I sent the scanned image to a company near me and asked for an estimate. Here’s the verdict:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
$250 lot charge to cut 12 pcs
Quite a bit more than Richard Dowling mentioned. Perhaps it’s because the quote must include the labor of creating a DXF file.
It’s more than I’m willing to risk, so I’m now asking for a show of interest. Anyone interested in paying $25 up front for one, speak up.
Ed
Kirbert
(Author of the Book, former owner of an '83 XJ-S H.E.)
42
You’d have to either relocate the pickup, or change the key location in the disk. Since presumably the latter would involve making a NEW disk, you’d probably opt to move the pickup. In fact, you might be able to devise a bracket with slotted holes that allow you to revise the location as required.
Since the shutter disk slots relative to the key appear to exactly the same as the OE nylon/ferrite core disk, making a new disk shouldn’t be necessary. Also, the OE pickup provided for radial adjustment, i.e., setting the air gap, but no tangential adjustment. So it should be OK upon reassembly, as it has been for many years.
Guess I’m a bit apprehensive because I put it all back together last week and it still wouldn’t start. I took it apart, drilled out the pop rivets, and re-centered the disk ( see my response to Jim above). Also ordered a new coil. Should know later today if it works this time.
Actually, I think that $250 is a good price for engineering and machine setup, considering that you’re sending him a photo and he’s figuring out how to make the actual part from that. You also might find that the price goes down with a greater quantity, since those fixed expenses only need to be done once. For example, I once got a quote on a photo etched faceplate and the prices were:
Qty. 10 for $50 each.
Qty. 25 for $20 each
Qty. 50 for $10 each
Qty. 100 for $5 each
Considering that my expense for each of the quantities was exactly the same, I opted to purchase a lifetime supply.
Thanks for the feedback, Mike. The problem is that I don’t think I want to put out $250 on the hope that I could eventually recover it, since it’s a small market at best. Also, I might not even need one myself. My problem is I had to drill out the pop rivets to get the hub off the shaft, and when I put it back together the hub and disk were not properly aligned. I “solved” the problem with a file in hole & key, failing to realize a small angular position error at the center becomes a big one at the rim. I took the disk off again and repositioned it (see my reply to Jim in this thread), and am in the process of reassembly and testing it. If that doesn’t work out I will need a new disk and I’ll have to reassess the economics.
If I could get upfront purchase of, say 5-6 at $25 or whatever, I’d put up the cash and take the chance of selling the rest over the coming years.
Ed
Kirbert
(Author of the Book, former owner of an '83 XJ-S H.E.)
46
That would be great presuming the pickup is located in the same place as the Opus pickup was.
Kirbert
(Author of the Book, former owner of an '83 XJ-S H.E.)
47
Did you have spark? It doesn’t matter what the alignment was, you should have had spark.
It is. It’s pretty hard to do exact measurements, but mounting holes in the sheet metal bracket (from the Crane kit) matches the holes in the bakelite carrier where the OE pickup mounts. Also, as nearly as I can tell using calipers the centerline of the optical trigger LED/photocell is centered between the mounting holes, just like the OE pickup.
Today I put the dizzy internals back together and did some tests. First, checked the voltage at the coil - post with key in run position, getting 12.6 or so. Then I cranked the engine and watched the voltage at the coil - post. It fluctuated, around 7-8 volts as I recall. Then I watched the test LED on the ignition module while cranking. It blinked rapidly. That means at least the unit is switching in response to the optical triggering. Then I connected the coil output to a sparkplug clamped to ground. It sparked, but rather weakly. This is with a brand new coil.
BTW, years ago I moved the ignition module in front for the radiator, which required extending the two harnesses. One of the harnesses is 3 small gage wires that connect to the optical trigger. The other is 3 heavy gage wires, one to the coil +, one to coil -, and one to ground. The ground is connected to one of the throttle tower mounting bolts. I’m now wondering if there is a bad splice in the latter harness, like maybe the ground. It’s going to be hard to get at, unfortunately.
It’s also possible that the ignition module itself is bad. I’m trying to order another one now, just in case.
Looks like I do have pretty good spark. Instead of using a sparkplug, I clamped the coil cable tip 3/8" from ground, closed the garage door and turned off lights. Then, while cranking from the driver’s seat, I could see a nice spark. I repeated the process, but using a cable plugged into the 1A post in the distributer cap. Good spark!
Now, I want to rig a test to use a timing light to illuminate the rotor through a hole cut in the cap as it passes 1A… hope to see the alignment of rotor tip & 1A contact as it fires.
I got this using a remote starter switch connected to the W2 pin of the starter relay, thus energizing the ignition system as well as cranking. Having only two hands, I locked the strobe gun trigger down and balanced the gun in the vee aimed at the hole cut in the distributor cap. I then operated the remote starter switch with one hand, and took a video with my cell phone in the other. I played the video on my computer, advanced to one of the several frames showing the illuminated rotor passing by, and then did a screen capture to get the above still.
The image is not very clear, but good enough to see that the engine should run. The only problem is it seems to be triggering from the middle of the rotor tip, meaning it might be past the contact at high RPM. I believe this is very close to the way it was before tearing down the distributor, so my guess is it will still run OK.
If you want to see the video, click here. The above still frame was at about 5 seconds.
Ed Sowell
Kirbert
(Author of the Book, former owner of an '83 XJ-S H.E.)
52
It’s not a function of engine speed. Remember, the centrifugal advance does not change the alignment because the rotor moves with it. Only the vacuum advance affects the rotor alignment.
Generally the pickup position is adjusted in an XR700 or XR3000 system to affect timing (other than turning the distributer body - which turns that pickup on the vac advance plate.)
