tune up question

[1956olds]

When doing a tune up on thunderbolt ignition how many if any ,change the ignitor sensor?If you do not ,what do you do to clean the crusty stuff off it with?Ifyou do ,does it set in one spot or does it require adjustment with a feeler gauge?How often do you change it.Thanks

 

[funky monkey]

speaking from personal experience if you dont know how old the ignition sensor is and it is crusted i would change it .these are typically the weak link in the ignition system of gm engines,the updated replacements are now encased in an acrylic or plastic to prevent corrosion.i was stranded in my slip twice last year....luckily not somewhere else.These sensors were the problem...and i have twins,they both went bad within weeks of each other....just my luck! They will go bad without warning! If you change them you should know there is a ground wire under one of the screws that holds the sensor in place if you dont remove the nut on the bottom, the screw wont come out and you will have to pull the distributor out ..as i did, then have to pay a mechanic with a scan tool to time your engine.otherwise there is no adjustment to the sensor.i would also invest in a service manual as they can save money in the long run,also check to make sure of the exact ignition system you have before you work on it.

 

[funky monkey]

better clarify before i get beat up,on here... the wire and nut are under the distributor body but are easy to get at,the screws that holds the sensor in place go thru the distributor housing. mine is a Thunderbolt V ignition.

 

[1956olds]

I have thunderbolt ignition and twin 5.7L ,never had a problem but i figured while doing a tuneup trhis year what the heck extra 70 bucks for insurance you know.It looks like my pertronics i put in my 56 olds but i used a flamethrower coil on that app.

 

[billnpat]

speaking from personal experience if you dont know how old the ignition sensor is and it is crusted i would change it .these are typically the weak link in the ignition system of gm engines,the updated replacements are now encased in an acrylic or plastic to prevent corrosion.i was stranded in my slip twice last year....luckily not somewhere else.These sensors were the problem...and i have twins,they both went bad within weeks of each other....just my luck! They will go bad without warning! If you change them you should know there is a ground wire under one of the screws that holds the sensor in place if you dont remove the nut on the bottom, the screw wont come out and you will have to pull the distributor out ..as i did, then have to pay a mechanic with a scan tool to time your engine.otherwise there is no adjustment to the sensor.i would also invest in a service manual as they can save money in the long run,also check to make sure of the exact ignition system you have before you work on it.

Thanks , another to do thing this haul out :thumbsup:

 

[1956olds]

Has anybody changed this sensor ? I recieved the new ones ,updated version and no instruction sheet came with them.I am pretty sure the wires are color coded to match but is the black one just a ground?

 

[1956olds]

Just so everyone knows,I had to call sierra technical assistance to get a answer.The white wire with the red stripe goes to the new matching color wire ,same with white with green stripe.The new black wire goes to a suitable ground on the engine.I also reattached the ground wire under the distributor to its original position.

 

[electricaldoctor]

Thanx OLDS. I changed my plugs, wires, caps & rotors 2 years ago. They ran perfectly, so I never changed the sensors. I could be wrong here, but I think that this part either works or doesn't work. I don't think that it will operate intermittently. Perhaps I should pick up 2 of them and keep on hand just in case because I have no idea how old they are. I wonder what the life expectancy is??

 

[1956olds]

The new ones should last quite a while being encased in acrylic ,the old ones were working i just love doing preventive maintainance .And the fact that when you pull a distributor cap you pretty much have to buy a new one to get the paper seal it may end up cheaper to just change the sensor every 6 years anyway.