- 1). Set the vehicle transmission in park or neutral, depending upon which type you have. Apply the emergency brake. Raise the hood and let the engine cool to avoid burns to the hands. Locate your distributor toward the rear of the engine or up front. Its location will depend upon the make and model of your vehicle, but you can recognize it by the plug wires exiting the top of the distributor cap.
- 2). Find the retaining screws that hold the distributor cap to the distributor body. There should be two, either in Phillips head or slot screw head design. Use the appropriate screwdriver to loosen and remove the screws, or turn the screws to rotate the the small hook flanges that hold the cap to the distributor body, if it has this design. Pull the cap off and wedge it aside -- do not remove the plug wires.
- 3). Pull up on the rotor to remove it from the distributor shaft. Some rotors have fixed screws; remove the screws and take the rotor off. Look down at the ignition points. The points have two retaining screws; one screw serves as a pivot point and hold-down, while the other serves as an adjustment screw which allows the point arm to pivot. The points have a small foot or boot that rests against the distributor shaft. The shaft has multiple lobes on it.
- 4). Have an assistant momentarily turn the ignition key on and off, just enough to turn the engine over for a fast bump, while you watch the position of the points boot and the lobes. Have the assistant bump the engine until the points boot sits directly on a lobe. This opens the points. Turn off the key. Use a slot screwdriver to loosen the main points hold-down screw just barely. Loosen the other screw in the same fashion. Place a screwdriver in the small adjusting slot on the points bracket.
- 5). Turn the screwdriver to wedge the contact tips of the points until you see them open further. This increases the dwell. Note: on some General Motors distributors you must stick an Allen wrench into an adjusting screw that has an Allen head, to adjust the points.
- 6). Refer to your owner's repair manual for the correct points gap, if you need to adjust the points to manufacture's specifications. Slip the appropriate feeler gauge between the points contact tips. Adjust the points open or closed with the screwdriver, by wedging it back and forth in the slot.
- 7). Pull the feeler gauge back and forth through the points contact tips until you feel a slight drag. Tighten both points hold-down screws with the screwdriver. Recheck the points gap with the feeler gauge. Place the rotor back onto the distributor shaft, seating it firmly, or screw it back on with a screwdriver (GM type).
- 8). Set the distributor cap back on and insert the hold-down screws. Tighten the screws with the screwdriver. For the hook flange type, turn the screws until the hooks lock underneath the distributor body.
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