VK rotor arm issues

[DJL]

Hey there

I've just gone out to the old girl ('85 VK 1900 4 cyl) and she refuses to start despite getting a nice service at the weekend.

I've popped the distributor cap off and the rotor arm isn't turning. If you give it a spin manually while turning the engine over it will rotate but as soon as I stop helping it she freezes somewhere over the little silver bullet (condenser?). Same place every time.

Guess it's broken but how badly? Any ideas folks? I'm skint and buggered without a car so hope the news is good...

Any help would be a winner...

Thanks in advance.

DJL

[Darren_L]

sounds like the drive gear on the end of the distributor is stripped
you'll need to pull the distributor out and check the gear

[DJL]

Hi Darren

Thanks for this - how difficult is it to remove the distributor? Can anyone walk me through the process - I see a large nut that looks like it holds a clamp round the base of it. Is it a case of unscrewing this? Does it just lift out or is the distributor screwed into the engine casing?

Thanks

DJL

[kane_coro]

You undo that bolt on the clamp at the base of the dizzy.Then itl just lift out.Think the gear was held onto it with a roll pin from memory

[Darren_L]

^^ as kane said
you may need to twist it around a little to get it out.
When you put it back in, make sure the number 1 cylinder is on top dead centre, compression stroke and the distributor rotor button is pointing to #1 plug on the cap

[DJL]

Hi guys - thanks so much for the help with this. One more quick question, Kane says that the gear is held on with a roll pin. Does that mean I can just remove the buggered gear and replace so I don't have to replace the whole dizzy unit?

[ari666]

yeah its easy. just use a pin punch to knock out the pin and slide the old gear off (although i have only ever done V8's, never done 6 but assume its the same)

[Darren_L]

yeah same as the 6cyl or v8
here's a good link explaining how to refit the distributor in the right spot
How do you install a distributor?

[Reaper]

Did the VK's still have the fibre timing gear on the front of the cam like the earlier red motors??? Had one of them collapse once - took me quite a while to figure out what was going on.

Reaper

[Calaber]

Late model Holden Blue and Black 6 cylinder engines (and maybe the last of the reds, too) replaced the steel drive gear on the dizzy with a bloody plastic one (obviously because they were cheaper), so they went from a totally reliable component to a cheap and unreliable one. Good one, Holden.

The gear is retained by a roll pin and is very easily removed. Just use a pin punch to tap the old pin out and replace the gear with a steel one. They interchange with the older models so get one from an old HQ or something similar.

[Calaber]

Did the VK's still have the fibre timing gear on the front of the cam like the earlier red motors??? Had one of them collapse once - took me quite a while to figure out what was going on.

Reaper

Yep. Shitty old fibre (phenolic resin, actually), gear same as the early models.

[DJL]

Yup, as guessed - 1 x gear with less teeth than my grandmother...

I'm in NZ and as soon as I say VK everyone runs the other way saying too old, no parts etc etc. What other models will fit? Something later that may be more easily available? I'm stuffed without a car and need to get back on the road asap...

Cheers

DJL

[ari666]

well if its the same as a V8:


any gear off any V8 will fit cos' they never changed the ratio

[kane_coro]

Thats weird you should be able to get one easily.Theres a place in hamilton called Holden Haven,they should have something.Or I deal with a guy in Kopu, Thames called Arrow auto parts.His number is 078689217.He should have something.If you dont have any luck give me a ring on 0212321584 and ill sort one out for you.

[Darren_L]

any Holden 6 (red, blue or black motor) would more than likely use the same gear.
and as ari said maybe a V8 one would fit too.

otherwise I know some 80's model Toyota Corona's came out with the Starfire 1900 engine as well.

[Calaber]

Doesn't anybody read all the posts? I said just above that a steel gear from an earlier model red six will fit straight on. If you use a later model, you will probably find it's plastic. Get an old Bosch dizzy from an HQ/HJ or similar vintage and just use the drive gear from that.

[DJL]

Managed to get one from Rare Spares in Christchurch. Spoke to a guy there and apparently Holden have discontinued it and stopped making new ones about a month ago. All fitted but can't get her to fire at the moment, decent spark at all plugs and fuel getting through so guess I'm out with the timing somewhere. Time to have another play and see if I can get her running...nothings ever easy!

Thanks for all the help with this people - much appreciated