Ignition rotor looose! - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

mtmx46 · 10-14-2008, 03:27 PM

Here's an interesting problem that I bet not too many of you have had. My distributor cap cracked and spun right off on the highway. Six months ago I replaced distributor cap and rotor, dutifully screwing everything in place with the old screws.

From what I can guess. One of the screws holding the ignition rotor in place gradually backed off and then fell inside the cap and then the rotor worked its way loose and of course, that caused the whole works to fly off and then crack the distributor cap at the pressure points, ie. where the screws hold it in place.

The bad news? No one seems to want to sell you a ignition rotor with the hold down screws and you need those precise screws. Why? And what can I do about it to prevent this in the future.

***ASG14*** · 10-14-2008, 04:14 PM

Wait, so is it JUST the screws you need, or a rotor that has the holes for the screws?

If it;s the screws you need, go to your local Toyota dealer and have them order them. Probably cost you $2.

Mike Gerber · 10-14-2008, 11:13 PM

^ Or find a friend with another generation 3 5SFE engine. Rmove the screws for the rotor form his or her car and go down to the local hardware store and match them up. If the screws appear to be special (ie reduced head size or something similiar) then you will have to order them form Toyota.

Mike

***new echo owner*** · 10-14-2008, 11:39 PM

If you are concern with them coming loose, put some low strength Loctite on the threads. I think it is green color, enough to hold but won't be difficult to remove if needed.

N.E.O.

mtmx46 · 10-15-2008, 06:56 AM

Yeah, that's what I ended up doing. Ordered from a Toyota dealership... cost about $2 each. And yes I'll loctite them this time. Checked the junkyard too but there were only two gen 3 cars in there one was a four and it already had its distributor removed.

Never knew two screws could leave my car parked for nearly a week.

99545 · 10-19-2008, 11:08 PM

yeah i have the same problem. the other day my camry died on the highway, its the second time its happened. last time it happened just like you described. i got away with some 5 min dry epoxy and i made it home. after a good look around all the replacements at the parts stores all have bigger diameter holes for the two bolts that hold the rotor onto the distributor. this time is was a lot worst not only did the loose rotor toast my cap, but it cracked a bunch of stuff in the distributor apart. so i'm actually here reading up about it before i replace it in the parking lot of k-mart tomorrow :-) wish me luck. oh and i forgot to mention my car is calf. emissions so the distributor is not kept in stock at any parts stores and its $$$$$ because its "special" ahh! i'll let you guys know what i find out tomorrow after i talk to the parts guy who thought he could get a rotor that the the right size holes in it. oh and to the origional post about the bolts for the rotor i'll let you know what i did...you can get the bolts in an assortment pack from any parts store. they are metric size M4 x .7 i believe, the only problem i encountered was that they are twice as long as they can be so i cut them down and used a tap and file to get them tot he right size...this time i'm using locktight i think i might be thinking about getting a new car, i love my camry and its been babied since my grandma bought it new, but i think it just might be time. anyone interested? Waterloo, IA

i'm really interested in what other people find on this subject, let me know what you guys findout

99545 · 10-21-2008, 08:40 PM

well its been a few stressful days. I ordered the parts to be in on monday, but the guys at autozone forgot to order the parts, then fedexed them and i got this this morning. it went together alright, i locktighted the screws this time so i won't have anymore problems. for a little info the two screws and a grand total of like 4 bucks. they are metric m5 x .8 or .9 i can't remember, pretty sure its .8. anyways i used a toyota cap and a borgwarner rotor that i had new laying around. the cap from toyota had HUGE bolt holes, the head of the bolts could almost slide through them. the holes were about 1/8 inch larger that they should have been. very annoying. i made some very small bushings to get the holes to the right diameter and used a couple homemade washers and ta da! she's running. i think the adjustable timing on the distributor is a little retarded now, anyone know which way to turn the distributor to give it more advance?? also on a side note i now have the oil leak from the o-ring on the distributor shaft fixed.