When the distributor cap is removed on a 96 4.3 Should the rotor move back and forth on the piece that it mounts to? Or is there supposed to be no play. I just replaced the cap and it moves back and forth similar to a distributor with a mechanical advance. Im not sure if something is worn inside or not. Thanks, Mike

 

Should have very little play. Bad distributor gear? Pull it and look.

 

Agreed. On my 96 there is slight play, but not much, maybe 1/8".

 

Les Thanks for the reply. As I mentioned the distributor rotor twists back and forth like an old style distributor. No side play. A little up down but no scrapes in cap. I get no misfire codes but once I replaced the cap rotor and plugs it ran great.. No power loss but still P0420 code. Cat was replaced 2 years ago. I also replaced the oxygen sensor in the Bank one upstream. The oxygen sensor in bank 2 upstream was replaced when the Cat was done. All Sensors and Cap rotor and plugs were all ACDelco. I useTorque Pro to diagnose and have only come up with the P0420 Code. I also have a readiness monitor not resetting for evap.

 

Cleburne red I would guess I have close to 1/2" of play. Shouldnt It run like crap if the timing kept changing or would it cause a misfire? I will replace the distributor if necessary but dont want to do it if not needed. I know though a misfire can cause the P0420 . Thanks for help.
Mike

 

In this system, ignition timing is determined by the crank position sensor and the PCM (just like in the multiple coil system). Here (with only one coil), the distributor is used to pass the spark to the correct terminal (hopefully). You can turn the distributor without affecting the timing at all. But if the rotor is not pointing to the right place, it misfires - and this is a common problem on Blazers. Pull the distributor and check the gear for wear. You shouldn't have that much play.

If you need a distributor...... lots of people (including myself) have had good experience with these. A very nice quality Chinese import. Complete distributor for the price of the gear. I did put a Delco cap/rotor on it. 35K miles now.
https://www.skipwhiteperformance.com...6671-bk_89687/

 

Evap readiness motor has a mind of it's own when the test will take place. Eventually it will run the test. Unfortunately the monitors reset when you clear codes. I wouldn't sweat the readiness monitor, at least at this point.

Probably second cat converter has been damaged by misfires the last two years. For the P0420..... using your Torque Pro, plot O2 sensor voltage for B1S1 and B1S2 on same graph. Take one screen shot while holding 2000rpm steady for at least 15 sec, and then another screen shot after returning to idle for at least 15 sec. Post these please.

 

Les I will try and get that done in the next few days.
Thanks

 

Les I will try and get the Torque information uploaded today. Im not really sure how to do it on this site. I did a search and didnt come up with anything. Do I just go under Manage Attachments and drop the info there? Can you give me an idea? Thanks

 

Yes, in a reply....... manage your attachments/browse your device/select your screen captures - allow them to reach 100% - and hit upload. It should automatically put the photos in your post wherever you have put the cursor. I would certainly think 45 posts would qualify you to post photos on the server if qualification is necessary.