Vacuum Advance
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Junior User
Joined: Aug 2004
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Vacuum Advance
Was doing the ignition timing check on my F-100 the otehr day, and when I went to test the vacuum advance it wouldn't hold vacuum at all. I picked up a new one at advance auto parts today and went to remove the old one. I was wondering if the distributor has to be removed to get the advance out, doesn't look like there would be any other easy way to get it out.
Cross-Country
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 87
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From: Tennessee
I hope I can help. On my 84(302) the distibutor is the durasparkII. The advance was held on by an e-clip that can easily be removed with a pair of needle nose pliers(if so you will be better off replacing the e-clip also; this will probably break your wallet though as it cost me a whoping .08 cents). It rides on a central post and the clip holds the advance on the post. Anyway this should help some( if your set-up is like mine) 
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Junior User
Joined: Aug 2004
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I'll check it out, but I already bought a replacement advance ($20), and it looks like 2 screws and nuts should hold it onto something. The screws are right up under the distributor cap, very hard to get to.
Freshman User
Joined: Apr 2004
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I just tried to remove the advance from my 81 351m dist. and the heads of those two little screws broke right off, so take it easy! ended up having to take out the dist. and drill out the remaining bits of screw.
Freshman User
Joined: Apr 2004
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guess they were put in upsidedown before the dist. was installed - pretty quick to take it off though. just make a few allignment marks for reinstallation (i didn't
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Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 6,056
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From: Union, Washington
Pull off both the dist cap and the dist plastic body and you can reach the screw. Careful though the heads do break off very easily. Spray the with WD-40 or something. Once you get them out replace them with some Stainless steel screws. They come out easier next time. There should be an E-clip on the advance plate inside the dist., pry it off but don't loose it or drop it into the dist or it's tear it apart time. The advance unit should be able to be slipped out after you pry the advance arm off the E-clip stud. Install is in reverse.
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Senior User
Joined: May 2003
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From: Omaha, NE
Originally Posted by Bear 45/70
Pull off both the dist cap and the dist plastic body and you can reach the screw. Careful though the heads do break off very easily. Spray the with WD-40 or something. Once you get them out replace them with some Stainless steel screws. They come out easier next time. There should be an E-clip on the advance plate inside the dist., pry it off but don't loose it or drop it into the dist or it's tear it apart time. The advance unit should be able to be slipped out after you pry the advance arm off the E-clip stud. Install is in reverse.
But I would like to add that the new vacuum advance comes with a little
allen wrench. You have to take the old advance can and in the vacuum
port, there is a set screw that you turn in with the allen wrench and count
the number of turns. Then you bottom out the new advance can and back
it out the same number of turns, then install it.
Don't worry, the new advance can should come with instructions for this.
Scott
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Junior User
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I got everything off and it was going fine, then I dropped the E clip and it went up under the plate. Think it's stuck to the underside of the magnet 
This mean I gotta tear down the distributor? Think compressed air would maybe blow it out?
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 6,056
Likes: 8
From: Union, Washington
The air is a bad idea. You might just push the clip into someplace really bad. Pull the plate, Just use two screw drivers to pry off the wheel(mark it and the shaft first so you get them back together right) and unscrew the plate and lift it out.