ZE's and internal coil distributors don't mix

[Gro Harlem]

Anyone figured out why this is? I have talked to 3 other members with ZE swaps and they have all had at least one distributor failure in the past. I just had my 2nd one, and its pissing me off. These distributors aren't exactly easy to find in the yard, and buying them new costs upwards of $450!!

Are you guys sure the wiring is EXACTLY the same on the ZE as it is for the K8? I could've sworn I read something about one of the wires being reversed.

Also...I know that on the MX3 yahoo! group there was some discussion about how to get a new distributor from the car parts place, swap its guts out and return it. What exactly did you guys do?

I went to advance auto parts today and they only showed up a couple of distributors that stated they didn't include the control module (not sure if thats the internal circular circuit board inside the distributor or not). One was for a "small cam rotor" the other for a "large cam rotor". No clue what they mean by that, but any help would be appreciated.

[curtklze]

when I did my swap, I re-used my k8 disty, since the only thing that changed was the engine, there should be no problems.

the wireing is the same, the only thing that was changed was the engine.

[Gro Harlem]

and no problems? i re-used my ECU as well, and I am using a ZE ecu....perhaps the wiring in the ECU is different.

[stang67fb]

dunno bout the ecu gro but when i went to AZ i got the small cam rotor and i had problems with those distys so maybe its the big cam you want

[timpronk]

The distributor may fail sooner since the ze tends to generate more heat underhood. Its possible the distributor fails sooner because of the this.

My k8 distributor started to fail after about 4-5 months of ze use. So I replaced it with an ignition system with an external coil and ze distributor.

Also, I think my ze runs a little cooler with the ze ecu, and 1.8 vaf

[babyblueMX3]

don't have any problems so far with my k8 disty (using ze ecu)..

Originally posted by timpronk:

My k8 distributor started to fail after about 4-5 months of ze use. So I replaced it with an ignition system with an external coil and ze distributor.

i was wondering, do you have to change the wiring harness to use the ze disty? how did you plug the ze disty? did you use jeff abrams instrcutions?

[Spydie]

you can simply buy a coil.....Jeff Abrams instructions are for if you want to use a K8 disty but with an external coil.
Since the ZE disty allready uses an external coil all you need is to buy a coil and an ignition amplifier.

[timpronk]

yes, you have to modify the wiring harness right where it connects to the distributor. Due to there being a different number of wires, and the connectors are diff.

You also need a transistor to be soldered onto a couple of wires which will act as the trigger device.

And of course a ze distributor with the end of the ze wiring harness that connects to the disty.

[Spydie]

oh yeah....that is correct

[Gro Harlem]

any further details about how to get the ZE disty to work? Like what color wire goes to which pin-out etc? I'd like to do this to my car. It seems the internal coil distributors flat-out suck. I've been reading a lot of similar stories on probetalk about failing distributors for no apparent reason so it isn't just a ZE thing.

[superslacker]

what symptoms might appear before the distributor fails? or is it an all out quick failure?

[Spydie]

Originally posted by superslacker:
what symptoms might appear before the distributor fails? or is it an all out quick failure?

sometimes you'll have some warning...CEL will be on, hard to start, code 8 I think (not totally sure)

[goldsberry1]

hello, if its going to cost $450 to get a new dist. why not put a msd ignition in there. thats what i did when mine failed. it was going to cost me around the same to get a used one.i paid around $250 for all the parts for the msd. and its not that hard to do. just do the 3055 mod too. if you do, the 3055, just make sure to hook the transistor up right. i messed up the first time and it wouldnt start. i flipped it and it started right up

[Gro Harlem]

Originally posted by goldy1:
hello, if its going to cost $450 to get a new dist. why not put a msd ignition in there. thats what i did when mine failed. it was going to cost me around the same to get a used one.i paid around $250 for all the parts for the msd. and its not that hard to do. just do the 3055 mod too. if you do, the 3055, just make sure to hook the transistor up right. i messed up the first time and it wouldnt start. i flipped it and it started right up

You still need the distributor to spark off all the 6 cylinders. Plus the cam-angle sensor is located inside of it.

The MSD ignition basically amplifies the spark. Doesn't really do much good on a NA car.

superslacker: My car basically just stopped running. I had the CC set at 62mph on the highway, and the car basically shut off, no signs, no warnings, nothing.

I don't even have a CEL....there aren't any codes either when it is in DIAG mode.

[Buff1110]

distys arent 450bux, i got my rebuilt one from napa for 150. also u gotta specify which ze disty bc mines from the eunos 800 and it had an internal coil but a different amount of wires came from the clip that plugs into the harness. just get a k8 disty and wire the plugs just like the k8 even with the ze ecu.
if i were u i would just do an external msd set up. theres ways of modifying the stock internal cap to work with msd, so u dont need the external one.