Condenser Securing Screw

[nevets]

I lost the little screw that secures the condenser to the distributer plate. Moss does not carry this item. Anyone know of another resource, or the thread-size/length? Thanks much.

 

[red57]

Sorry I can't help with the size of the screw, but where did you lose the old one? Is there any possibility it fell into the distributor and down below the points mounting plate? Unless you are certain it fell outside the distributor, I would suggest pulling the dist. and turning it upside down and shaking it around until the screw falls out. If the screw fell down inside below the points plate, it could do some serious damage if it bounced into the advance weights/mechanism.

 

[nevets]

Thanks for your reply. That was my concern as well, so I pulled the distributer, turned it upside down and shook it, then tapped it with a wooden dowel. Finally I removed the top plate and unfortunately did not find the screw inside. Once again a relatively simple task cascades into a much bigger problem.

 

[John Turney]

I bet these guys would have one: Advanced Distributors.

 

[nevets]

Advanced Distributers looks like a great resource, thanks. Interesting tip about setting the points gap on their website. Having lucked out with Moss, I contacted British Car Specialists, in Stockton, CA and they were able to help me out with a kit containing the assorted distributer screws.

 

[gonzo]

Alternatively, go to your local Auto Parts store and look in the Dorman HELP! products isle. there's usually a package of assorted distributor screws etc.. i had to use several of them for the DM 6, so I know they are compatible this and other AH distributors. Worth a try.Dorman Multipurpose Ignition Screws

 

[CARSINC]

If you know the thread count and length I may have one.

 

[CARSINC]

I lost the little screw that secures the condenser to the distributer plate. Moss does not carry this item. Anyone know of another resource, or the thread-size/length? Thanks much.

I have a spare complete, original Lucas distributor. I'll pull the screw and try to determine the thread count and length for you.

 

[nevets]

CARSINC I appreciate the effort. After ordering a kit containing a set of distributer screws from British Car Specialists, I actually found the lost screw on the garage floor the following morning. It apparently fell out of the distributer when I shook it upside down. Thanks all for the useful suggestions.

 

[red57]

That's great news. Finding it allows you to quit wondering where it went and what damage it could cause. I know from experience that's a great relief.

 

[John Turney]

CARSINC I appreciate the effort. After ordering a kit containing a set of distributer screws from British Car Specialists, I actually found the lost screw on the garage floor the following morning. It apparently fell out of the distributer when I shook it upside down. Thanks all for the useful suggestions.

That's what happens when you lose something. You find it after you order a new one. Works every time.

 

[roscoe]

A corrolary factoid is that when a small part hits the floor it is never anywhere near where it impacted. Sometimes, when I'm really frustrated I drop a similar part in the hopes it will end up near the one lost. It's rare, but when it works it's brilliant. I keep my rolling floor magnet at the ready and an air nozzle handy if I think the part is in a cranny on the car.

 

[Bob_Spidell]

Spring for one of these, or similar. You'll be glad you did-someday (NFI):

https://www.amazon.com/Inspection-Articulating-Adjustable-Temperature-Smartphone/dp/B08Y5S32YV/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=335480QJ7X9P2&keywords=borescope+camera+with+light+for+iphone&qid=1688830126&sprefix=borescope+camera+with+light+for+%2Caps%2C158&sr=8-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

Rats got under the intake manifold on my mom's Lincoln, ate some of the wiring which cased a CEL ('CHT temp bad' or something and the temp gauge was dead-no way it passes smog). A quick peek with the 'scope' confirmed the issue. If you haven't tried it, pulling the intake off a modern (2000) 8-cyl car, a British engine no less, is a BIG job (including requiring at least one 'special tool'). I got the manifold off, restored the chewed-up wiring and had the manifold almost back together--something like 16 little bolts, torqued to spec--when I got the 'Oh, crap, did I reconnect the coolant pipe for the throttle body' moment. Fortunately, with the 'scope' I was able to confirm the tubing was at least connected (whether it would leak or not was TBD-it didn't).

Same car, starts leaking oil from a valve cover--did I say it's a British (Jaguar) engine?--onto an exhaust manifold so new set of gaskets (plus new coils-on-plugs needed). This valve cover is held on with what could be called 'pins;' they're two-part, with a bolt and a retaining clip and seal under it:

https://www.amazon.com/URO-Valve-Cover-Bolt-Seal/dp/B0884VDMPD/ref=asc_df_B0884VDMPD/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=587511606635&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13381144982589315951&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9032278&hvtargid=pla-1643328188778&psc=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwkqSlBhDaARIsAFJANkiypxWNhXCVeNVSM5MflHW2w20mraORyruUwKrRs5ywjEaXoOzt9gwaAue-EALw_wcB

Of course, one of them self-destructed when I was getting the cover back on, and the retainer fell somewhere near the engine and didn't make it to the floor. This is a DOHC car, and there was a good chance the part fell either into the timing set or on the backside of the valve train. I looked off-and-on, an hour here, an hour there, for two days with the 'scope' and finally decided to trust to luck. After a nerve-wracking startup, with no crunching noises, the car ran fine, but I'll never know what happened to that piece (hopefully, it fell into a hole in the unibody).

One of these days, I may take a peek in the cavern in the frame below the intake/carburettors in my BJ8's chassis. But, for now, I treat it like a a gravesite that shouldn't be disturbed.

 

[Rob Glasgow]

Bob, when I restored my BT7, I mounted the frame on a rotisserie. The first time I flipped the chassis over, a wrench, several nuts and washers fell on the floor. They had been held in the “open black hole“ of the subframe. I often wondered if the engineers who designed the chassis knew that “hole” would lead to a lot of consternation in the future.

 

[Bob_Spidell]

Rob, I think it's pretty 'common knowledge' that the people who design mechanical systems never have to repair or service them; at least, it certainly seems that way. Of course, the quick solution is to stuff your oil-checking rag down the hole but, as you point out it might be 'closing the barn door after the horses have bolted.'

Borescopes, of course, are nothing new. It's just that being able to use a smartphone--whose displays are vastly superior to to the low-res 'dedicated' devices--is the big improvement. With a smartphone display it's the camera on the scope that is the limiting visual factor (it's the only time I've wished I had a larger phone). It's a bit less convenient as I have to remove my camera's case to fit the cable, and I have to remember to keep the scope charged, but the time saved and aggravation prevented make it worthwhile. They're also cheaper than the traditional scopes; there are many selling (apparently) the same or similar scope on Amazon, all trying to beat the other sellers by lowering the price a couple cents. I was a little reticent about downloading the app--it's obviously Chinese--but have had no issues with it.