and that will put you pretty darn close.
That's assuming of course, that you have the correct damper and pointer set!%)

I can see the gap you're talking about, but I'm pretty sure I can see an arm in there. The rust give it a certain camouflage aspect.
But you still need to replace it or the distributor in order to get the new wires and connector. Hopefully the one on the body side is still in good shape, but that's questionable right now.
For that you can get a new one, a used one from the junkyard, or make your own.

Paul



You’re right, Dirtdonk. I see it now. Don’t know how I missed it, actually,
 
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msommer001

msommer001

Full Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2009
Messages
370
those are surprisingly easy to read for the obvious age of the damper unit itself. Notice the deterioration of the rubber insulator/isolator ring? Pretty bad.
If you turn the crankshaft over by hand you should at some point be able to see a pair of tick-marks of some kind along the inner edge of the rings. They would normally line up with each other across the rubber band. If the rubber has deteriorated sufficiently it will let the outer ring slip in relation to the inner hub.
If you note that the ring has slipped, you might as well buy a new one now while you're at it. Not only will you never be able to accurately time the ignition, but at some point it will fail catastrophically and you'll have a heavy iron ring bouncing around on the hub or pulley!

So check for that at least and then go on to time it.
And yes, you should be able to find the 10° BTDC mark and line it up with your timing pointer. Then when adjusting the distributor for the new parts you line up one of the arms directly in the middle of the magnet and that will put you pretty darn close.
That's assuming of course, that you have the correct damper and pointer set!%)

I can see the gap you're talking about, but I'm pretty sure I can see an arm in there. The rust give it a certain camouflage aspect.
But you still need to replace it or the distributor in order to get the new wires and connector. Hopefully the one on the body side is still in good shape, but that's questionable right now.
For that you can get a new one, a used one from the junkyard, or make your own.

Paul



Is there a stock replacement recommended? I am not sure about the 28oz or the 50oz. From what I can see it looks like getting the 3 pulley bolts off might be a tough task. Plenty of PB Blaster should do it. Also will the replacement go right back in the originals place with a key or will I have to find TDC and use some timing tape?

Thanks again!


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DirtDonk

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Nov 3, 2003
Messages
47,355
Well, mostly good news.
Is that tag in your pics from a valve cover or what? It does indicate a '77 Truck part, so that seems consistent with what you say about the truck being a '77 and the engine being original.

Yes, you should be able to take it off and put the new one back in it's place without worrying about where the motor is. It does have a key like you suspect.
That's the good part.

The bad part is that timing tape might be your best friend anyway!
Ford used many different combinations of dampers over the years, and yours should have had 4 bolts I thought. It's hard with these trucks to know if it's even the original motor, but in your case we suspect it is (you're not the original owner, are you?). If it's not, there are many possibilities.
If it's original then you should just be able to go down and get a damper for a '77 Bronco and be good. They'll all be the correct (supposedly!) 28oz imbalance since the numbers didn't change until about '81 or '82 if I remember.
I think a lot of the issues with these things crop up from the manufacturers being lazy or someone in the store and warehouse network putting one back in the wrong box.
But at least being original gets you half way there.

Finding TDC while you're messing about is still a good practice though. At the very least line up the timing pointer now, with the old damper in place, before you put the new one on. Or, in lieu of that, you can simply compare the new damper to the old before you install it to make sure the timing marks line up the same as your old one. They often don't, which indicates the damper was really originally for a 302 out of a different vehicle.
That last bit is a good idea no matter what anyway. Compare the markings.

If you're lucky, the new damper comes with all three timing mark sets already stamped in, so you don't have to resort to timing tape.

And always compare the depth of the new one too, as Ford had many in use in different applications.
If you're not daily driving this thing, and do have other transportation, pull the old one off to compare to the new one right in the store. Saves you a couple of extra potential trips.

Good luck. I know it sounds like I'm painting a dire picture about all this. But it's really a simple job that, in most cases, turns out just fine. But the problem with the wrong parts crops up so often still that it has to be mentioned.

Good luck.

Paul
 

savage

Contributor
Bronco Nut
Joined
Apr 18, 2007
Messages
2,482
Loc.
Renton
This is the part number for the stator assembly. PART MP700 when it comes to harmonic damper, I like the brand my builder used, it has timing mark on different location on the damper for different ford location.
 

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msommer001

msommer001

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Joined
Jan 15, 2009
Messages
370
Well, mostly good news.
Is that tag in your pics from a valve cover or what? It does indicate a '77 Truck part, so that seems consistent with what you say about the truck being a '77 and the engine being original.

Yes, you should be able to take it off and put the new one back in it's place without worrying about where the motor is. It does have a key like you suspect.
That's the good part.

The bad part is that timing tape might be your best friend anyway!
Ford used many different combinations of dampers over the years, and yours should have had 4 bolts I thought. It's hard with these trucks to know if it's even the original motor, but in your case we suspect it is (you're not the original owner, are you?). If it's not, there are many possibilities.
If it's original then you should just be able to go down and get a damper for a '77 Bronco and be good. They'll all be the correct (supposedly!) 28oz imbalance since the numbers didn't change until about '81 or '82 if I remember.
I think a lot of the issues with these things crop up from the manufacturers being lazy or someone in the store and warehouse network putting one back in the wrong box.
But at least being original gets you half way there.

Finding TDC while you're messing about is still a good practice though. At the very least line up the timing pointer now, with the old damper in place, before you put the new one on. Or, in lieu of that, you can simply compare the new damper to the old before you install it to make sure the timing marks line up the same as your old one. They often don't, which indicates the damper was really originally for a 302 out of a different vehicle.
That last bit is a good idea no matter what anyway. Compare the markings.

If you're lucky, the new damper comes with all three timing mark sets already stamped in, so you don't have to resort to timing tape.

And always compare the depth of the new one too, as Ford had many in use in different applications.
If you're not daily driving this thing, and do have other transportation, pull the old one off to compare to the new one right in the store. Saves you a couple of extra potential trips.

Good luck. I know it sounds like I'm painting a dire picture about all this. But it's really a simple job that, in most cases, turns out just fine. But the problem with the wrong parts crops up so often still that it has to be mentioned.

Good luck.

Paul



Looks like a 3 bolt. 28oz it is. I will order one and work on getting the old pulley and balancer off. Then compare before. I will also set it to 10 degrees before TDC before I completely remove the old items.

Thanks again. Once I get that far I will provide an update.


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msommer001

msommer001

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Joined
Jan 15, 2009
Messages
370
Looks like a 3 bolt. 28oz it is. I will order one and work on getting the old pulley and balancer off. Then compare before. I will also set it to 10 degrees before TDC before I completely remove the old items.

Thanks again. Once I get that far I will provide an update.


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Here is what I am up against.
43097fde305f588a24499357cebfbd09.jpg



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Slowleak

Bronco Guru
Joined
Sep 12, 2013
Messages
3,732
Loc.
Georgia
Spray those bolts down with some PB Blaster or something and let them soak.

I got a balancer for my ‘77 from DamperDudes.com. They know their stuff so you don’t have to worry about the timing marks being off etc. I called them and they shipped it that day.
http://www.damperdudes.net
 
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