eightynine4x4
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2020
- Messages
- 730
- Reaction score
- 192
- Location
- New York
- Vehicle Year
- 1989
- Make / Model
- Ford Ranger
- Engine Type
- 2.9 V6
- Transmission
- Automatic
- 2WD / 4WD
- 4WD
- Total Lift
- 2.5" Suspension
- Tire Size
- 31 x 10.5 x 15
(1989 2.9 V6 Automatic)
Hey all,
So I have a few misfiring symptoms leading me to cleaning up and/or replacing some of the firing electricals in the engine, so after a few other things were addressed I decided to pop off the distributor cap to take a look at the health.
It turns out, my whole distributor is fully loose. (see video above) I had sort of noticed it in the past but never touched it other than popping off plug wires, but was assuming that the system was self contained somehow and performance alignment wasn't coordinated with the cap.
But upon looking at the design inside, it looks like my rotor alignment is 100% in flux at all times, since the shaft/rotor is locked in place with the engine but the cap and connections are free to slowly rotate this way or that as the engine vibrates.
Seems to me like it's just been pure luck that the firing is even half decent, and I'm probably not doing any good service to the truck with the rotor alignment being hit or miss. Probably gunking up my plugs all the time too, or doing worse things. The truck continues to be reliable and run pretty well as i keep working on it, but this cap issue would explain why startup is sometimes perfect sometimes not, despite addressing other startup aspects already. It would also explain why sometimes the engine sounds smooth, but other times it misfires. The cap is just dancing around.
Am I misinterpreting this all? Shouldn't the distributor cap be locked in place? And how is it supposed to lock in place? I didn't see anything obvious, such as any bolts or clamps, but maybe i'm missing it.
Dropbox
www.dropbox.com
Hey all,
So I have a few misfiring symptoms leading me to cleaning up and/or replacing some of the firing electricals in the engine, so after a few other things were addressed I decided to pop off the distributor cap to take a look at the health.
It turns out, my whole distributor is fully loose. (see video above) I had sort of noticed it in the past but never touched it other than popping off plug wires, but was assuming that the system was self contained somehow and performance alignment wasn't coordinated with the cap.
But upon looking at the design inside, it looks like my rotor alignment is 100% in flux at all times, since the shaft/rotor is locked in place with the engine but the cap and connections are free to slowly rotate this way or that as the engine vibrates.
Seems to me like it's just been pure luck that the firing is even half decent, and I'm probably not doing any good service to the truck with the rotor alignment being hit or miss. Probably gunking up my plugs all the time too, or doing worse things. The truck continues to be reliable and run pretty well as i keep working on it, but this cap issue would explain why startup is sometimes perfect sometimes not, despite addressing other startup aspects already. It would also explain why sometimes the engine sounds smooth, but other times it misfires. The cap is just dancing around.
Am I misinterpreting this all? Shouldn't the distributor cap be locked in place? And how is it supposed to lock in place? I didn't see anything obvious, such as any bolts or clamps, but maybe i'm missing it.