{"id":1945,"date":"2013-06-02T14:28:25","date_gmt":"2013-06-02T21:28:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rhoadescamaro.com\/build\/?p=1945"},"modified":"2013-06-02T14:28:25","modified_gmt":"2013-06-02T21:28:25","slug":"event-3-and-45-fizzle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.rhoadescamaro.com\/build\/?p=1945","title":{"rendered":"Event 3 (and 4,5) – fizzle"},"content":{"rendered":"

By this time had planned to have completed 3 more events in the Camaro – Porsche Club of America (PCA) autocross May 26, then the “Spring Nationals” ProSolo and National Tour in Lincoln, NE over Memorial Day weekend.\u00a0 Unfortunately, didn’t make any of them.<\/p>\n

Plan was to run the PCA event just to make the car was sorted enough to justify the (very long) journey to Nebraska – over 1600 miles each way from San Diego.\u00a0 Unfortunately, some events at work conspired to necessitate canceling the Nebraska\u00a0trip.<\/p>\n

Then\u00a0the PCA event was a bust too.\u00a0 All the tuning plans from after ProSolo<\/a>\u00a0were completed -the new rear brakes were installed (bonus of an even firmer brake pedal), the front shocks were re-valved and reinstalled, and a new ignition system was installed.\u00a0 Also did an oil and filter change (what a mess!) and lowered the rear ride height 1\/2″, and adjusted pinion angle further down (to provide a little more pinion yoke <-> driveshaft tunnel clearance).<\/p>\n

Unfortunately the ignition part didn’t happen until the day before the PCA event, and was done somewhat hurriedly.\u00a0 Still, the car fired up the first time, and\u00a0it seemed healthy as\u00a0ever.\u00a0 The Mallory stuff was all jettisoned for new Crane Cams gear.\u00a0\u00a0Plan was to get it through tech, then use some of the otherwise unoccupied time during the day, to button up the wiring.<\/p>\n

Got up to El Toro, and the car fired right up on the trailer – pulled it off, and while warming up, adjusted the numbers for the event.\u00a0\u00a0 Took off through the paddock to get to tech…car feels wonderful, crisper than ever…and … it dies halfway there.\u00a0 Won’t restart.<\/p>\n

Some helpful guys help me get it pushed back to my paddock spot, and work commences.\u00a0 Unfortunately the time to get through tech has just expired, so the chances of getting to run are pretty much toast.<\/p>\n

Work on things for a bit – I’m convinced it’s something in the ignition, but am not sure what.\u00a0 Try re-wiring all kinds of things, supplying separate power, setting the timing all over…nothing.<\/p>\n

Eventually I give up, and the same helpful folks, help me get it pushed on the trailer.\u00a0 It’s a shame the most common question these days isn’t about the engine or suspension, but instead “where should we put our hands to push?”.<\/p>\n

Car sat for a while, but had a chance to take a fresh look at it today.\u00a0 Pulled the distributor cap, and\u00a0as it\u00a0came off, could hear the sounds of metal bits tinkling down onto the trailer floor.\u00a0 Hmm.<\/p>\n

\"Rotor<\/a><\/p>\n

Pull the whole distributor out since it’s hard to see back there, and find the above piece wedged in the optical pickup.<\/p>\n

The below\u00a0picture tells the tale – on the left is a brand-new rotor I’d bought for a future tune-up; on the right is the rotor as it sits.<\/p>\n

Notice the metal tang is gone, as is the piece that holds it down.\u00a0 The replacement rotor is of a slightly different design, perhaps other people had this issue with this design rotor.<\/p>\n

\"distributor_death\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The first\u00a0picture above is\u00a0the center tang’s remnant, after I pulled it out from being wedged in the optics.\u00a0 Optics, which are now toast:<\/p>\n

\"busted_optics\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Just bizarre how much bad luck I’ve been having in the ignition department.\u00a0 The cap was on tight and looked fine, not sure how this could have been due to an installation error.<\/p>\n