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I was about to do the same thing with the Mallory module...I wasn't sure if it could handle full battery voltage but after looking at the wiring diagram, it looks like if it's wired through an ignition box then it is safe. I think I will look into the 9 volt battery test a little more though.

Well, I thought I saw the diagram in a Chiltons manual years ago..but a simple voltmeter set on continuity should show opening & closing on terminals B-C. My issue is creating the AC signal at W-G, without pulling out my distributor. Read where an old Weller soldering gun would create a strong AC field on W-G, but it doesn’t. Tried a 9V battery in series with a 12v test light on B-C & it never pulses the light.

That's a good idea. I'll check it out....thank you.

Yes, I very highly recommend checking it at idle as well as 3000 RPM or higher. You need to see if it stays the same or if it retards as the RPM increases. If it retards at higher RPM, you can readjust the idle timing to get the results you want or that the engines requires.

I bought a fast brand lockout kit we'll see how it works

The best way to get the holes lined up is to use a piece of cardboard or a piece of paper and press it on the top of the posts. Transfer that to whatever you're using and drill the holes. Hope that answers your question.

Thanks...I haven't even seen one of these in about 30 years. I never got the chance to play with these very much but we did have these units in the shop in the 80s and 90s...I mostly just watched and learned from the guys who knew how to use them. Can't wait to spend more time with it.

Oh yeah...it's been a long time, LOL. I was going to try to search for one but now you got me thinking...thanks for your input.

@@BruceCoggins you're welcome.

Same here. To some people this is just old out dated equipment or "junk" but to me this was a part of my past and something I am super excited to have and I plan on experimenting with this as much as possible.

@@BruceCoggins we had a large Allen Test equipment one at a shop I worked at back in the day. It had a 4 gas analyzer with it as well. It was huge and took up a lot of space! I like these as it lets you see what the spark line is doing. Especially in each individual cylinders.

In order to remove the module you will need an aftermarket ignition box...MSD, Crane, Pertronix, etc...hook that up to the magnetic pickup and you're golden.

This was one of the first videos I ever made and I didn't really want to talk on it so I put in the background music...I need to redo it without music and explain each step. I made a Part 2 video explaining things and answered a few questions though...

Great question...I'm sure it would run but I think it wouldn't run very well for the reason you stated. Thanks for watching.

Disc brakes do have a tendency to slightly drag but the wheels should turn freely when you spin them by hand. One thing you can try is loosen the nuts holding the master cylinder on the booster and see if you can feel the rod pushing it away...if it does then the rod is too long or the pedal isn't returning all the way. It shouldn't cause all 4 wheels to drag because as you push the brake pedal the fronts activate first and then the rears.. or vice versa but either way only one or the other will be in play. As far as the whining noise in the power steering, as soon as the bubbles disappear the noise should go away. Check the ps fluid with the engine running and add as necessary.

@@BruceCoggins ok thank you I’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow!!!🔥🔥🔥

@@BruceCogginsnew subscriber 🔥🔥🔥

LOL, yes you are...thank you for subscribing.

Thanks for pointing that out. For years I was under the impression that all race plugs had no resistor but after looking at numerous plugs it seems some do have a resistor and some don't but they still somehow have very low resistance. Something I should have tested when we had a racetrack was a high resistance set of plugs versus a very low resistance plug to see if there was an ET difference. Our local drag strip was sold in 2018 so tests like that are much more difficult....

Good question...I'd check the magnetic pickup and see if it has 6 or 8 points on it. I'd assume it would only have 6 so that won't work. I might need to see if I can find one of those at the wrecking yard next time I'm out there and do some experimenting

6 cylinder distributors won't work in 8 cylinder engines due to v6s having 6 pickup points vs v8s 8 pickup points.

An electronic control module is simply the electronic replacement for points. A module has a certain amount of dwell built into it...as a matter of fact, it has what's called "expanding dwell". Google search HEI expanding dwell and you'll read some interesting information. Now, I believe the 5 pin module has a retard function but not an advance function. They were used in the early computer-controlled distributors back in the mid to late 80s.

@@BruceCoggins I've read about the variable dwell. Mainly used to reduce coil & module temperature at low engine speeds by reducing on time. Then at higher speeds allows for more coil saturation. High tech back in '74 lol. Pretty sure the marine guys say the factory module on TBI modules will slightly advance timing as rpm's increase, it was some sort of default if the ECM failed to control timing. Just wondering if you ever noticed or can confirm.

@@scrappy7571 I have not tested that but I don't really see how the module can change the timing by itself. Let's look at the wires on the module...There are 2 connectors on one end of the module...these go to the coil positive and negative. On the other side there are 4 wires...a ground (black), timing by-pass (tan with a black tracer), purple - this is the reference for the ecm to run the fuel pump after it sees a signal, and a white wire which is for the EST (electronic spark timing) so that would mean the computer can adjust timing. This module does have dwell but that doesn't change the timing. I may be missing something but I still can't see how the module alone will change anything with the timing. Questions like this get me thinking though...I will try to come up with a way to test that theory with my wheel installed on the machine and we'll see if that holds true or not without the use of an ECM. Thanks for your input...now we have more things to test ;)

@@BruceCoggins Cool! I have been pondering this for years. Hope you can confirm it does or does not.

If you have a gm module try to use it. Aftermarket modules usually have "unnecessary" features removed.

Yes, checking the phasing is important and easy enough to do but is often overlooked. Thanks for your input.

For the design of this distributor tester, I searched for "homemade distributor machine" and a very nice write-up came up so I pretty much copied that plus I made a few tweaks to the design to make it my own. You can make it larger or smaller depending on what you plan to do with it. In my case, I wanted to have enough room behind the distributor holder to mount different ignition systems for testing. Reading the write-up, that guy used a degree wheel to do timing checks. I tried that but the degree wheel was too heavy...instead, I used corrugated plastic because it is light and rigid. If you look through some of my older videos, it shows how this works. I made it so I can run this unit with or without the wheel. I will warn you though...once you build this, you will spend hours and hours in the garage playing with it and all of your friends will want to bring their distributors and ignitions over for you to test LOL. This has been a lot of fun and I can actually test ignition systems before I mount them in the car which can save time when trying to trouble shoot weird issues.

Pretty much any distributor that has a magnetic pickup is going to function about the same. If you plan on running locked-out timing then for simplicity, the TBI distributor would be easier. The HEI can be locked out but it does require a couple extra steps. As far as performance is concerned, again they should all be the same.

@@BruceCoggins . Thanks for your great information, What about marine engine?

You will need the marine version which is waterproof. If locked out timing is what you're looking for then this will work just fine.

If you lock out the advance and retain the module, your timing will retard as RPM increases due to latency between the magnetic pickup and the module. Whenever I lock out a distributor the first thing I do is remove the module. You will need an ignition system capable of firing off the magnetic pickup like an MSD 6al for instance.

MSD distributors have an issue with the magnetic pickup getting corroded so I'd take a look at that. Depending on your setup, it could be a spark plug issue too. If you are running "race plugs", they do not have a resistor so they may be causing RF interference. I have a friend who races a COPO Camaro and started having ignition issues shortly after changing spark plugs. Apparently, those cars/engines don't like non-resistor spark plugs, lOL. I have a video testing the resistance on multiple spark plugs that you may be interested in watching.

@@BruceCoggins this combo just started out of the blue, a little after we installed a Boost Leash Pulse Leash. I have replaced the cap, rotor, and magnetic pick up, checked the phasing (phasing was perfect) and issue is still there. I had same issue trying to record it with a camera lol. Video is on my channel. I sent the box out for testing and MSD said it was good. Had carburetor rebuilt by CSU. Cleaned fuel filter, changed plugs and wires, re-set rockers and a few other things I cannot think of. Car revs just fine in park in neutral but driving down the road it cuts out around 4800 like it is on the 2 step. Other than that, it drives, starts, and idles just fine.

The vacuum canister holds the magnetic pickup in place but it will not be phased properly if you lockout the centrifugal advance. You can modify the mounting holes or make your own lockout plate to use in place of the vacuum canister. Watch part 2 of this video...I explain that part in detail. Thanks for watching.

I think I know what you're asking but I don't see why it would be necessary. Once you lock the magnetic pickup in place and it's phased properly, you shouldn't ever need to move it again. Are you looking for a way to adjust it on the fly or something? Again, that isn't necessary.

Negative. Once you phase the distributor, it's phased. Basically, your just making sure the magnetic pickup is in line with the reluctor and once it's locked down it won't change.

@@BruceCoggins thanks!

Great questions. If the spark does not occur directly at the terminal or between cylinders, it can cause two cylinders to fire at the same time. You might feel something like a misfire or you might not feel anything at all. This shouldn't cause the spark plugs to turn black. If your plugs at turning black then they are fouling...it could be oil fouling or you could have an overly rich fuel condition. A few things I would try. 1- Double check your timing. I would need more info about your combination in order to give you a recommendation on where to set it but if it is too low, that can definitely cause your issue. 2- you might need a hotter spark plug. Running a plug that is too cold can cause fouling. 3- the carburetor might be jetted too rich or may not be adjusted properly. Again, I don't have enough information about your setup to give you any good advice there. You asked about the counter weights/springs...if the counter weights and springs are operating properly then all is good. If the weights are stuck in place and will not move then that could cause some issues due to the fact the timing can't advance as it should. As long as the weights move freely then that would not be your problem.

@@BruceCoggins Thank you very much friend, I will try to make a cover that I have the hole like you and from there I will confirm that it springs well into place, the ignition advance of this engine is 8º and is correct according to the lamp and the marks, once I check The distributor is going well, I will look at the carburetor with a vacuum gauge, (Rochester quadrajet 4 barrel carburetor) it only has 2 screws for the passage of gasoline, it does not have any for air, (the idle screw does that function) I have another engine like this and it runs perfect but even taking into account how the other one is, this one does not respond like the one that works well, I will try again and if everything is correct I will look at other things before looking for a new carburetor, greetings and thank you very much for your time

@@franciscotrujillo4961 even without knowing much about your combination, I would say that 8 degrees is a little low...that's probably what the tag in the engine compartment says but you have to remember that is for emissions purposes. I would bump the timing up to about 12 degrees (with the vacuum advance hose plugged) and then plug the vacuum advance hose into a manifold vacuum source. After you advance the timing readjust the idle speed then adjust the idle mixture screws...you can use a vacuum gauge or do it by ear depending on your experience but do one side at a time, turn it in (clockwise) slowly until the engine starts to stumble or the vacuum gauge drops then turn it out about a turn ...do the same for each mixture screw. You should feel a noticeable difference.

@@BruceCoggins It could be, because I have the other engine at 12º and I am about to do everything as it is in the manual, I put it at 8º, maybe that is the key, the distributor does not have a vacuum hose, so I did not tell him anything about that topic, but Thank you very much for your attention, regards

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One of the things I really wanted to do is find a way to test output voltage between coils and at the plug but so far I have not figured out how to do that. A neighbor brought over an oscilloscope for me to try but it didn't really show what I wanted it to. I can visually see a difference in spark between certain coils and resistor versus non-resister spark plugs but it doesn't come across very well on video. As far as gap is concerned, I did test that years ago in my race car. My car is very consistent so over the course of a full racing season I tested a few things. I tested NGK racing plugs vs Autolite racing plugs, standard reach vs extended reach, 2 different heat ranges, indexing plugs and finally I ran 2 different gaps .030 & .045. Results - after testing everything the only thing that made any difference at all was the engine ran a little better with a tight plug gap and I ended up leaving them at .035. By the way, indexing spark plugs did absolutely nothing - in my case. In all, I ended up trying 22 sets of spark plugs and yes, it was a little bit expensive, LOL. Anyway, thanks for your input and I am still going to look for an easy way to test coil output at the plug. I think it will be a very interesting experiment.

It was winter time and it was freezing in the garage. These "smurf gloves" don't help much but they do work, LOL.

If you have an aftermarket ignition box then, no. You must remove the module and only use the magnetic pickup. If you want to keep the module in place then I am not sure that will work. Those modules have a total of 6 pins...two pins go to the coil and the other 4 go to the computer so that is why you should remove the module and fire it off the magnetic pickup. The TBI distributor is just a solid shaft so it is automatically locked out and phased so if you are looking for a small body distributor that is locked out, this is a cheap alternative.

Remove the original coil dust cover and remove the internal coil. Install an MSD 8401 modified dust cover with a coil tower post. Leave the insulator and the bushing in place. Now you can run an external coil.

@@BruceCoggins Thank you so much. Any benefit to using external coil?

I prefer external coils for a couple of reasons but mainly it's so I can run the coil that best fits the ignition system I choose to run. In my limited testing, it looks like you can get a higher output coil by using an external coil. I prefer the E-core type coil. Very high output. Heat is another reason to get rid of the internal coil although I have never tested how much heat they generate. I have another video where I did some rudimentary coil testing and the external type coils seem to generate a hotter spark.

@@BruceCoggins Thanks again. I need a new HEI coil for my sbc 406. The engine is set up with a crane hi 6 ignition box. Would the E-core type coil be a good choice for my set up?

I run a crane Hi-6 in my Camaro and it sports a 406. I'm using the Crane LX92 E-core coil which isn't available anymore but there are other brands with the same coil. Look at the MSD 8252.

Exactly, the seals you get today aren't as good as they used to be. One trick that works is to pack the seal with grease before you install it. That's something we use to do years ago. Try that and see how it works for you.