LyFeWoRx

How do you test the distributor? Can you test for resistance?

soarer479

iTrader: (2)

ummm....... nvm i dont even want to be that mean

LyFeWoRx

I have this damn code 12, I'm not sure why i typed resistance, i was reading about testing fuel injectors, anyways..... I want to know if there is a way to find out if the distributor is toast. No help?

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

pretty simple actually... with the car running, pull each wire off the top of each distributor (there are two), pull the wires off one at a time... with each one disconnected, you should see / hear sparking between the cap and the disconnected wire (when its close, obviously)... do not pull off the middle wire, it's the feed, the other 4 go to their separate spark plugs...

do this on both sides, if you get consistent results, then all is well, if you get nothing on any one of them, then you have a problem... caps and rotors are cheap to replace, and fairly easy as well...

it would have to be a pretty seriously destroyed distributor to not function...

also, there would be no resistance as the points in the cap never physically touch the rotor...

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

Ok, I just read more... you are probably looking at a cam/crank sensor issue...

sc250tt

pull out the plugwire stick your pinky finger in the wire and that shoul tell you if its good. nah jus kiddin man ,pull a plugwire and have sombody crank the car for you .it should spark if its good

LyFeWoRx

The car is not running right now. =) I have a spark plug wire tester i will try that this weekend. Thanks guys.

defrag010

iTrader: (2)

Gonna bump this one up, because I'm searching on how to test the pickups in the distributor and have not found any information yet..

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

what are you trying to do???

I already outlined the procedure above, 2 years ago...

you can really get more information just by pulling the distributor cap off and visually inspecting it...

you do realize our distributors have zero electronics in them and the only way for one to fail is for the air gap between the rotor and the distributor to wear out or break as to not be close while spinning...