Premium rotors?

[Luke_Healey]

I saw this in Moss Motors' new products list for the Spridgets:

https://www.mossmotors.com/Shop/ViewProducts.aspx?PlateIndexID=66792

It's an 11 dollar distributor rotor. The only reason it piqued my curiosity is that I spent all last summer dealing with a spitting and sputtering car that ran like poo poo.

I'm running Accel solid core copper wires and NGK plugs. I was/am using a new side entry cap. However, the $1.95 rotors I'd bought all just seem to suck. I never knew why, since they were brand new, fresh off the boat from China...

So since that time, I've been running the original rotor that came with the car.

So is there something to this 'high carbon' content in plastic? If I had my guess, I figured China was sneaking lead into the plastic, if anything :wink:

 

[Sopwith_Camel]

I lost about 3 months to that back in 2001
sign me up for one
steve

 

[jlaird]

Good to know.

 

[Pythias]

Peter C. sells this a rotor that looks EXACTLY like this for much less!

NFI

 

[jlaird]

yep, I bet. I was thinking of him as I wrote that.

 

[Sarastro]

This is quintessential Moss Motors. Come up with something overpriced, back it up with an explanation that is pure nonsense, and wait for people to bite.

I don't know anything about carbon content (do they mean graphite?) in plastic. I do know, however, that I've bought cheapo rotors for years, and never had a problem. I can't see how any kind of plastic, clean and undamaged, would be even slightly conductive. If it were a problem, ALL other rotors wouldn't work, not just one occasionally--after all, they're made the same, so they should all work the same.

I wonder what would happen if someone called Moss customer "service" and asked them if this means their other rotors are not reliable, and, if not, why do they continue to sell them? Might also ask why this problem is confined to rotors, and doesn't exist in other plastic components, such as distributor caps.

Sorry if this seems intemperate, but as a card-carrying technologist, I get really steamed at people who use technobabble to con people.

 

[regularman]

I have never had a rotor problem on my mg or on any of the minis I used to drive around in england. Had some point problems and some plug wire problems in that damp environment but never any rotor button troubles, I just changed them out when I changed out the points. Some of those electronic inginitions pop a whole lot hotter fire and wear the plug gaps and distributor caps and rotors. Maybe this is where that is coming from. I have never used the electronic ingnition on the a series.

 

[Sarastro]

That's a good point.

One thing I've noticed, also, is that a lot of latter-day ignition parts are simply not sized right. I've held rotors up against each other and see maybe 1/16 of an inch difference in length or the brass electrode, for example. Most of the time, this won't matter, but occasionally it may happen that the spark might not easily get across the gap between the rotor and the electrical contact in the distributor cap.

Just found that my spare distributor cap didn't fit on the distributor body! Just a few mils too big, but that was enough.

 

[Pythias]

i DO have a CRANE unit in my dizzy, so i really can't (well i CAN, but ) use this kind of rotor. the overhang off the back side hits the photo-eye!.. just barely, but it does.. i need the kind that are smooth in back.. the cheapos?

 

[Healeysince59]

The big Healey and Jag worlds have had a ton of problems with rotors in recent years This includes those packaged as Lucas and it is much like Moss describes. The failure rate for new replacements, according to a local (respected) shop is about 3 out of 10. Quality replacements are available but pricey (not quite as much as Moss is asking). I don't know if it's a problem with spridget rotors but I suspect it is. At any rate, it's not technobabble. Moss is addressing a real problem. ( Note; This is a problem only with rotors manufactured the last few years. If your running older rotors, and most of us are, no problem).

Marv J

 

[Luke_Healey]

It makes no sense to me, since the carbon button in the cap touches the metal in the rotor, but I saw it myself last summer with the rotor I bought from either Victoria British or Advance Auto. I don't remember where it came from, but it was brand new. Also, one of my caps from Advance Auto had super high resistance at the coil wire to carbon button and I returned it.

Rather than the plastic being full of carbon, could it be that the plastic is thinner and spark is able to jump from the metal, through the plastic, and ground out on the distributor shaft?

Anyway my car ran like total doo doo. In fact, the reason the timing and point gap is so perfect on my car is because I was chasing this problem and adjusted it and readjusted it. This is what's in there at the moment, some West German rotor of unknown age.

 

[Healeysince59]

Here is a description of the problem and the source of "good" rotors that a lot of the Jag guys have gone to. The description of the problem generally supports everything Moss is saying. The rotor they are selling appears to be the same as the Premium rotor that Moss is selling. The Moss rotor is less expensive.

https://www.distributordoctor.com/rotor_arms.html

 

[Luke_Healey]

"Result - no sparks at the plugs. The situation sometimes rectifies itself on cooling, but then reoccurs with increasing frequency until the rotor permanently short circuits."

This is what was happening to me. The car would heat up and start to miss. The longer I drove it the worse it ran. Eventually I'd limp home from wherever the problem got to be too annoying.

So why doesn't someone alert the makers of the rotors "for the last decade" that they're doing it wrong?

 

[JPSmit]

So why doesn't someone alert the makers of the rotors "for the last decade" that they're doing it wrong?

does anyone speak Chinese?

 

[texas_bugeye]

On a side note elec current seeks the path of least resistance does not mean its the only path. So with that said you could have the Mother of all coils the Tesla Earth Blaster or what have you and be using only part of the current. wahh. weak spark and never no it. that Bites. I'm getting a new rotor button

 

[2091351]

There are a ton of BAD ones just resting in the 'Back-up Bag' waiting for their next FAILURE!

Check out your SPARES.

Steve

 

[mccalebr]

Just last week I replaced the coil in my TR3 (failure at high temp) and did a tune up, points, plugs, condenser, and button. None of the components had totally failed, yet.

I carry two spares, one new, the other being the component(s) that were removed but operating...even if less than optimal. That way I know that if something goes bad, and the new replacement doesn't fix it, I can go back one generation to a proven (even if less than optimal) fix that should get me home.

Sheesh...even after you retire, the programmer in you lives on...

Ray

 

[2091351]

Darn, Ray your not suppose to tell everyone about the 'Son, Father, Grandfather' LOGIC.

How are we going to continue to be the 'Sage'?

Be Careful <GRIN>

Steve

 

[jlaird]

Steve, what's with that number you are useing for a name.

 

[2091351]

It's the number that Uncle Sugar gave me in '64 and told me NEVER forget it.

I haven't!! #$%^&*@#$%^

Steve