JES1680

I put in a new cap and rotor yesterday. Worked fine. Today decided to put dialectric grease on the plug wires. Put the cap back on apparently crooked. It started and ran for a few seconds. Shattered the rotor, and bent the 6 pointed star that is attached to the distributor shaft. I was able to put my old cap and rotor back on after somwhat bending the pickup points back. Now it will start and run for a bit, but I did dammage it.

There is a snap ring that I thought held the pickup star (wrong terminology) on to the shaft, but it is either part of the shaft or pressed on as it will not come off.

Question. Can I purchase the star or do I need an entirely new distributor?

Thanks for any help you can provide

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

Hi:

I'm sorry to tell you that the "star wheel" is not available as a separate part and you must replace the whole distributor with a used or new one if its damaged.

I just went through all that with another customer.

JES1680

Steve,

Thanks for the reply. That was my fear. A very costly mistake. I see that Pelican has them for $1300+. Anyone else have a source that might be a bit cheaper?

Thanks.

emcon5

That would be me

First you need the little plastic shield that covers the pickup, so if this happens again, it won't tear things up.

Find a used one. Even if the used distributor is shot, you should be able to scavenge parts from it.

Here is mine:

DGaunt

Don't know if this will help you, but I got a really good price on a new distributor from EBS for my '76. It was <$400.00 last year. don't know how that compares with your SC dist.

good luck!

Steve Zitelli

I have a distributor for sale but I'm not sure it's for a SC.The part # is 0 231 184 007.Let me know if it will work on your car.

scottb

Before you spend hundreds of dollars on a new/used distributor, you might consider calling Moto-Parts. Apparently they rebuild Porsche distributors, and they might have the parts to repair yours.

Good luck. Let us know what you do.

JES1680

Well, a few minutes and a couple tries with some large needle nose pliers, and I was able to bend the prongs back. The car now runs better than it ever has!
The engine is much smoother than before, and it idles better. I'm sure that this has more to do with new plugs, cap and rotor than my "custom" distributor. Checked the timing and she is still spot on. Glad I didn't spend the dough on a new dist!

Thanks everyone for you help. It's times like these that really make this board invaluable.

john brasfield

I have seen Partswerks of chicago sell the rebuild kit with the star wheel.

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

I'm glad it worked out for you.

Bear in mind that rotor phasing is the critical parameter here; the star wheel's tip must pass the pickup coil at the very same time as the rotor tip passes a cap contact for the spark to occurr at the proper moment.

If its off, the spark will have to jump a wider gap and the rotor/cap will burn faster as well as the timing is slightly off.

Needless to say, unless the star wheel's alignment is perfect and spot-on, each cylinder's timing is not the same so some get an advanced spark and some get a retarded one.

JES1680

Yes, I can tell that the timing has changed. Before I did the "fix" I had already ordered a used one from a salvage yard. I'll be putting in the used one for piece of mind, and I'll have the original for a rebuild parts sometime in the future.

Thanks again for the help.

scottb

Not being a distributor expert, I wasn't going to comment on your "fix," but since an expert did, I'll chime in and say I was concerned when I read about your solution to the problem. I think your course of action is the smart way to go. Good call!

texasgooner

Drive your 911, smile, and be happy.......

craig001

It looks like I am gettting into a 1991 Targa instead of the 1980SC. I picked up one of the rebuild kits from Partwerks. Let me know if you are interested. I'll sell it for what I paid.