Kloud Nine Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 Hi folks, I'm having trouble with my dual points distributor on my K9 and was looking at going pointless ignition. Prices for my dizzy (screened though now not needed) are a bit steep at £220 + vat. A friend has mentioned that the engine is basically an MGC and that a single points dizzy from an Austin Healey or summat might fit. Any ideas? Cheers C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruxy Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 Think Austin Loadstar , as in Jensen LoL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kloud Nine Posted August 12, 2014 Author Share Posted August 12, 2014 I'm also thinking Shearline, Princess etc...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean N Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 (edited) Not all K9's had the twin points distributor; they were only fitted to FFW vehicles. Others had a Lucas distributor similar to that fitted to nearly every Austin / Morris / BMC vehicle of the '50s and '60s, although you can't just slap any Lucas dizzy on as there are detail differences. The 4 litre engine in various guises was fitted to the Austin Loadstar (series 2 and 3), Austin / Morris / BMC FE, FF, FG, FJ, WE, WF, etc. etc. so it shouldn't be difficult to find a distributor. Give me a few days I might be able to dig out a part number. It would also be worth looking through some of Clive's posts on here about the twin points distributor as it may be something fairly simple. Edited August 12, 2014 by Sean N Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 The 1958 Lucas list for Austin shows the Series 3 lorry had a DM6 distributor, part no. 40472A, but the Princess had a different part number, this may only have been a difference in cap, or maybe the advance degrees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean N Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 The 1958 Lucas list for Austin shows the Series 3 lorry had a DM6 distributor, part no. 40472A, but the Princess had a different part number, this may only have been a difference in cap, or maybe the advance degrees. Thanks Richard. Off the top of my head that sounds like the part number I recall. Might be affected by whether the truck in question used the High Speed engine or not (K9s all did). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kloud Nine Posted August 13, 2014 Author Share Posted August 13, 2014 Confused.... 40472a comes out as CW and +ground. My dizzy os CCW and -ground. Simon at PowerSpark says he can supply a DM6 in CCW -ground so maybe I'll give it a try....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 Confused.... 40472a comes out as CW and +ground. My dizzy os CCW and -ground. Simon at PowerSpark says he can supply a DM6 in CCW -ground so maybe I'll give it a try....... I fail to see how polarity affects a distributor, the condenser is definitely not polarity sensitive. As for CW, I quoted the number straight out of a Lucas catalogue for Austins current at 1958. I know these engines well and am unaware of a change of rotation in the dizzy ...... it would have to be a major design change. Unless Lucas catalogue is wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 (edited) Do you know for sure which way you engine turns the distributor? Reason I ask is that all Austins, cars and lorries in the 1958 Lucas spec are using CW dizzys, where as in the 1967 issue of Lucas catalogue, all Austin lorries and Princess cars are showing CCW units, there are at least three different units for 1967 and all are CCW and all three units in 1958 are CW, so you need to ascertain the dist rotation on your engine. Edited August 13, 2014 by Richard Farrant catalogue date amended Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 More info straight from the Army Vocab dated 1955. The K9 was fitted with a CW dizzy, part no 40147, for first 700 vehicles, then superseded by 40308, again showing as CW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean N Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 Do you know for sure which way you engine turns the distributor? Reason I ask is that all Austins, cars and lorries in the 1958 Lucas spec are using CW dizzys, where as in the 1958 issue of Lucas catalogue, all Austin lorries and Princess cars are showing CCW units... Richard, should that second '1958' read 1967? I wonder if one of those is an error in the catalogue? The 4 litre changed in detail between 1958 and 1967 but I'd be surprised if something as major as distributor rotation changed. As soon as I can I'll check the rotation on mine and dig out the part numbers I have. I can't see why grounding polarity would be material either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 Richard, should that second '1958' read 1967? I wonder if one of those is an error in the catalogue? The 4 litre changed in detail between 1958 and 1967 but I'd be surprised if something as major as distributor rotation changed. As soon as I can I'll check the rotation on mine and dig out the part numbers I have. I can't see why grounding polarity would be material either. Thanks Sean, amended now, it should have been 1967. I have not dealt with late 4 litres from 1960's, but wondering if they changed the cam drive from chain to gear, this would be the obvious reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean N Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 To be honest it's 10 years now since I did a lot of work on 4 litres and I haven't touched the K9s in ages (which is why I'm struggling to remember rotations etc.), but I don't recall such a major change and it's difficult to see why they would have done it. You're right though, that would be the obvious reason. Unfortunately my parts books etc. are not handy but as soon as I can I'll refresh my memory, may take a couple of days though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 Confused.... 40472a comes out as CW and +ground. My dizzy os CCW and -ground. Simon at PowerSpark says he can supply a DM6 in CCW -ground so maybe I'll give it a try....... Hi Kloud Nine, A thought has just occurred to me, if you have a screened ignition distributor in your K9, it may well have an arrow showing rotation on it, these distributors were fitted in other engines during 1940's and 50's with differing rotations. I have heard of engines with the wrong rotation distributors fitted and performance is obviously poor, maybe this is the problem with yours. The original K9 engine should be CW rotation of distributor. If you can find the tag on the screened distributor with Lucas number, I can identify it. regards, Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kloud Nine Posted August 14, 2014 Author Share Posted August 14, 2014 (edited) Hi Richard, I think you may be correct. My manual does indeed state that the unshielded dizzy is a DM6. Once I found it! My Austin parts list only gives an Austin part no. for the distributor: 3H 2614, Thats for the single points/vac advance model. Cheers, C. Edited August 14, 2014 by Kloud Nine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 My RAF 16E Vocabulary of MT Electrical Eqpt (1954) gives: Model No DM6-BN215 Part No.40308A 16E/19623 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kloud Nine Posted August 14, 2014 Author Share Posted August 14, 2014 Hi Clive, Is yours shielded or un shielded? Thanks C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 Unshielded Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 My RAF 16E Vocabulary of MT Electrical Eqpt (1954) gives: Model No DM6-BN215 Part No.40308A 16E/19623 Hi Clive, 40308 was one I found in the Army Vocab. It listed the first 700 K9 trucks were fitted with 40147 and this item was superseded by 40308 ........ a CW unit. Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 Hi Richard,I think you may be correct. My manual does indeed state that the unshielded dizzy is a DM6. Once I found it! My Austin parts list only gives an Austin part no. for the distributor: 3H 2614, Thats for the single points/vac advance model. Cheers, C. Hi C, Going by the arrow on the cap it is the wrong rotation. If the lower part of the distributor is also CCW then the auto advance will not perform, and performance will be poor. There is a small plate on the lower body with Lucas part number, if you can read it I will let you know what engine it was intended for. Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 Hi Clive,40308 was one I found in the Army Vocab. It listed the first 700 K9 trucks were fitted with 40147 and this item was superseded by 40308 ........ a CW unit. Richard The version of DM6-BN215 listed in my 1963 VAOS is 40308H as opposed to 40308A for the RAF although that is 9 years earlier it just says Austin 1 Ton 4x4. I can't find 40147 listed in 16E. My 1953 Austin Parts List WO Code No.17735 quotes: DM6-BN125, 40308A - vehicles without wireless DDBCH9A, 40309A -screened for wireless vehicles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 The version of DM6-BN215 listed in my 1963 VAOS is 40308H as opposed to 40308A for the RAF although that is 9 years earlier it just says Austin 1 Ton 4x4. I can't find 40147 listed in 16E. Clive, The ECM curve (399) and Advance degrees (14) are shown the same on both 40308A and H. It will be an obscure difference no doubt. The early K9 distributor 40147 was superseded so may be the reason you cannot find it or the RAF did not procure any of the early K9's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 or the RAF did not procure any of the early K9's. Richard I think probably the latter reason as the RAF versions seem to trail behind the WO version. Going on the dates of the Design Specs. 1951 GS 1952 RAF GS 1952 Water Tanker 1953 Wireless Light 1954 RAF Water Tanker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean N Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 I had a look at my remaining two K9s this morning. The early one has a screened distributor in - I couldn't see the part number. It's marked for counter-clockwise rotation. The late one has a DM6 40932F in, though this isn't the original distributor - it came out of another K9 to replace a faulty screened distributor, and I doubt it was the original distributor in the truck it came out of. I also checked the rotation first-hand by turning the engine. On both vehicles the distributor rotates counter-clockwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I also checked the rotation first-hand by turning the engine. On both vehicles the distributor rotates counter-clockwise. Hi Sean, It sounds like there was a mistake in the database of Lucas distributor info that I was consulting, it showed the very late ones as being CCW, which I thought it odd to have changed rotation late in the engine's lifespan. It was not a Lucas document but info must have come from them originally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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