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What distributor is this?

What distributor is this?

flyingdiver41

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Location
Fort Wayne, IN
Vehicle(s)
1978 CJ-7 (3.8L) 3-Speed Manual
I was reading the thread about the Team Rush upgrade and seen a lot discussion around the ignition coil and MSD box. So I started thinking,,,what ignition system do I have?? When I bought the jeep several months ago, I knew the AMC 232 i6 engine that is in it had already had the 2barrel carb upgrade and what appeared to be an upgraded distributor but I do not know what it is. Attached are pictures of the Distributor. Can you tell me what it is? Also, I do not see a coil or ignition box anywhere. Is all this built into the distributor?

Thanks
 
I can't tell you what distributor it is but I can tell you the coil is built in it.
 
The only distributor that I know of with a built in coil is the HEI.
 
So based upon the first reply. Maybe a better question would be,,,,are the distributors with the built-in coils a good system. As good as the Team Rush?
 
So based upon the first reply. Maybe a better question would be,,,,are the distributors with the built-in coils a good system. As good as the Team Rush?

I guess that would depend on if you asked a GM guy or a Ford guy.:D
Either one is way better than what was stock.
 
Wow those are the most non committed replies I think Ive ever seen on this forum.

What you have is a GM style HEI distributor of an unknown manufacturer.

Is it an upgrade to the stock Jeep set up yes.

The coil is built into the top of the cap. The module is in the base ofthe distributor.

Are they any good? Like stated above it depends on who you ask. Chevy guys love em for the most part but they are known to break up orhave issues at higher RPMS. The good news is your jeep shouldnt be turning the kind of Higher RPMs tha will cause it to break up.

The next step up would be a CDI box.

Only thing to check is that your getting atleast 12 volts to the Pos wire going into the cap. if its less you need to either remove/bypass the resistance wire. If its 12 or higher with the motor running you are in good shape.
 
I think we have determined that the AMC 232 i6 is not the original. At least the build code on the block is is for a 76, as I remember.:D

@FD the HEI dist. is one of the things you should have in your profile. Can we see a picture of your carb and manifolds?:cool:
 
GM HEI system. If your Jeep is running well, all is good. Get another module for back up and stick it in your goodies bag and you will be prepared for trouble.

I like the HEI system for it's simplicity. One wire (and a tach wire) and you are good to go. Simple, clean, efficient. The Team Rush system has a coil, a brain box, an adaptor, a big cap and wires strung all about the place to keep everything running.
 
Yes I will get pictures of the carb and manifold then post later tonight. Per the vin code the jeep originally came with a AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l . Somewhere down the line the engine was swap'd out. Why you go with a AMC 232 i6 instead of AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l is beyond me. Ive shared in previous posts that id like to put a V8 in it maybe next year but that's a ways away.

When I went digging on the Internet about this distributor I found what I believe to be it on ebay. What's worrying me is that there were warning notes all over the description warning that the disrtibutor gear and cam gear has a 95% chance of chewing each other appart. See attached link
AMC Jeep 232 258 4 0 4 2 6 Cyl Hei Distributor 6511 Blue | eBay.

So that is another reason why I'm asking the questions. If I need to pull this thing now to prevent a 95% probability of destroying my cam then that's what ill do. Question then becomes what do I buy or install next? Again if this a real concern.
 
You can pull it and look for excessive wear, you can replace it with a higher quality HEI, you can take it back to the stock Distributor and ignition module set up or you can roll the dice and see what happens.
 
This never seems to be properly answered. The problem is well known with an AMC V8. But seems to always come up with the I6 with little in the way of being deffinatly a problem area with that engine.

I'd pull it and look at the gear, if your nervous, get one of the accepted AMC gears and swap out the one on the distributor you have.
 
That is for sure an HEI distributor.

My advice, leave it how it is. The "team rush" is an MSD system. The HEI is one wire. It is unarguably more simple and in my opinion more reliable and maintainable. I took the MSD box, coil, and distributor that the PO put in mine, and sold it. Replaced it with an HEI.

When it comes to is mostly opinion. What you have is better then stock, no argument. I would leave it. If it aint broke don't fix it. ;)


Edit: If you need to replace the driven gear, let me know. I can give you the part # for Summit. I had to order one to build my HEI recently. Parts stores will not have them.
 

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