I am looking for a new Distributor and the only place that seems to have one for my model year is autozone,

but it is their house brand and I usually dont trust or buy house brand anything.

Anyone have any experience with autozone or know another source for a new Distributor?

Thanks.

 

Including your year, make, model and engine size would be very helpful when looking for parts.

You could try Jeg's or Summit Racing---they will have something usable for your year and engine. You might also hope NumberDummy comes along with a part number for the original Ford part, could be one is lurking in NOS condition on eBay.

HTH

 

I checked jegs and summit. They have distributors for racing and performance. I am looking for a stock replacement for a 1994 E150 Club Wagon, 5.8 351W.

The autozone distributor (duralast) looks like a spectra brand I saw. I have read that spectra is ok quality, same brand radiator I installed and it is still going.

I dont expect to have the van for much longer, maybe a couple more years. If a cheapie buys me some time that would be fine.

I will check out ebay for new old stock.

Thanks.

 

Nick before you order a distributor, you must put your engine on TDC on the compression stroke on cylinder #1, photograph where the rotor is on your distributor, then pull the distributor and see what color is painted on the distributor gear. See page 3. The distributor gear must be the right material for your cam or it will ruin your cam. So, you can only order a distributor with the same color paint on the distributor gear that your existing distributor gear has (i.e., gearis made of the exact same material). My 1995 distributor gear was steel i.e., yellow paint. So is this one:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/s...BoCMQ4QAvD_BwE

But what is your distributor gear?

I found new old oem stock, but I think a Spectra Premium would be fine.

I have seen some 351 distributors out there with cast distributor gears. Ordering one of those would be a mistake if your distributor gear is steel.

 

Nick before you order a distributor, may I suggest that put your engine on TDC on the compression stroke on cylinder #1, photograph where the rotor is on your distributor, and don't move the vehicle. Then pull the distributor and see what color is painted on the distributor gear. It is likely Yellow paint indicating a steel gear. See page 3. But the distributor gear must be the right material for your cam or it will ruin your cam. So, you can only order a distributor with the same color paint on the distributor gear that your existing distributor gear has. My 1995 distributor gear was steel i.e., yellow paint. So is this one:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/s...BoCMQ4QAvD_BwE

I found new old oem stock, but I think a Spectra Premium would be fine.

 

Well, crap. I did not know about this. I figured you could just order a distributor and drop it in place.

I may have a bad PIP sensor on my 1990 E350. Was going to replace the distributor. Can the PIP sensor be replaced and the original distributor put back in?

Steve

 

That was my plan too. But I ended up using the new distributor and having a machine shop pin my old gear in the old location on the new distributor. (The new distributor gear and the old distributor gear were both steel, but the new gear was a few thousands off were the old gear was on the shaft and since the truck had 160,000 miles on it with the gear in that location, I wanted the old gear to feel right at home with its cam gear mate on the distributor shaft in the same location.)

The new distributor will have less slop in it. And yes, the PIP Hall Effect Sensor in my distributor is what failed. I don't know when the last 5.8L was used in the E-Series or in the F-Series. It has been 23 years since the last Bronco was made with a 5.8L. So many distributors in the 5.8L are old and the PIP Hall Effect Sensor in them have failed or will likely soon fail.

 

OK thanks for the heads-up.

I just called my shop where I was going to have the work done, and mentioned this issue. They were aware of it already. So, I think I'll be OK.

Steve

 

Tim, Do the stock distributors have this paint mark also?

The distributors I have found for my vehicle all say cast iron gear, even the new one from Autozone. this is one of the reasons I have not picked one up yet. I may have to buy it then ask my mechanic to check when he pulls out the old one.

Thanks.

 

Nick: Yes the gear on the stock oem distributor has the paint dab on it too. It is on the gear collar. None of my pictures show it on either the old or the new distributors. Go figure.

My paint dab was yellow. It is a 1995 5.8L Windsor in a Bronco. My guess is that your 1994 5.8L also has a steel distributor gear too. But the Ford TSB is published so that you will check for yourself and not trust parts sellers or mechanics or well meaning people like me. I do know that if you put a cast iron gear distributor in place of the stock steel gear distributor that you will ruin the cam in your engine.

I would have your mechanic pull your distributor and you and him look for the paint color together before you order anything.

But you may want to consider what I did, which avoids this problem. First, my distributor was not in spec. Second, the new old stock distributor which I bought was even more out of spec than my old distributor! (This may be why the nos distributor was never sold before I bought it?) Third, I decided that since my distributor gear and my cam gear had gotten along so well together for ~160,000 miles, that it would be a shame to introduce a new gear which would have to wear into the old cam gear. So, I had a trusted general engineering machine shop put my old distributor gear on the new old stock distributor with the same end play and other specs and in the same position as my old distributor.

Problem solved. At least to my mind. Or if my old distributor had a problem, I guess I just carried that problem forward to my new distributor. Anyway the vehicle has been driven 20K miles since and runs like new.

 

Remove a valve cover and one rocker arm and pushrod. The roller cammed 351's have pushrods that are a half inch shorter than a flat tappet cammed 351. The roller pushrods for a 351W are about 7.55" long. Flat tappet rods would be about a half inch longer. The roller cammed engine requires a steel distributor gear. , you could look it up on Summit Racing's site. A 94 could have either cam

 

Mine is a 460. Anyway I printed out the above installation info and took it to my mechanic. Felt kinda dumb because I hate telling people how to do their job. Fortunately he knew all about this. Says Ford even has a tool for properly setting the gear position. He said he knew about the material matching for the gear also.

Steve

 

1994 E150, Club Wagon, 5.8W

So, I went to autozone to look at the distributor they have that says is for my year, make, and model. It has a steel gear. Their computer and online says cast gear.

I went to Oriellys they dont stock one for my exact year, oddly enough they have them for all other years and models but mine, but then the parts guys says that theres one at another location for my year and model.
(Part #FD14 which also happens to be the last 4 digits of the Autozone part number BDLG-FD14). I drive over there and its a cast gear, the manager looks it up and says that that one does not fit my year/model.

I look up Napa, they have 2 advertised that are for my year and model. Of course One has a cast gear One has a steel gear.

I call up the dealer and get the ford part number for my exact year and model, F1TZ12127C, This is similar to the distributor part numbers on the ones that Tim posted but not exact.

I looked at CARID website and that shows that FD14 is a match for Ford P/N F1TZ12127C
but does not say cast or steel.

Rock auto showS FD14 As being a cast gear just like the oreilly one and shows its a replacement for Ford P/N F1TZ12127C, So I am pretty sure that Oreilly just doesnt have the correct info.


So now I am at a loss as to what one to get anyone have a clue?

 

You must First pull YOUR distributor and look at the paint spot on it. I am sorry but there is simply no substitute for doing that.

Because God forbid that your shop orders a distributor for you then 1) pulls yours and either doesn't realize they are different, or 2) doesn't care...

 

What Tim said. As you can see from the chart up-thread, the 351 came with bronze, steel, and cast iron gears.

The only way to know what you have is to pull what you have and check the paint spot. Or, use a bronze gear, as bronze will work with steel or cast iron cams. But, bronze does not last as long.

Steve