eBay HEI Distributor - Ignition Module Failure

[PocketAces]

I started a thread on these distributors that went on for quite a while.

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=166982

But I felt that this issue warranted its own thread.

I put in one of these low cost HEI distributors that I purchased from Skip White performance. ProComp also sells them. I put about 500 miles on it and was pretty happy with the way the car was running and the increased mpg.

Then on the way home, the car just died. Extremely weak and erratic spark out of the coil. Towed it home.

After swapping out the coil with no success, I called Skip White's and spoke to Daniel. He sent me a new ignition module free of charge. It arrived in just 2 days and now the car is running again.

But when I was puting it back together I noticed something. The module has two holes for screws and two locating pins. The distributor heat sink has 4 corresponding holes. I applied the themal grease and set the module locating pins into the holes. But when I tried to put in the screws, they would not start. It turns out the only way to get the screw holes to line up was to pull the module locating pins up out of their holes. This breaks the thermal bond between the module and the heat sink and probably lead to the failure of my module.

My solution was to cut the plastic locating pins off the new module with a razor blade. I guess you could also drill the holes for the locating pins larger to provide enough wiggle room to get the screw holes to line up.

I'm wondering if this defect is unique to my distributor, or if they all have the same flaw. If you have one of these distributors, I highly recommend that you pull the cover off and inspect the alignment of the ignition module holes when the locating pins are properly seated.

While you're at it, make sure you have a uniform coating of thermal grease between the module and the heat sink. You can buy some at any Radio Shack for about $3. You want just enough on there to get a uniform thin coating. A razor blade makes a good spreader. The thermal grease on my original module looked fine. But if you're replacing the module, you'll need some.

 

[PocketAces]

Yup, confirmed: Chinese no-name. Now you may have enough time and patience to take the gamble that your Chinese ignition system won't fail suddenly, leaving your car dead wherever and whenever it happens to be. I do not. If I wanted the character-building experience of having a Chinese car, I'd move to China and buy one.

I drove a 1973 Dodge Van for 8 years. It only left me stranded once in 8 years. Guess what part failed.

I've read several threads on these distributors. There have been a few DOA units, but I can't remember reading about any failures.

Hey SlantSixDan,

I'm ready for my "I told you so".

 

[HotLines]

Whatever.. Change the module to a regular GM one. I had the same problem and took on from a chevy HEI I had laying around. Works like new and no problems in a year..

 

[PocketAces]

Whatever.. Change the module to a regular GM one. I had the same problem and took on from a chevy HEI I had laying around. Works like new and no problems in a year..

Did it fit under the cover, or did you just elimate the cover? Can you provide the wire mapping? A picture would be nice.

 

[Woods74]

Whatever.. Change the module to a regular GM one. I had the same problem and took on from a chevy HEI I had laying around. Works like new and no problems in a year..

+2 I'm a GM guy on this, I love my HEI.

Mopar never cut it in this department. :thumbdow:

 

[67Dart273]

I would guess this is simply poor quality control. I've never understood why they even needed locating pins, as the screw holes line them up fairly tight. It's not like the module is going to "slop around" in there and short or something.

 

[jmfasc]

i had to cut off the pins on my new module too but the old one was never bad just faulty diagnostics on my part. do yall think its safe to run without the little crome cover? i would like to try one of those flamethrower modules sometime in the future

 

[PocketAces]

do yall think its safe to run without the little crome cover? i would like to try one of those flamethrower modules sometime in the future

It would probably run cooler and I don't think water would be much of an issue up by the firewall. The leads are shielded with plastic covers so the risk of a short would be minimal as long as those shields hold up.

I've seen lot's of posts about people installing GM HEI modules without any cover. No difference here.

 

[HotLines]

Everything fit perfectly under the cap. Maybe I have a different one than you do, mine has the coil on the cap, a true HEI

BTW, I'm just an old hot rodder and have learned from others mistakes. My last ignition on the Signet didn't make it for me even though it had a wider Ford cap. And when my 2 Signets are laid up, my GM trucks are always running

 

[Louie70Dart]

I bought one of those distributors thinking it was a deal. My car would start and run for less than 5 minutes then die. I ended up having to jumper the ballast resistor. Seems the instructions, none came with it, said just to hook up the two wires to the coil. I thought the module went bad. There are only two places to get one, either skip white or proform. GM, just go to the part store for replacement. My opinion. Except for the part about availability of GM modules.

 

[jos51700]

You bought cheap, you got cheap.

 

[airgrabber]

Friend bought a chinese HEI for a 351 Windsor Ford. Looks like a Ford distributor from the shaft down but a GM HEI from the base and cap up. Had GM hei style cap with coil in it, GM style advance weights. First one ate itself - something became unhooked from the vac advance unit and the connecting rod spun around and shredded the module, wiring and internals of the distributor. Second chinese one had the advance weights BREAK right at the pivot points, also flinging junk inside the thing and basically self destructing itself.
That chinese knock off garbage? Run away, and fast...

 

[slantsixdan]

Hey SlantSixDan,

I'm ready for my "I told you so".

Not gonna do it.

 

[BillGrissom]

Friend bought a chinese HEI for a 351 Windsor Ford. Looks like a Ford distributor from the shaft down but a GM HEI from the base and cap up. Had GM hei style cap with coil in it, GM style advance weights. First one ate itself - something became unhooked from the vac advance unit and the connecting rod spun around and shredded the module, wiring and internals of the distributor. Second chinese one had the advance weights BREAK right at the pivot points, also flinging junk inside the thing and basically self destructing itself.
That chinese knock off garbage? Run away, and fast...

Do you know the brand name it was sold under. The cheap "ready to run" distributor most have bought recently sounds different. It doesn't have the coil-in-cap, but uses an external coil. I haven't heard of any mechanical failures of those. I have one (haven't installed) and it looks well-made, but sometimes it is only after something breaks that you see it used inferior metal. If the HEI module fails, you can use any HEI module. You don't have to mount the HEI under the chrome cover and could put it anywhere, but the distributor is a convenient location. GM did that on all their HEI's with no overheating problems I know of.