Summit Distributor problems

-
69swinger340391

69swinger340391

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2007
Messages
436
Reaction score
4
Location
L.I. NY
I have the Summit Racing electronic distributor in my car. its a 69 Dart with a 340, original manifolds and AVS carb, MP cam .450 .455 268/272 duration, A/T 8 3/4 4.10

The car starts and runs great except for 2 problems

1. the vacuum advance does not work anymore. It is only 3 years old, maybe 3000 miles on it but the timing doesn't advance when I apply vacuum to it. Summit does not have a replacement vacuum advance unit available. They say the only thing to do is buy a new distributor. Anybody have any luck finding a replacement?

2. The initial timing is set at 18 BTDC, I added some weld to the slots on the mechanical advance to limit it to 35 BTDC and its got the lightweight springs. The advance is all in by 2200 - 2400 rpm. The Summit conversion comes with a blue control box. The engine runs VERY strong up until just about 5100 rpm, then starts backfiring through what sounds like the exhaust. New valve springs didn't help. Is there a rev limit on the blue box? I think this should pull to 6000rpm but it doesn't

Thanks for any advice
 
It's getting worse.

After installing a MP distributor, new plug wires, cap & rotor, it still wont rev past 4000 rpm.

Almost like a rev limiter is kicking in.

I am going to try swapping the coil, then the control box if the coil doesnt cure it.

Anyone have a similar problem?
 
Im betting on the box. Not sure there are any high quality replacements out either.
 
Do you consider the Mopar Performance orange box a quality replacement? It is rated to 6,000 rpm.

How about the chrome box? Its supposed to be good to 8,000 rpm.
 
You may have high primary resistance. I would check the voltage input at the coil positive. Bypass the ballast resistor with a jumper to see if it improves.
 
HEI upgrade . Better than any of the Mopar-type ignition boxes, equal or better performance vs. MSD, better reliability than MSD, lower cost than MSD.

Summit's whitebox (own-brand) parts are largely Chinese junk.
 
I would stay away from the orange box, lots of bad units right out of the package. The chrome boxes are better.
 
i bought that same mopar summit kit with the blue box, after a year of messing with the advance not working, i just left it unplugged. the weights will still swing out and advance the timing. the cheap springs they come with do not have enough umph to hold the weights in. mine actually ran BETTER w/o the advance hooked up....now that mine is more strip than street, i took out the springs and welded them open, i'm at 36 degrees timing at all times now. cranks one more turn when starting but no problems. so there are 2 options for you right off.
now for the second part of your question. Summit brand stuff is usually still good, b/c its just rebranded big name products...now there are a few things i'd hesitate to use that are house brand, although i bought this kit b/c the price was right, who knows what company this summit mopar kit actually is...my blue box was also basically junk outta the box. broke up really bad @ 4500...your best option in my opinion is to throw the stock setup in the trash, just keep the dist. and buy a summit digital ignition box or a 6AL and wire it in...the summit digital box eliminated all the factory garbage like box and ballast r that are notorious for problems. the sum box it also a MSD digital 6AL in a diff case. can't beat it for the price either. they even have a multi spark starter assist..and on sale!! your best option by far IMO
good luck!

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-850610/
 
Swapped the coil for an extra I had on hand, didnt fix the problem.

I checked voltage at the coil last week, it was 9 volts while running if I remeber correctly.

Next step is the box itself. Right now its a toss up between the chrome box and the MSD/Summit 6AL

Thanks for the replies
 
Well, I wasnt ready to make the plunge on the MSD 6AL without knowing for sure if the ignition control module was the problem, so I bought a $20 Standard box from the auto parts store, and the motor runs much better now. It revs to 6,000 rpm and runs like it used to.

I see what you guys mean about the poor quality......the wire harness barely fits onto the connector of the new box, it looks like it could come loose and fall off easily. The threads on the nut for the securing bolt for the harness are incorrect, so I used the nut from my old box, but it still looks a little flimsy.

The harness actually pushed all the way onto the old box (Summit Racing Blue Box) and would hold secure without the need for the securing bolt. The Standard box (made in China :-() is in general a poor quality replacement.

Who's got an MSD 6AL for sale?
 
I had the summit dist now I have a chrysler with orange box no trouble your 20 dollar box will do the same thing just doesnt look cool I put thechrome on on now for some sparkle.
 
Problem solved....

I returned the Standard box to the auto parts due to poor fit of the wire harness and got a refund. I bought the Mopar Performance chrome box, it fits perfect and the car runs great, also moved it to the fender to keep away from the heat of the firewall area.

For those of you considering the Summit Racing Electronic conversion kit over the Mopar Performance kit, you are making a BIG mistake.

Summit doesnt have access to a full line of replacement parts for their distributor, and the mechanical advance is not adjustable.

The Mopar distributor has adjustable mechanical advance, the orange box, and a nice looking OEM color tan cap. I also spoke with customer service at Mopar Performance and I was told that their distributor is modeled after a 1973 distributor, therefore any replacement parts are readily available, like vacuum advance canisters and magnetic pick-ups.

It's a few dollars more but well worth it to go for the Mopar Performance kit.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top