Distributor replacement question

[Texas Walter]

My distributor has started to squeak this weekend so Im looking for a new one and have found them from $50 - $300+
I found one on Ebay has anyone tried one of them?
I would really like to hear feed back and suggestions on a distributor

http://www.ebay.com/itm/AMC-JEEP-CJ5-CJ7-304-360-401-V-8-HEI-DISTRIBUTOR-8512-BL-/351340048662?hash=item51cd7fb116&vxp=mtr

Thanks

[serehill]

Well

People have used them & there is a lot of mixed feelings. I'm not a Fan.
A complete QUALITY HEI distributor should & does cost far more than this. In my opinion a distributor that is cheap is on fact a cheap distributor.
I kn0ow there are a lot of folks that have bough them but there are many that have replaced them. Although there are a lot that have fried internal parts. There's a lot that have experienced distributor gear destruction even after changing the gear. The gear issues has been a problem of many of these types.
These are my opinions from observations that have been seem repeatedly on this board. I have never owned one but I have seen 2 that were distributor gear eaters.

[jimbos83j10]

The already said. Every now and then some one gets one of those that's lasts. The ones that fail hopefully have an internal failure. A lot of the faired come from eating the cam gear. Now you pulling the entire front half of the motor off to replace the distributor.

[Texas Walter]

Anyone one have input on this one?

http://www.crtperformance.com/crt/distributor/hei/2hei-distributor-2013-11-03-2013-11-30-detail.html

[fulsizjeep]

I watched for years before I got an HEI. In the beginning I waved the Mallory flag but even the Mallorys can have failure. We were left frying ignition modules 8 hours from home a few years ago. A fine friend had a Skip White in a 401 he was not running yet and loaned it to us so we could get home. We put several hundred miles on it with no issue. I had another Mallory for one of the other Jeeps and put it in. The vacuum diaphragm failed on it a couple months ago and I stole the good one off the fried Mallory to fix it. I have seen people have good luck with Skip White and some not so much. Same with CRT. I now believe most of them are probably made in the same place. Some say the 65K coil is a myth, that 50K is as high as they go. I dunno for sure. Have to admit, I really like a single wire solution.

I have followed the Skip White HEI products for a while and their web site has not sold AMC HEIs for over a year. That makes me think the ebay sale may be for cleaning out inventory. Here is my take on them: If you can get a Skip White AMC HEI for $52, buy two. That is cheap enough to have a spare. Who knows, they may be able to honor the life time warranty as well.

[serehill]

OK I did some homework on gear destruction. Don't fall asleep.

I really got to thinking about this & the many myths poor victims have been exposed to. Seeing how many times this has happened it seems there should be some logical explanation for the gear chewing & 3 different references came up with the same answer. First I was watching Hot Rod magazine which explained the issue on a non AMC engine. So I decided to call MSD & Summitt to see if they gave me the same answer & they did. They all three contend that most cheap aftermarket units come with a composite gear. The factory gears are hardened steel & the mismatch will chew the composite gear up & can cause damage to the hardened steel gear. Interesting. Then I ask how the soft brass gears survived the issue & they said the gear although softer would work with the hardened steel gear just fine. I've heard this in theory on another forum years ago but simply didn't have anything to back it up. I accidently heard it on Hot rod magazine & believe the two resources are pretty reliable.
This may have been rehashed before but I've never seen it. Interesting & makes sense. I honestly don't understand the metallurgy but at least it's better than it just happens. I wonder now whether the timing cover misfit is myth or this is in fact happening. Since it does not happen to all aftermarket covers it does stand to reason this may be the real culprit all along. That's just speculation. There was a guy in Los Colinas Tx I met years ago that had an after market cover that had no issues so I'm wondering now if there ever was a real fitment issue. It was speculated by many that was the issue with cover fitment but never proven. It wouldn't be the first thing on the market destroyed by myth or wrong theories. I have a brand new after market cover I bought & measured until I was blue in the face. I see no difference between it & a OEM I had sitting right beside it. It would explain the hit & miss operation of the same piece.Part of that theory comes from the fact that I've seen a bultear cover which I understand is re-massaged after market that have chewed gears also. Interesting theories.

Any one have further input on this? curious to know more. Even if it's barking up the wrong tree.

I've also seen the issues that Flint is describing & know these issue to be fact in the Mallory's & the so called HEI one wire systems. The bigger & heavier the coil the more you see this. I found a long time ago using just the ignition modules to control the coil on all of them are carrying heavy load & although they work they do tend to have a high failure rate. Although this system is not perfect it's popular because of cost. Using a controller like a MSD 6A last a lot longer & take the load off the ignition module tends to be far more dependable. Expensive yes but there's way to reduce the cost. Fault free no but better. I've never bough a new one. so I can get them at far less cost. I've never lost one. I also like the multi spark technology.

[Rich88]

Just a theory

Maybe the brass type forges into the pattern demanded by the steel, and lives on happy with that, and the composite just can't take the force.

[JeepJeepster]

Sounds like a good theory. I imagine composite is very hard and brittle.

[Carnuck]

Make sure the squeak isn't just the cap and rotor first.

[NFC001]

I,m going to HEI from Prestolite and I will probably get mine from Summit

[Texas Walter]

Make sure the squeak isn't just the cap and rotor first.

First thing I checked

[Texas Walter]

I,m going to HEI from Prestolite and I will probably get mine from Summit

I plan on doing a TBI install or a 5.3 swap this fall depending on a few factors and want to keep it running as cheap as possible till then

[WHSII]

Anyone one have input on this one?
http://www.crtperformance.com/crt/di...30-detail.html

I put one in my 87 GW with 52K on it. As I recall, the gear mounted differently than the original. I think the hole was in a different location.

I have replaced the coil and the module the first year.

I have the same in my 80 J10, and have had no trouble with it.

[Woodchomper]

The MSD 8519 distributor is another option. Just remember that when converting to HEI you may need to do wiring modifications to ensure the engine shuts off when you turn your key off.

[serehill]

Well

The MSD 8519 distributor is another option. Just remember that when converting to HEI you may need to do wiring modifications to ensure the engine shuts off when you turn your key off.

That depends on what you're doing. The 8519 is for use with the MSD ignition controller. The 8523 is for direct connection the coil It's a much heavier sensor. It can also be used with the MSD 6 series do not direct connect the 8519 without a controller it won't work. The 8523 goes both ways.