Distributor replacement
03-17-2003, 02:56 PM
#1
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 6
Distributor replacement
Two questions:
My 1994 Z28 will peridically run a little rough most noticeably at idle and moderate acceleration. At times when stopped with the car in "DRIVE" it will even try to acclerate by itself. I took it to the Chevrolet dealership and they hooked up to theire computer. They said the distributor is acting up and needs replaced. They wanted $1200.00 big ones to do this. Does this sound like a distributor problem or could it be something else?
I've decided to replace the distributor myself. I was able to purchase a distributor for $288.00 with the help you gave me from this website. Thank you! Looking through the repair manual it looks somewhat tedious but looks like something I can do. Are there any suprises/problems that I could run in to?
My 1994 Z28 will peridically run a little rough most noticeably at idle and moderate acceleration. At times when stopped with the car in "DRIVE" it will even try to acclerate by itself. I took it to the Chevrolet dealership and they hooked up to theire computer. They said the distributor is acting up and needs replaced. They wanted $1200.00 big ones to do this. Does this sound like a distributor problem or could it be something else?
I've decided to replace the distributor myself. I was able to purchase a distributor for $288.00 with the help you gave me from this website. Thank you! Looking through the repair manual it looks somewhat tedious but looks like something I can do. Are there any suprises/problems that I could run in to?
03-17-2003, 03:02 PM
#2
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: south dakota
Posts: 99
I just had the distributor cap (only the cap) replaced on my camaro. It was doing like yours, it would rev up and down when i would stop at a light. And finally one day it would barely even run. So i got it fixed and it ran fine. Until i found out that they screwed it up when putting it on at my local chevy dealer. So now they another chevy shop is replacing the whole distributor at my local dealer's cost. 
03-17-2003, 03:05 PM
#3
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: south dakota
Posts: 99
btw, it cost me $700 to replace my dist. cap. 1200 sounds a little high to me. That is for the whole distributor though, but still seems high. Wow too, 288 is cheap fo the whole dist. I paid 390 just for the cap.
03-17-2003, 03:11 PM
#4
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Join Date: Dec 1969
Location: Little Rock, AR
Posts: 27,709
Originally posted by larson_lars64
btw, it cost me $700 to replace my dist. cap. 1200 sounds a little high to me. That is for the whole distributor though, but still seems high. Wow too, 288 is cheap fo the whole dist. I paid 390 just for the cap.
btw, it cost me $700 to replace my dist. cap. 1200 sounds a little high to me. That is for the whole distributor though, but still seems high. Wow too, 288 is cheap fo the whole dist. I paid 390 just for the cap.
Basically, you take off what is in front and blocking the distributor (mostly water pump) and then merely replace it. Yours has a splined shaft that must be properly aligned when re-installing. There is a missing spline that is the "key" for lining it up. Line it up and slide the opti until the mounting flanges sit flush on the block. If it does not go all the way on, don't force it or pull it on with the bolts. It should go flush on by hand.
03-17-2003, 03:19 PM
#5
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Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Reading, PA
Posts: 1,997
$1200.00!!! to replace an opti!
Oh, wait you said the dealer, that price sounds about right
The signs you describe do sound like it could be related to a bad opti, but I would make sure you replace inexpensive simple things like plugs/wires first to see if it solves it. The opti install isn't too difficult, after doing a cam swap recently I think I could change the opti in like an hour or so now, it's really not that hard. I thought getting the opti back on an lined up with the cam was a little tricky, mine didn't want to go right in for some reason, had to play with it for a while. Other than that it was a pretty straightforward job. Good luck!
Oh, wait you said the dealer, that price sounds about right
The signs you describe do sound like it could be related to a bad opti, but I would make sure you replace inexpensive simple things like plugs/wires first to see if it solves it. The opti install isn't too difficult, after doing a cam swap recently I think I could change the opti in like an hour or so now, it's really not that hard. I thought getting the opti back on an lined up with the cam was a little tricky, mine didn't want to go right in for some reason, had to play with it for a while. Other than that it was a pretty straightforward job. Good luck!
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