Hello all. How in heaven's name are you supposed to f=get at the pinch bolt on the base of the distributor (3.8L 1964 S type).
There must be some trick to it because on the surface of it it is almost impossible to get a spanner on it to loosen it. Any advice appreciated. Trying to do the timing.

 

All I can say is orientate yourself & do it by feel. Not too bad once you get used to it.

 

If you have a flex head ratchet wrench that also helps.

 

All done by feel as once you get your hand down the side you cannot see what you are doing. First you have to look at the orientation of the bolt head with a torch before you put your hand in the hole. Then get one hand down the hole and feel the bolt head with your fingers and judge its orientation then finally get a spanner down there. Use the open end of the spanner as getting a ring over the bolt head is difficult. It does not need to be loosened by much before you can move the distributor but if you do not loosen it enough then when you try and move it a smooth mm the whole thing moves a jerky inch.
Lastly when you do tighten the bolt back up try and move the head into a position that will make it easier to get to the next time.

 

I just use the ring end of a Kennedy ring/flat spanner. Have no issues. Guess we are all different. Do what feels comfortable to you. The slight offset of the Kennedy ring might just happen to be right for me.

 

6 or 12 pointed socket, using an open end wrench would make it very difficult.
Mine is not even a hex bolt, it requires a simple slot screw driver, I bought a "stubby" and ground the end to fit properly.

I don't believe the hex bolt is correct, it will allow over tightening, which everyone does to the point where it distorts the bracket.

 

The hex bolt is correct & original on the Lucas 41063A distributor which is standard fitment to the S Type. I have a number of them. Some hex bolts have a screwdriver slot in them but none of mine. The hex bolt is only threaded on the end that goes into the square nut. A friends XJ6 has a screwdriver slot in the hex end of the bolt.

 

You're right, mine is a hex bolt, but mine has a slot in it, and I use that, I would never think of using a wrench to get into that tight area.

 

I'm now in a position where any minor timing adjustment requirement can be achieved by slight movement of the distributer in the elongated hole in the ear that fits over the stud in the block with a nut on it. Hope I don't have to touch the clamp again.

 

I think that's what you're supposed to do to avoid struggling with the rough adjustment while the engine is in place.

I remove the distributor to do the points by removing the nut in the elongated hole _ still a bit of a bear to get the nut started though.

 

Indeed, but I find it a little easier. I'm running a Pertronix Ignitor so no points & dwell angles to consider. (I keep a spare distributor with new points & condenser built up in case of a failure). Working on the principle that as long as I have a spare I won't have a failure. That said today's Pertronix gear is pretty bullet proof.

 

It seems ironic that you would have to carry a spare distributor around in case the electronic unit fails.
I never found points that unreliable where I had to change to electronic.

There are many threads and on many forums about the up and down side to these aftermarket electronic ignitions _ I was never a fan of them.
Although I am seriously considering installing a 123 ignition in my Bentley.
It gets rid of the mechanical advanced weights too, I believe it's also properly shielded from the lightening storm inside the distributor.

 

Funny thing it's no longer in the boot but lying in the garage. It's still coil ignition. I just hate points & condensers ~ especially on Jaguars. I have a friend in Dallas with a 46 car collection & Pertronix in every one of them. Never a failure. I have a similar dislike for SU Fuel pumps ~ especially those with points. I'm running Hardi pumps from Germany. They sound correct. Are unseen. Mount identically & we all seem happy to run electronically controlled, polarity insensitive fuel pumps. Even newer SU's.

 

I've had too many problems with electronic ignitions, one left me stranded and cost 150.00$ for a tow, lucky I wasn't too far from home.
That was a Lumenition unit, it always ran really hot and I'm sure it cooked itself.
I've had one time with my TR7 where the Pertronix unit was dead out of the box, I had to convince the Jag dealer that it wasn't my fault and that I didn't damage it.
The replacement eventually failed, there was spark, but it could not be timed.

Never had problems with the SU fuel pumps, when I was a kid we had a Mini and a P5 Rover, they never gave any trouble, and no trouble on the Jag or Bentley.
The Bentley had some cheap electronic one in it and it was too much pressure for the float valves _ what a disaster that was.
I'm just not a believer in aftermarket electronic stuff, at least not much anymore.
Indecently, the SU fuel pumps can be made to be polarity insensitive.

 

All our modern motor cars are fully electronic & highly reliable. Time moves on. There is no excuse today for unreliable electronics. If you look at everything that hangs on multiple CAN Networks of a modern Benz car etc. & as the worlds premium taxi many do a million kilometers or more trouble free. Lots of tyres, brake pads & rotors/discs & normal service/wear parts. I'm sure Clyde will have no issues with his Restomod once settled down. The same companies that build for OE today build for aftermarket ~ e.g. Nippon Denso, Bosch, AL, Philips etc. etc ad nauseum.

Regarding SU fuel pumps it is no surprise that they have 0% market share with today's OEMs. As a lifetime oilco/petroleum man I can assure you SU pumps were by some margin the least reliable pump on the market. Hence failure of the company in May 1999. Those that want to stay with SU need to say a huge thanks to Burlen Fuel Systems for maintaining spares availability & buying the IP in 2002. They have now brought back the SU brand as a subsidiary of Burlen but that is just a branding exercise. No effort is being made to make modern FI pumps & components for petrol or diesel etc.

That's what I like about Hardi pumps. They have huge longevity & provide perfectly controlled low pressure for LP sensitive carbs like SU. They are also acceptably priced.

 

Agreed, I converted my car to the Ford EDIS ignition system, the timing is rock solid and best of all programmable. That's using 25 year old junkyard parts too.

 

OK, are there any electronic ignitions that allow the car to be timed without actually moving the distributor ie they simply change the dwell in the electronics itself probably via Bluetooth?

 

Yes, a Megajolt box, combined with a toothed wheel on the crankshaft, a coilpack and a pickup, plus a Ford EDIS module. EDIS stands for Electronic Distributorless Ignition System, so it replaces the distributor and it programmed via a laptop. Not a simple or drop in exercise, it replaces the distributor.

Can it be done? Yes. Is it simple or easy? No. Cheap? If you use junkyard parts and can do metal fabrication - Yes.

You might also consider a 123 distributor system, but last time I looked it wasn't cheap and didn't have the advantages of being fully programmable like Megajolt is.

 

I think the 123 distributor system is probably the easiest all round & adequately programmable. Certainly on the S Type Register it's the most popular. Seems highly durable as well.

https://www.123ignition.de/123-ignit...xk-engine.aspx

Then you can get into long chats with members like Orlando as to which curve works well in what conditions & play to your heart's content without scuffing a knuckle.

 

SU pumps and contact breaker ignition systems are from an era before power transistor switching. No one would invent them now. For their day, they weren't too bad. The SU pump needs the odd kick and the distributor requires regular maintenance and gives neither optimum nor consistent advance, but they work. The position of the distributor on our cars, vertically below the top hose, requires maintenance by feel and means that the tiniest leak stops the engine - good reasons to get rid of the thing. Considering what is possible now, apart from the fact that it's already there, why keep it?