Distributor Service

Fig 1 Exploded view of American Motors distributor used with solid state ignition system:

TRIGGER WHEEL & SENSOR, REPLACE
1. Remove distributor cap and rotor, Fig. 1.
2. Remove trigger wheel with a suitable gear puller. Use a flat washer to prevent gear puller from contacting inner shaft. The trigger wheel may also be removed by using two screwdrivers to pry trigger wheel upward. Remove pin.
3. Remove sensor retainer and washers from pivot pin on base plate, then the retaining screws.
4. On all distributors, remove ground screw from harness tab.
5. Remove sensor assembly from distributor housing.
6. Reverse procedure to assemble.

VACUUM UNIT, REPLACE
1. Disconnect vacuum hose.
2. Remove vacuum unit attaching screws and the vacuum unit, Fig. 1. It is necessary to tilt the vacuum unit to disengage the link from the sensor pin and also loosen the base plate screws for clearance.
3. Reverse procedure to install. If a new vacuum unit is installed, it must be calibrated as follows:
a. Insert an appropriate size Allen wrench into vacuum hose tube of original vacuum unit. Rotate Allen wrench clockwise and note the number of turns required to bottom the adjusting screw.
b. Insert Allen wrench into vacuum hose tube of replacement vacuum unit. Turn the Allen wrench clockwise until the adjusting screw is bottomed, then rotate Allen wrench counter clockwise the number of turns noted in the previous step.