DISTRIBUTORS & HEI INSTALLATIONS

Section 1 authored by Wes Vann, with minor revisions and photos by Schurkey

that are changed, but a more complete job would

Basics include optimizing the vacuum advance as well.
Vacuum advance is the canister that is mounted on
I don't want to bore (or insult) anybody, but there the side of the distributor. It has a hose that is
are a bunch of items that should be said. hooked up to a source of vacuum. It controls the
This article is written with traditional Chevrolet V-8 advance based on engine load. You can get adjust-
engines in mind. This information can be adapted to able canisters. Vacuum advance is strongly recom-
other engine families but details may differ. mended for any engine that is run at part throttle.
The firing order on a traditional Chevy is: 1-8-4-3- Racers don’t spend much time at part throttle, and
6-5-7-2. so they do not use vacuum advance. Somewhere
If you view the top of the distributor cap, the spark along the line, people decided that if their race
plug wires should be in a "clock-wise" order. hero’s car didn’t have vacuum advance, that a
street-driven car didn’t need one either. Wrong.
The spark must occur near the "top dead center" Both fuel economy and throttle response can be
that is at the end of the compression cycle. This is improved by proper application of vacuum advance.
“Top Dead Center-Compression stroke”, or TDCC. There are two main sources of vacuum. Manifold
vacuum is the vacuum available in the intake mani-
fold. “Ported” or “timed” vacuum is just manifold
vacuum that gets “shut off” at idle. It costs nothing
to try both sources, your engine will tell you which
one it likes more. When talking about re-curving a
distributor, the term “total timing” is used. This
term is borrowed from race engine builders, and
race engines don’t have vacuum advance. There-
fore “total timing” includes initial timing (sometimes
called “static” timing) and the centrifugal advance
(sometimes called “mechanical” advance, for no
good reason I can think of.) Total timing, therefore
does NOT include vacuum advance.

Photo 1. Plug wire sequence vs. distributor cap

connector location for Chevrolet. Note that the
very bottom center hole; and top center hole are
un-used.

The other "top dead center" is at the end of the Ex-

haust stroke, therefore it is TDCE. Keep in mind
that we are talking four stroke engines here and
there are two rotations of the crank for every one
rotation of the cam or distributor!

Centrifugal advance relates purely to distributor Photo 2. Centrifugal advance parts including center
(and therefore engine) speed. It is done by the set plate and retainers, weights, nylon pads, and
of weights and springs inside the distributor. When springs. Weights and center plate are identified by
a distributor is "recurved", it's usually the springs, stamped-in numbers.
weights, and the center piece the weights act on

Page 6
DISTRIBUTORS & HEI INSTALLATIONS

Once the piston stop is installed, you have to ro-

You can rotate the distributor body to any position tate the engine carefully, by hand, clockwise until
you want, as long as the spark plug wires are posi- the piston hits the stop. Put a mark on the balancer
tioned so that the rotor is pointing to the terminal where the timing pointer is pointing. Then rotate
with the #1 wire at the correct engine time. With the engine counter-clockwise until the piston again
that in mind, it probably takes less effort AND looks hits the stop. Make another mark on the balancer
more professional to install the distributor where the timing pointer is pointing.
“correctly” so that everything is aligned as the fac-
tory did, than to play “pin the tail on the distribu- The point exactly half way between the two marks
tor”. You also run the risk of having your spark plug you made on the harmonic balancer is "top dead
wires too long or too short if you don’t install the center"!
distributor as the factory intended. Keep in mind
that the terminals on the cap are evenly spaced Distributor installation; This is if you didn't note the
(except for those weird odd-fire V6s!). position of rotor when you pulled it out or just re-
built the engine. You first have to make sure that
How to find the correct "top dead center" for you are at TDCC.
#1 firing;
One of the biggest headaches in installing a dis-
This assumes that you trust your timing marker is tributor in a Chevy is that not only does it have to
correct. Depending on the history of the engine, engage the gear at the end of the cam, it also has
you may not want to make this assumption. to connect to the oil pump. Due to angled gear
teeth, the rotor will rotate a few degrees as you
You should remove the spark plugs so that it's eas- slide it down. If it doesn't go down all the way, it's
ier to rotate the engine. You will also have to re- due to not engaging into the oil pump shaft cor-
move the valve cover on the driver’s side of the en- rectly. Don't try to force it!
gine.
If it doesn't engage correctly into the oil pump
The valve on the driver’s (left) side that is the clos- shaft, you have to use a long screwdriver to rotate
est to the radiator is the #1 exhaust valve. The the pump a little. Then retry installing the distribu-
second is the #1 intake valve. tor. It's just a matter of playing with it! You could
also rotate the crankshaft to line up the distributor
Always rotate the engine in a "clockwise" direction with the oil pump shaft, but you’ll have to rotate
as you look at the harmonic balancer from the front the crank two full turns in order to get back to
of the car. Rotate the engine while watching the #1 TDCC to get the initial timing in the ballpark.
intake valve. The first time that the timing mark
comes up to "top-dead-center" after the intake
valve closes is when the spark should occur! Group Purchases by Professionals
http://www.gpsuperstore.com
If you don't trust the timing mark (and not trusting
your timing mark is a very good idea if you haven’t
verified it’s accuracy);

You will have to use a piston stop in order to do

this. A piston stop is a hard item that limits how
high a piston can go. I made one by welding an ex-
tension on a sparkplug that would go into the com-
bustion chamber. If you hit the starter, you shatter
the piston! http://www.gpsuperstore.com

Page 7
DISTRIBUTORS & HEI INSTALLATIONS
There is no longer a need for the power wire that
Converting a "points" distributor to "non- comes from the starter “R” terminal.
points"

Converting a “points” distributor to electronic igni-

tion requires that you remove the points and re-
place them with a magnetic or optical sensor and a
control module, which may or may not be built-in to
the sensor body. The nice thing about this is that
there are no points to wear out or go out of adjust-
ment, plus you still have the look of a stock dis-
tributor. There are several kits available to do this.
A concern is that if you purchase an aftermarket
kit, and the ignition dies while you’re in the middle
of nowhere, will you be able to get replacement
parts in a timely and convenient fashion? A kit
based on the GM HEI module will allow you to get a
replacement module nearly anywhere!

Notes on wiring for a "points" distributor;

There are normally two wires on the "+" terminal

on the coil. One is the "resistance" power wire. The
other is a wire that supplies power from the starter
solenoid “R” terminal, it supplies power only when
the starter is cranking.

The "resistance" on a GM isn't anything that can

really be seen. It looks like just any other wire. (on
some other manufactures cars, the resistance is in
a ceramic block)

The wire from the distributor goes to the "-" termi-

nal on the coil. On most HEI's, there are three wires that come
from the base of the distributor and they plug into
There may be an additional capacitor on the coil - the cap. It's a connector block and can't be plugged
terminal. This is to eliminate radio interference. in wrong.

Notes on wiring for an "HEI" distributor with the

coil in the cap;

If you are converting from a points type distributor,

you have to make sure that the "resistance" power
wire is bypassed! It's best to just run a new 12-
guage wire from the fuse block. This wire goes to
the terminal marked "BAT" or “B+” on the distribu-
tor cap. I’m told that the average electrical draw of
the HEI is fairly low, but the instantaneous draw
can be quite high. That’s why you need such a large
wire feeding power to it.

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DISTRIBUTORS & HEI INSTALLATIONS
Section 2 “Identification of HEI Ignition Systems" authored by Schurkey.

Identifying your HEI system

There are several variations on

the original High Energy Igni-
tion (HEI) system. The original
HEI was introduced in 1974 on
select vehicles. It had a four
terminal module, and both cen-
trifugal and vacuum advance.
This and its aftermarket sisters
are the most common with per-
formance enthusiasts. Alumi-
num distributor bodies were
cast to fit many different engine
families—four, six, and eight
cylinders, inline and V-type. The
V-6 and V-8 engines got the
ignition coil built into the dis-
tributor cap, while usually—but
not always—the inline 4 and 6
cylinder engines received a
separate, external ignition coil.
The aftermarket is now building
HEI-style distributors for a wide
variety of engine families, in-
cluding Holden, Ford and AMC
engines, as well as several GM
engines that didn’t come with
HEI during their production Photo 3. Disassembled HEI (Not shown: roll pin for distributor gear,
runs. Four pin modules are spring clip to retain pickup coil; screws to retain ignition coil and cover,
completely interchangeable, and plastic grease reservoir seal.)
and diagnosis procedures are
similar. Other internal components have limited in- In 1987, a “small body” HEI using a separate coil
terchangeability. More on that later. was introduced for Chevy V-8. This is completely
computer-controlled and has no centrifugal or vac-
uum advance. Delco offered a retro-fit electronic
Some later HEI distributors used five terminal ignition system for marine use based on this “small
modules, the fifth terminal was used to retard tim- body” HEI called the “Delco Voyager Marine Dis-
ing based on sensors and circuitry external to the tributor Ignition System. Timing advance was done
distributor. Those systems were called HEI- electronically, within the module itself. This ad-
Electronic Module Retard, HEI-Electronic Spark Con- vance was similar to “centrifugal advance” in that it
trol, or HEI-Electronic Spark Selection. These dis- is purely RPM-related; there is no provision to
tributors also used both vacuum and centrifugal ad- mimic vacuum advance.
vance. Be careful, there are at least two completely
different (not interchangeable) five-pin modules. Coming Next Month!
Starting in 1981, ignitions with complete computer
control of spark timing use a seven terminal mod- Schurkey explains and shows in detail:
ule. There is no vacuum or centrifugal advance.
HEI Diagnosing and Troubleshooting

Page 9
Authored by Schurkey
All information believed to be correct at time of writing.
Comments/suggestions? Contact schurkey@v-drivemail.zzn.com

Got the HEI No-Spark Blues? Special Tools:

Don’t worry, be happy. HEIs are as easy as pie to The most important special tool is a fully functional
fix. You don’t even need kilobuck ‘scopes, module brain. Be sure yours is completely engaged. If the
testers, or computer interfaces. clutch plates of your mind are slipping, press
“BACK" on your browser.
The Usual Legal Disclaimers And Stuff.
Spark tester: K-D tools 2756 (also available from
This is NOT the official factory diagnostic proce- Snap-On), A-C Delco ST-125, Mac ET 760H, or
dure. This is shorter and simpler. It requires fewer equivalent. Cost is about twelve dollars. Available
special tools. It is a little less thorough, but a lot at any well stocked auto parts store. This looks like
faster. This is not designed to locate everything a spark plug with an alligator clip soldered to it.
that could possibly go wrong with an HEI. It will lo- Avoid the temptation to make your own. The real
cate the common problems. deal has a calibrated spark gap that will properly
load the coil.
General Assumptions:
A straight spark plug boot: You’ll cut it so that
You "know which end of a screwdriver to hold when you slip it over your spark tester, it extends
onto". You’ve even replaced a distributor cap and about ½ inch beyond the tester.
rotor and timed an engine at some point in your
life, and the engine ran good after you completed Jumper wire: Plain old 14 gauge primary wire
the job. You have basic hand tools. about three feet long, with alligator clips on each
end.
You have a non-computer controlled HEI (the mod-
ule has only four terminals) with the coil built into 12 Volt test light: A cheap one is OK, but test it
the cap. If you have a separate ignition coil, the every time you use it. If the wire is connected to
basics are the same, but the details are a little dif- ground, (the usual arrangement) touch the probe to
ferent. a power source and make sure it lights up. HINT:
Use the alternator positive terminal if it is easier to
You don’t have a pacemaker, ‘cause we are dealing reach than the battery positive terminal. On those
with 50,000 volts and I don’t want anyone to have occasions that the wire is connected to a power
their ticker "vapor lock", if you know what I mean. source, touch the probe to ground and make sure it
You do not want to "catch a spark" even if you’re lights up. It’s very frustrating to have to re-do an
completely healthy. It hurts, especially if you are hour’s work because the bulb in the test light
leaning over the fender and the spark grounds burned out and has been giving you false readings.
through your pants zipper.
10 MEGOHM (or greater) input impedance mul-
Whenever I tell you to crank the engine, I’m as- timeter: This is required for module testing. These
suming the ignition is ON and the car has the park are getting to be very common. If your meter has a
brake engaged and the transmission is in "Park" or digital readout, you probably have a 10 megohm
“Neutral”. Your necktie should not be wrapped compatible meter. No harm in verifying that,
around the fan blades. though.

Page 8
 DIAGNOSING HEI COMPONENTS
Optional Tools:

Soldering gun rated at 450 watts: Yup, that’s a big

’un.

Remote starter switch: (or a buddy to crank the

engine while you’re inspecting parts from over the
fender) If you use a remote starter switch, be sure
the ignition is ON when you’re cranking during test-
ing. You’ll waste a lot of time if you crank the en-
gine with the ignition off.

Photo 9. Spark testers have calibrated spark gaps.

HEI tester has larger gap due to recessed elec-
trode, and requires greater voltage to fire than
standard tester.

Photo 10. HEI Spark tester and cut-off spark plug

boot used as a support tool.

Photo 7. The tools you need to diagnose an HEI

that has a 4-terminal module. (cranking buddy
not shown—see “Victoria’s Secret” catalog models
for suggestions for a helper.)

Photo 8. Spark testers: HEI on left, points-style or Chrys-

ler electronic on right. HEI style preferred but not abso-
lutely required.

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 DIAGNOSING HEI COMPONENTS
distributor cap and rotor from the distributor. If it
Let’s begin: makes it easier to remove the cap, you can first la-
bel and remove the spark plug wires from the cap,
You have an engine that won’t run properly, or but leave the three small wires on the side of the
won’t run at all. When you look down the carb cap connected, and leave the power wire con-
throat and work the linkage, you can see fuel squirt nected! Flip the cap upside down. Push the "Special
out of the accelerator pump nozzle. The engine tool" plug boot over the spark tester, and then push
cranks at its usual speed, indicating both a fully- the open end of the plug boot over the center post
charged battery and no sudden decrease in crank- of the distributor cap. This is the post with the car-
ing compression. bon button that rubs on the top of the rotor. The tip
of the spark tester will be touching the carbon but-
STEP ONE: Verify No-Spark. ton, held in place by the cut-down rubber plug
boot. Use your jumper wire to connect the spark
Select the easiest to reach plug wire and remove it tester to a good ground.
from the plug. Connect it to the spark tester and
ground the tester to any convenient chunk of
nearby iron, such as a header bolt or the alternator
bracket. Hint: face the sparking end of the tester so
you can see it from the driver’s seat.

Crank the engine with the car in "Park" or

“Neutral”. If you have a good spark, check the
other plug wires. The HEI is OK, but perhaps your
distributor cap, rotor, or some of your plug wires
are defective, or your spark plugs are fouled. Repair
or replace the cap, rotor, plug wires and/or spark
plugs as needed. If you have no spark, test a cou-
ple other plug wires. Still have no spark? Reconnect
the plug wires and go to step 2.

STEP TWO: Verify power supply to HEI.

Photo 11. Spark tester connected to carbon but-
ton. Tester grounded with jumper cable.
Disconnect the power wire to the ignition coil. If
the coil is built into the distributor cap, this wire will If you have a separate ignition coil (inline six or
plug into the cap, at the "BAT" or "B+" terminal. four cylinder) remove the cap and rotor, but install
Probe the connector on the power wire with the test the spark tester in the coil in place of the coil wire.
light, or use the voltmeter set to the lowest scale Use the jumper wire to connect the tester to
that accommodates 15 volts. With the ignition ON, ground.
but not cranking, you should have within one volt of
battery voltage, or a very bright test light. With the Make sure the advance mechanism of the distribu-
engine cranking, you should still have within one tor will clear the upside down cap. Crank the engine
volt of battery voltage—but that voltage will be re- with the ignition ON. (Watch the distributor so you
duced due to the current draw of the starter motor. know it turns when the engine cranks—if the dis-
You should have a minimum of eight volts on the tributor doesn’t turn, you have mechanical prob-
voltmeter or a medium brightness on the test light lems inside the engine.) This is a repeat of step
when cranking. Poor voltage? Repair wiring from one, but without the plug wires, rotor and cap in
ignition switch. If you have good voltage, reconnect the circuit. If you now have spark, start looking at
power wire. Go to step three. the wires, rotor and cap. Repair/replace the wires,
rotor, and/or cap as needed, put everything back
STEP THREE: Exploratory Surgery together, and go cruising. If you have no spark,
LEAVE THE SPARK TESTER IN PLACE and go to step
If you have a coil-in-cap distributor, remove the four or five.

Page 10
 DIAGNOSING HEI COMPONENTS
STEP FOUR: (Optional—only if you have the big STEP FIVE: Eliminate the pickup coil.
soldering gun)
Disconnect the two very fine wires (green and
YOU ARE NOT TRYING TO SOLDER ANYTHING! IF white) from the module. Connect the wire on your
YOU DO THIS RIGHT, THE TIP OF THE SOLDERING test light to a voltage source such as the alternator
GUN WON’T EVEN GET HOT. POSITIVE terminal. Touch the probe of the test
light to the module terminal labeled "G". (Its the
Plug in the soldering gun, and with the ignition ON, smaller of the two terminals that you disconnected
hold the body of the soldering gun as close to the the pickup coil wires from), and it’s the one that
pickup coil as you can. Keep your arm away from had the green wire on it. (The test light will not
the spark tester. Pull the trigger on the gun. (One light up on this test.) If you get no spark when you
second is enough!) Look for sparks at the spark REMOVE the test light probe from the “G” terminal,
tester. This is a repeat of Step three, but with the go to step six or seven. If you get a spark each
pole piece (reluctor) out of the equation. The alter- time you REMOVE the test light from the module,
nating magnetic field in the body of the soldering but got no sparks in the other tests, your pickup
gun will induce voltage in the pickup coil, which coil is defective. Replace it; connect the pickup coil
should trigger the module, which should trigger the wires to the module and repeat step three. If step
ignition coil. If the soldering gun is not big enough, three produces spark, the problem is fixed. Put it all
or is held too far from the pickup coil, you won’t back together and go cruising.
induce voltage in the pickup coil and the test is in-
valid. (I suggest you try this on a known good sys-
tem, to give you some experience with the proce-
dure—It’s a real time-saver! Then, if you have Photo 13. Using test
problems later with an HEI, you’re familiar with the light to trigger mod-
procedure, and know what to expect.) If you’re ule.
sure you’ve done this right, and you get no spark,
LEAVE THE SPARK TESTER IN PLACE and go to step
five. If you get spark here and you didn’t in step
three, the pickup coil is defective in a way that is
not common. Re-do step three to be sure.

STEP SIX: Coil primary voltage test

Unplug the connector from the "TACH" terminal on

the distributor cap, if there is a connector there.
Usually there isn’t. Set your voltmeter to lowest
voltage scale that will accommodate 15 volts DC.
Connect the positive voltmeter lead to the "TACH"
terminal on the distributor cap (or to the – terminal
of a separate coil) Connect the negative lead to
ground. With ignition ON, repeat step five, except
watch the voltmeter not the spark tester. The volt-
age reading should read high, but spike downward
when you remove the test light from the module
terminal. If it does, replace the ignition coil and re-
peat step three. If it does not, replace module and
repeat step three. If you get sparks in step three,
the problem is fixed. Put it all back together and go
Photo 12. Using soldering gun to induce voltage cruising. This “should” be the end of your no-spark
into pickup coil. condition—but just in case, there’s step 7.

Page 11
 DIAGNOSING HEI COMPONENTS
STEP SEVEN: test ignition coil.

Coil-in-cap: Remove the spark tester and all wires

from distributor cap. Lift the entire cap out of the
engine compartment for testing. You don’t need to
remove the coil from the cap.

First test: Use ohmmeter set on a "low ohms"

scale. Connect between "BAT" ("B+") terminal and
"TACH" (C-) terminal. (The OUTSIDE two terminals
of the three parallel blades in the distributor cap.)
Resistance should be very low—generally less than
one ohm. If not, replace coil. If you perform this
test on a coil that isn’t installed in a distributor cap,
you’re connecting to the red wire, and to either a Photo 16. Testing B+ to C- (coil primary) continu-
yellow or a white wire depending on which color ity. Meter shows 0.6 ohms.
your coil has.
Second test—done in two parts: Use ohmmeter set
to “high ohms” scale.

Part 1: Connect ohmmeter between BAT or B+ ter-

minal and the carbon button in the middle of the
cap. Read ohmmeter and remember the reading.
You are looking for “some resistance”—continuity,
(The actual amount doesn’t matter much—but it’s
likely to be well over 10,000 ohms.) or “No continu-
ity—infinite resistance”. Put another way—you’ll ei-
ther have “some” amount of resistance; or you’ll
have an open circuit.
If you perform this test on a coil that isn’t installed
in a distributor cap, use the red wire and the termi-
Photo 14. Labeling of terminals. C- and TACH are
connected together inside; B+ and BAT are con- nal that would connect to the carbon button. You
nected together inside. might expect somewhere between 5000 and 10,000
ohms of resistance (but the actual meter reading
doesn’t matter), or you’ll have an open circuit.

Photo 15. Three parallel blades on distributor cap.

Because cap is now upside down, the three termi- Photo 17. B+ to Carbon Button. Meter shows
nals from left to right are B+, GRD, and C-. “Open Loop” (open circuit—no continuity) (Some
coils may have continuity—that’s ok too.)

Page 12
 DIAGNOSING HEI COMPONENTS
Separate coil: Remove spark tester and all wires
from the coil.

First test: Ohmmeter set to “low ohms” scale.

Connect between "BAT" ("B+" or +) terminal and
"TACH" (C- or -) terminal. Resistance should be
very low—generally less than one ohm. If not, re-
place coil.

Second test: Ohmmeter set to “high ohms” scale.

Connect between the big terminal where the coil
wire would go, and either the "BAT" ("B+" or +)
terminal or the "TACH" (C- or -) terminal. If this
test results in an “infinite” reading, (open circuit)
replace coil)
Photo 18. Middle blade to carbon button. Meter
shows 101.7 Megohms—very high resistance. If you replace the coil, repeat step five. If the coil
Some coils will have NO continuity—open circuit. passes both of these resistance tests, replace mod-
That can be OK. ule and repeat step five.

Step five should produce spark, and the problem is

fixed. Put it all back together and go cruising. If
not, go cruising in your buddy’s car to clear your
Part 2: Connect ohmmeter between ground termi- head, then start from Step Two and re-check all
nal (the MIDDLE one of the three parallel blades in your work, making sure you have good connections
the distributor cap) and the carbon button. Read at the spark tester, test light and volt/ohmmeter.
ohmmeter (again, you’re looking for “some” conti- Then verify that the wiring harness that connects
nuity—likely over 10,000 ohms of resistance, but the module to the coil is sound.
the actual reading doesn’t matter much—versus “no
continuity—open circuit”) and compare to result in If you’re ABSOLUTELY sure that everything tests
Part 1. good, and you still have no spark, replace the mod-
ule and retest.
If you perform this test on a coil that isn’t installed
in a distributor cap, you are connecting to the
BLACK wire and the terminal that would connect to
In the Next Issue of Chevy Punch
the carbon button. You may see somewhere be-
tween 5000 and 10,000 ohms but the actual meter
reading doesn’t matter very much. Schurkey concludes with:

VERY EARLY (Mid ’75 and OLDER) HEI in-cap coils Common HEI Problems
may not have a black wire, and you CANNOT do
this part of the test on those coils—but you MUST
have continuity in Part 1 if there is NO black wire. Coil Interchange Guide
If BOTH of the readings in the second test, Part 1
and Part 2 are infinite (indicating an open circuit on
BOTH Part 1 and Part 2) replace coil. It is ENTIRELY
acceptable to have ONE reading—either in Part 1 or
in Part 2—that shows infinite resistance—open cir-
cuit.

Page 13
 DIAGNOSING HEI COMPONENTS
Helpful part numbers for HEI distributors:

GM/Delco part numbers

01894379 ZZ4 distributor main shaft assembly w/ rotor.
Includes centrifugal advance. The previous number was the same but did not begin with “0” so try both
numbers.
93440806 Complete “ZZ4” style HEI distributor
12167658 Connector used to connect TACH and B+ to distributor .
10456413 Melonized distributor gear for GM roller cams—standard diameter hole.
(supplied on distributor 93440806)
1950569 Distributor housing grease reservoir plastic seal
1837617 Distributor shaft washers for adjusting main shaft end play (pack of five)
D1906 Delco 4-pin module

NAPA and other aftermarket part numbers

DP109 HEI weight pins for distributors that use plastic bushings on weights
DP112 HEI oem-style plastic bushings for weights
DP114 HEI weight "stamped 106"
DP115 HEI weight "stamped 139"
DP126 HEI weight "stamped 105"
MP100 (GP Sorensen EL315) HEI yellow color code (Chevy, Caddy except Seville, Olds
Toronado) V-8 pickup coil
MP101 (GP Sorensen EL310) HEI Blue (or black) color code (Olds except Toro, Buick,
Caddy Seville) V-8 pickup coil
MP102 (GP Sorensen EL359) HEI clear color code (Pontiac) V-8 pickup coil
(My source for the GP Sorensen pickup coils sells them for about $16 instead of NAPA's $40. The GP-S
ones I bought are even made in the USA!)
RR201 Coil frame ground—wire style
RR204 Coil frame ground—Stamped steel strap
RR202 Plug wire retainer ring—8 cyl.
RR230 HEI Capacitor and Harness from module to side of cap 6 ½”
RR231 HEI Capacitor and Harness from module to side of cap 10 ¾
RR233 HEI Harness from module to cap 3 ½
RR234 HEI Capacitor and Harness from module to side of cap 8 ¾
TPL45 Heat sink compound for HEI modules—10 small tubes

Provided by Schurkey

Page 14
Authored by Schurkey
All information believed to be correct at time of writing.
Comments/suggestions? Contact schurkey@v-drivemail.zzn.com

Common HEI problems:

The carbon button used with coil-in-cap distributors
Insufficient wire gauge to "BAT" or "B+" terminal. has a very high resistance. These buttons can
You must have 12 gauge wire or thicker. GM knows overheat and melt the cap, especially when used in
this, but often cars get converted to HEI and thin performance applications. I recommend a low-
wire or the old resistance wire is used. This will pro- resistance button available from Crane Cams (730-
duce weak spark, especially at higher RPM. 8412) or MSD (8412) for all coil-in-cap applications.
As I write this, the Crane Cams unit is less expen-
Module MUST have heatsink compound between sive than the MSD version.
bottom of module and distributor housing. WHEEL
BEARING GREASE WON’T DO! The module transfers • Incorrect screws are sometimes used to mount
heat through the heatsink compound so it doesn’t coil into cap. Screws that are too long will puncture
toast itself. Heatsink compound should be included cap leading to short-circuit of spark from rotor to
in the package with a new module, or it can be ob- screw.
tained in single-serving packets or in larger tubes at
any “real” parts store, or electronics supply store
(Radio Shack, for example)

Very early GM modules were not suitable for high-

RPM operation. This problem was soon resolved,
but there are still people who believe that “HEI isn’t
good for more than 4,000—4,500 RPM”. The Delco
“990” (printed on module) or D1906 (sales number)
modules are both very common and will go WAY
beyond 4,500 RPM, as will any QUALITY stock-
replacement aftermarket module. The stock Delco
D1906 module is used in performance applications
such as the ZZ4 crate engines.

Photo 20. Cap punctured in one place by coil

hold-down screw—one screw boss not punctured
(lower left corner); note “X” of broken plastic on
boss at lower right corner.

A ground strap—either stamped metal or a short

wire with a metal blade attached—must be attached
to coil frame using a coil hold-down screw, with the
other end being the middle terminal of the three
parallel blades in the cap.
Photo 19. Internal structure of module.

Page 8
 COMMON HEI PROBLEMS
Wires that connect pickup coil to module break in-
side the insulation. (They don’t look broken.) When
the vacuum advance moves the pickup coil, the
broken wire opens the circuit so the engine dies.
Vacuum is reduced, the vacuum advance relaxes,
the wire reconnects and the engine runs. Cycle re-
peats.

Centrifugal advance doesn’t get lubed and wears

out the holes in the weights and the pins that the
weights pivot on. In addition to screwing up the
advance curve, all the metal dust from the worn
out weights and pins is now stuck to the inside of
the cap and rotor, making a possible path to
ground for the spark. Replacement weights, pins,
and bushings for some HEIs are available at any
“real” parts store. If you have the style of main-
shaft that uses plastic bushings in the weights,
you’re in luck. If not, consider buying the main-
shaft assembly from the GMPP HEI distributor—the
one used on the ZZ4 engine. GM chose this main-
shaft/centrifugal advance assembly for use on
Photo 21. Ignition coil screw length, and wire- some of the medium-performance crate engines
type coil ground strap. Three (sometimes only specifically because it has a reasonable advance
two) short screws mount coil cover to the cap. curve.

Photo 23. Mainshaft; with reluctor assembly

shown about two inches below where it would
normally go. Note grease reservoir machined
into mainshaft, and note worn-out pivot pins on
mainshaft.

Photo 22. HEI coil cover with variation in hold

down screws

Windings in pickup coil or the ignition coil open

when underhood temperature rises. Car runs great
cold but dies suddenly when hot.

Page 9
 COMMON HEI PROBLEMS
Be careful when re-curving the centrifugal advance;
Photo 24.
many HEI distributors have “hidden” advance at
Weights acting on
very high engine speed that could destroy an en-
gently-curved part
gine. This happens when using light springs and
of center plate.
when the weights act upon the “gently curved” part
Note pivot hole in
of the center plate. A positive stop for the advance
lower weight is now
can be used; or the center plate can be turned up-
a sloppy fit on
side down so the weights act on the “dogleg curve”
worn-out pivot pin.
part of the center plate—as long as the dogleg pro-
vides an acceptable advance curve for the applica-
tion.

Center plates have as much effect on the advance

curve of an HEI as the weights and springs do.
There is NO source for an assortment of center
plates that I’m aware of—they’re salvage-yard-only Photo 25.
parts now. Weights acting on
dogleg curve.
V-6 cars that run really erratic may have the incor- (center plate up-
rect pickup coil. The Buick even fire, the Buick odd- side down) Again,
fire, and the Chevy odd-fire V-6 engines each use note sloppy fit of
unique pickup coils. If the wrong coil is used, three weight on worn-
cylinders will have incorrect timing. out pivot pin.

If you remove the distributor gear, be sure to note

the position of the little “dimple” on the gear. It
should align with the tip of the rotor.

Photo 27. Align dimple with rotor tip.

Photo 26. HEI dimple on distributor gear. Also

note thrust washers.

Page 10
 COMMON HEI PROBLEMS
Tall-deck big-block engines when used with some will cause the gear—and therefore the mainshaft—
non-stock intake manifolds; or any Chevy V-8 that to push “up” against the existing thrust washers.
has had considerable milling on the block decks, The oil pump is always providing drag; so the dis-
head decks, or intake manifold may need a distribu- tributor shaft is always pushed “up” as far as it will
tor with an adjustable slip-collar so that proper en- go as long as the engine runs. It’s unlikely that
gagement with the camshaft (and therefore the oil you’re having trouble with erratic timing because
pump drive) can be maintained. MSD and others the mainshaft is moving up and down and therefore
supply ready-to-go distributors with slip-collars; but advancing and retarding the timing—unless you
it’s no big deal to convert your original distributor if have little or no oil pressure. If you have no oil
you have access to a small metal lathe—or a ma- pressure, you need to fix that problem before you
chine shop. Cut down the distributor housing hold- mess with the distributor shaft! If you do choose to
down flange, and slide an aftermarket slip-collar limit end play to ~.012 by adding hardened wash-
into position. It’s up to you to locate the slip collar ers, assure that the distributor mainshaft also has
in the correct place before tightening the collar onto “some” end play WHEN IT IS INSTALLED IN THE
the housing. Slip-collars are available from indus- ENGINE, AND TIGHTENED AGAINST THE MANI-
trial supply houses; or from MSD (8539) and Mo- FOLD.
roso (26217) Again, if the block decks, cylinder heads, and/or
manifold has been planed, you will reduce the dis-
tance between the distributor mount in the mani-
fold; and the oil pump drive—at the same time you
are effectively making the distributor housing
longer by adding washers. If things get too ex-
treme, the oil pump drive will butt against the
mainshaft, forcing the distributor mainshaft “up”;
this also puts a thrust load on the drive gear of the
oil pump leading to scoring of the oil pump cover
and a “bound up” situation that will destroy parts.
Adding a second distributor gasket on the manifold,
or installing a slip-collar on the distributor housing
can restore appropriate distributor-to-oil pump
drive clearance.

Photo 28. General instructions for installing a As with any parts, beware of low-budget “copycat”
slip-collar. junk. Sometimes, they’re not too careful about
(Machine to inside diameter of slip-collar so that how they build their products. I’d much rather
slip-collar can tightly firmly) have a used-but-usable Delco HEI than a brand-
new imported knockoff distributor of the sort pollut-
ing eBay and discount catalogs.
Racers sometimes adjust the end play of the dis-
tributor mainshaft using hardened steel washers. Photo 29. Note poor
The theory is that the helical cam and distributor “off center” drilling
gears cause any “up and down” movement of the of gear and main-
main shaft to also be a rotational movement. shaft. This company
(Think about dropping the distributor into the en- offers gears with
gine—you have to allow for the rotor rotation as the only one hole drilled
distributor gear meshes with the cam gear.) If the as service replace-
mainshaft is jumping up ‘n’ down, that will affect ments! You’d have
the ignition timing of the engine. Although limiting to drill the second
endplay may be a benefit for dry-sump engines (no hole to match the
oil pump drag) it’s pretty much wasted effort in offset hole in the
wet-sump applications—and can sometimes cause mainshaft.
problems. If the distributor is turning an oil pump, Photo courtesy of “Rewind”—Thank you, Rewind!
the drag from the pump acting on the helical gear

Page 11
 HEI COIL INTERCHANGEABLITY
There are two color-coded (coil-in-cap) ignition coils, and three color-coded pickup coils. (Note that ex-
ternal ignition coils are not color coded.) One coil-in-cap ignition coil uses red and yellow wires; the other
uses red and white wires. They are functionally identical except the magnetic (not electrical) polarity is
opposite. The yellow/red ignition coil is neither a higher- or lower-performance version of the white/red
ignition coil. They have the SAME electrical specs, differing only in the direction (not strength) of the
magnetic field they radiate.

One pickup coil uses either a yellow tyrap or a yellow plastic connector body on the wires that attach to
the module. Another pickup coil uses either a blue tyrap or black plastic connector body, and the third
pickup coil uses a clear tyrap or a clear plastic connector body. (Some aftermarket manufacturers will
use no connector body instead of a clear one.) The yellow pickup coil has opposite magnetic and electri-
cal polarity from the blue/black, and clear pickup coils. The wires leading from the blue/black; and clear
pickup coils to the module must be crossed to correct the electrical polarity, leaving the magnetic polarity
“backwards”. The metal connectors are sized differently; and the molded plastic connectors are posi-
tioned in a way that prevents incorrect connection.

Delco discovered that magnetic interference from the starter/battery cable could trigger “false” sparks at
low RPM—especially during cranking. Sure, you can use mis-matched components—but if you have mis-
fires, backfires, or other ignition problems especially at cranking speed—you’ve been warned. Pickup coils
are selected based on engine family. Ignition coils are then selected based on which pickup coil was se-
lected.

So, for the “traditional” V-8 engines, Chevrolet, Cadillac, and Olds Toronado use the yellow-coded pickup
coil, and because they use the yellow pickup coil, they use the yellow and red ignition coil. Put another
way, the yellow coils are a matched set. Buick, and Oldsmobile except Toronado, use the blue/black
pickup coil, and therefore use the white and red ignition coil. Pontiac uses the clear coded pickup coil. It
is wound the same way as the blue/black coil, but has longer leads to physically fit in the Pontiac version
of the HEI distributor. Therefore it, too, uses the white and red ignition coil. Many parts catalogs indicate
the wrong pickup and ignition coils for Olds Toronados.

The Delco service information I’ve paraphrased in this section can be found at:
http://fiedlerh.home.att.net/HEI.pdf (Link verified 31 July 07) A recommended read!

Page 12
 HEI COIL INTERCHANGEABLITY
Photo 30.
Comparison of V-8 pickup coils.

Photo 31.
Ignition coil variations.
Left to right: Yellow/Red w/o black ground wire; Yellow/Red with black ground wire; White/Red with
black ground wire. White/Red w/o black ground wire is not shown. Note broken connector of middle
coil. The wires won’t take much abuse before breaking.

This concludes our 3 part series on HEI—High Energy Ignition.

Our thanks to Team Member “Shurkey” for this excellent series!

Page 13