Is that CHEAP distributor any Good?? Let's find out!

[@johnweaver8470]

I've been stranded with the 99 dollar hei msd street fire distributor has been working great for 3 years as a daily driver, great video keep them coming

[@diveingarage]

Thank you sir! Yup gotta stay away from those cheapo units

[@frccustomguns7859]

Punctuation is the key.

[@TheSouthdownband]

I am going on 5 years on this very same distributor with zero issues, very pleased with it

[@diveingarage]

You are one of the lucky ones!

[@Denver1976Man]

Put one of these in my old 88 AMC 258. It has never given me a bit of problems and without all the computer and vac lione garbage it runs great.

[@PeggyParrow]

We bought one that the gear shaft was out of round ! Beware ,check everything !

[@thisisyourcaptainspeaking2259]

How do you identify a mellonized steel gear?

[@jasonbirch1182]

It smells delicious.

[@jasonbirch1182]

Im doing a custom hei install on a Mercedes v8. I boight this because of the machined housing under the head vs the cast finish on the factory units. I have a pile of them around to steal parts from. Which bushing are people having issues with? Ill only have the upper and ill probably be running a replacement bushing in the lower half of the shaft housing ill be machining. Is the upper bushing a part i can replace with a quality oem part? I have this same distributor but i haven't torn it down yet.

[@alanwylie8960]

I have a book that tells you how to test the ignition module using a Ohm meter, it's been so long since I've even seen a HEI distributor, much less since I've tested or worked on one, but the engine I'm building for my 88 GMC 4X4 will have a HEI distributor, the TBI and TBI swirlport heads are now a thing of the past.

[@BrendaKelly-h1y]

I was wondering who you would recommend that is the best parts to order from?

[@diveingarage]

For as stockish engine distributor? The parts store, then you get a warranty. If it's built and you're pushing 5k rpm go with MSD/Holley. High performance, DUI.

[@georgeroberts613]

Kevin Bergeron (Ford part 1vid) says he went through two shaft bushings before going back to previous setup. Any ideas for that? Have a Chev Excell unit I can swap parts with...but the bushing may be a different story. Bought my 302 version prior to seeing his vid and getting a response.

[@miketriesmotorsports6080]

Great video, as always!

[@diveingarage]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

[@curtpozzi5527]

Very informative, I'm building a 461 Pontiac stroker and read bad stories about MSD boxes and other stuff to watch for. I'm leaning toward OEM stock.

[@diveingarage]

Just remember oem stuff will only give a good spark until around 5000 rpm. After that it starts falling off. Nothing wrong with an MSD HEI billet unit. Some are fancy and even have built in reb controllers so you don't spin that thing to the moon! Ha

[@elijah2078]

I will recommend NAPA for all electrical parts including starters, alternators, and a/c compressors.

[@diveingarage]

Funny you mention. Next video is about electronics/wiring.

[@jamespro1957]

I have an MSD ignition system. including the crank trigger kit. I have to do a rotor phase on the distributor, which I'm in the process of doing. I've had some of the rotors get burnt right next to the tip but the plastic. Any idea what that could be? Thanks for any information you might have.

[@diveingarage]

Sounds like the rotor is too far from the cap contact? Is everything from the same kit?

[@bobbyhackney988]

Great video. I’m currently running 4 white box hei distributors. One jegs, one summit, and 2 random eBay. Same Chinese parts, different suppliers. All work great

[@diveingarage]

Well I'm glad you're having better luck than me! I've had several and they've all failed. What sort of builds are you running them in? Stock or performance?

[@hackitgarage6503]

Dealing with a Ford with the ICM on the distributor your lucky if you get 6 months out of them.heat kills them relocating the coil and icm would be ideal

[@diveingarage]

Thought about doing an MSD remote ICM kit to solve this. But then the distributor isnt cheap anymore.

[@thisisyourcaptainspeaking2259]

Still running the same aftermarket icm 20 years, now. Maybe your coil impedence is too low, many times a bad coil causes the spark module failure.

[@philarmbrust2626]

Do you have part # of this dist., thanks

[@shonandmeshalee1691]

What was the brand name??. I just bought a Cardone distributor. Are they any good??

[@diveingarage]

Yup Cardone is a good brand.

[@the1andonly]

So you went through the entire thing, everything looked "okay" or "pretty good", but you think the components will fail within a week or two. I'm not sure what to think here. I'm fixing up a 1989 pickup, as a work truck and the distributor may or may not be original. So I'm doing some research here. In Canada, even some parts store distributors will set you back 250 bucks, but the equivalent of this one, from Amazon, is $ 69. Just rebuilding my own will cost me about 200. Your video answered a question, but I still need a second opinion.

[@diveingarage]

Well I hope it helped some. I was talking about my previous experiences with these cheap dizzys. I would avoid them. You'll end up chasing your tail.

[@the1andonly]

@@diveingarage Well, thank for the thorough video. It seems like my old one works well for now. Just replacing the spark plugs made a world of difference..

[@Shade_tree_garage01]

Specifically that exact one the bravex brand

[@joe-hp4nk]

Any distributor is good if you prepare it right.

[@nathanrice1796]

If you have a 12 volt power supply, and an MSD 88981 ignition tester, you can test the module yourself.

[@terryball3064]

Chinese distributors will put your ass walking.

[@diveingarage]

Agreed!

[@joseojea565]

It’s all Chinese!

[@joseojea565]

Lol

[@johnrobinson1020]

where do you think 99% of distributors are made?

[@jeffclark4008]

Which ones aren't Chinese?

[@jhoncho4x4]

Junkyard HEI with wires = $20

[@johnrobinson1020]

it's a bit unfair when you say 100% the control module will fail within a week or two when you don't even have the equipment to test it.

[@diveingarage]

Well that's what happened to me time and time again with these cheap units. Then I swap in a good module and it runs.

[@kingphil4375]

@@diveingaragewhat is a good module?

[@diveingarage]

Depends on how fast you're spinning the motor. Under 5,000 rpm I'd say a parts store one. Then if it fails early you can get a warranty replacement. Faster than 5k, go MSD or DUI.

[@Shade_tree_garage01]

I stuck a DUI cap on one and burned the module up in two days for the hell of it lol

[@diveingarage]

Oh man!! No surprise there. I've read/heard that coils and modules should be paired. What do you think?

[@Shade_tree_garage01]

@@diveingaragewith a DUI cap/coil definitely, using a DUI coil on something not meant for a DUI coil is certain doom, the only other modules that will work are Pertronix Flamethrower and Summit racing’s version!

[@mintypotato777]

@@diveingarage running all accel parts (4-wire module, cap/rotor, super coil) on my OEM distributor that originally had the 5 wire "retard on signal" ESC module. AC Delco plug wires and R45TS Plugs. about 12 degrees initial timing and i found that the oem weights/bushings with one medium and one light spring pulled a really nice curve with all the timing (36-38) in by 3100 RPM or so. 1984 G20 van with the 305, btw. very pleased with how it runs. aside from the edelbrock carb/alum intake the only mods have been deleting the god-forsaken emissions/ESC controls. just approaching 100k original miles so this old girl's got some good years in her yet i think

[@craigengelman1369]

ive been using hei cheap swaps for years . carry a stock style $14 part #91012347 Speedway Motors Replacement Module . or upgrade to a $160 MSD 83647 Heat HEI Ignition Module

[@mintypotato777]

i rewired mine for the 4 wire set up, installed an accel performance module (plus cap/rotor/coil) and clipped the "retard" terminal off the original GM one before stashing it in the glovebox