Adjusting the Mallory Model A Distributor YL11A2

this is part of a conversation i followed over at the Fordbarn.com regarding Mallory YL11A2 Distributors...

Setting the timing with a Mallory distributor is fairly easy.. The easiest way is when the timing pin drops in place, where ever the rotor tip is pointing will be number one time. The distributor can easily be rotated as in modern cars and set the plug wires as needed. The firing order is 1243 . I tune mine by ear, some buy a kit and use a timing light . I set mine as advanced as I can without starter kickback when cranking and no timing knocks. A little tweaking or rotating as needed with the timing will get er done, works for me. Usually the rotor tip ends up pointing where number 4 would normally be. If you want number one timing to be where it would be with the model A distributor , it will be more complicated. You will need to remove the valve cover and the oil pump and distributor drive assembly. With the drive assembly removed, you can stick a long straight blade screwdriver down through the head and down to the oil pump and turn the pump as needed for the drive assembly to align as necessary for the rotor to align as wanted. The points cam isn't adjustable on the Mallory distributors.

The only part that I have ever needed with my Mallory distributors was the condenser. I am using Ford V8 condensers with mine., the same condenser used with the so called modern points that the model A venders sell.. Bubbas ignition has Mallory parts but I don't have an address or phone number.

I got my first Mallory distributor from Harrys model A parts in Oregon in the early 90s . Harry told me that They had run these distributors for over 30.000 miles without having to do anything. Mine have been trouble free. This is the distributor that was used in the dyno tests with the Brumfield heads back in the ninties. The dual point Mallory was shown to give horsepower increases at low to mid RPM range. I had installed float-A-motor mounts in the coupe and there was quiet a bit of cl;utch chatter when taking off. After installing the Mallory distributor, the chatter went away completely. I was talking to Ken Miller and he felt that the Mallory distributor advanced so smoothly that it removed the chatter. Just an example of the smoothness of the advance. 

 

Mallory 24895 Condenser for YL 11A2 Distributor

Source:  http://fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=140570

Distributor: Mallory Interchangeable Parts

Since there have been a few threads lately about the old brown or black 2 piece Mallory caps and buying them at swap meets, I thought I’d share a little info to help make sure you get the correct rotor for the cap. Yes, there is a difference.

Somewhere along the line Mallory made a change to the contacts on the inside of the cap. Initially they were simply flat on the bottom of the contact. Then they made them with a notch. This change required that the contact strip on the rotor be shortened. If you put an “old” long rotor under a “newer” cap, it will hit. I’ll show you the difference in rotors in the pictures.

From what I can tell, all the brown caps are the older flat type contact. The 8 cylinder caps have the part number 24004 cast into the inside. Sometime after the switch to the black plastic cap, they changed the contact design. When they made this change, they also changed the part number in the cap to be 4004. They simply ground off the 2 on the old design’s number, which can easily be seen on most caps. Of the approximately dozen black caps that I have owned, I only have 1 black cap that is the older 24004 style. Now, when I say that the newer cap has a 4004 number, that is NOT the number that the cap is marketed/sold under. That is simply the part number of the LOWER section of the cap. The whole 2 piece unit is actually 4001. I do not know the part number for the “older” variety, maybe 24001?

Now the rotors. I am aware of 3 different versions. The longer one used with the 24004 flat contact cap, and 2 other short variations that are interchangeable and used with the 4004 cap. The longer version that goes with the flat contact 24004 cap has the number 24215B cast into it. The contact strip has a fat tip, and under the contact strip is a piece of spring steel that allows the strip to flex up and down on the rivet. The rotors I have seen like this have all been brown. The other 2 shorter versions used on the 4004 cap both have the 4215 cast into them, again showing signs of where the 2 and B of the earlier style were removed. One version has a fat tip, and the other has a narrow tip. None have the spring steel and are solidly riveted in place. All the fat tip ones I’ve seen are brown. I’ve seen both brown and black narrow tips. The actual part number on a package for the short rotor is 4215C. I’d assume the “older” long part number would be 24215 and a letter?

In the pictures of the rotors, the left is the longer 24215B version. The other 2 are the short varieties. I’ve also shown a picture of the many different types of packaging the rotors where in over the years to help you spot them at swap meets.

I couldn’t get any good close up pictures to show the differences in the contacts, but in the brown cap photo, you can at least see where the number is located. Again, I’ve also shown a picture of 2 different boxes the caps came in.

I hope this helps you get the correct cap and rotor for your Mallory. I’m not an expert in Mallory’s by any means, just a guy who’s got a fetish for them. Some guys like wheels, some gauges, some intakes. I like 2 piece Mallorys.

Source: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=238386&highlight=mallory+cap

Ignition Basics

Inspection: When moving the Spark Advance Lever inside the cab, all the way up and/or all the way down, the spark retard arm on the distributor should not make contact with the Upper Distributor Body on either side. The fix: For the 29-31 two tooth steering, loosen both steering column clamps. One is inside the cab and the other is under the hood. Rotate the steering column until the arm functions properly. Tighten the clamps.
Inspect the Distributor Shaft. The Distributor Shaft should not rock back and forth. If it does rock, it is time to replace the bushings.
	Slight rotational play is ok.
Setting Rotor/Distributor Contact Gap
Put on parking brake, place gear shift lever in neutral position, and use the Hand Crank to rotate the rotor. Check the rotor at all four distributor contact points. The gap should be .025   The fix: Bend the Rotor and/or file the contacts on the Distributor Housing.
Setting Point Gap To adjust points proceed as follows: 1. Lift off distributor cap, rotor, and body. Turn engine over slowly with hand crank until breaker arm rests on one of the lobes of the cam with the breaker points fully opened. 2. Loosen lock screw and turn the contact screw until the gap is between .018 and .022”. A standard thickness gage is used to obtain this measurement. When correct adjustment is obtained, tighten the lock screw. After tightening the lock screw, again check the gap to make sure the adjustment was not altered when the lock screw was tightened. 3. Replace distributor body, rotor and cap or proceed to ignition timing.
Ignition Timing: 1. Inspect the Distributor as stated above. 2. Put on parking brake 3. Place gear shift lever in neutral position 4. Fully retard spark lever. 5. If not previously done, remove the distributor cover and lift off rotor and distributor body. 6. Check Point Gap. If necessary adjust them as previously described above.
7. Screw out timing pin located in timing gear cover and insert opposite end of pin into opening. 8. Find Top Dead Center. With the hand crank, turn the engine over slowly, at the same time pressing in firmly on the timing pin. When piston # 1 reaches the end of the stroke (top), the timing pin will slip into a small recess in the cam gear. Tip: If the engine had been running recently, the timing pin should drop into the recess when the rotor is about to line up with contact #1 on the distributor cap.
Note: While hand cranking to find the timing mark mark, occasionally pause to relieve the compression pressure. Note: If the timing mark is missed it is two revolutions, with the hand crank to return to the previous point. Note: By removing Plug # 1 and shining a small flash light into the hole, it is possible to see the top of the piston when you are at Top Dead Center. Note: By removing all the plugs, the compression is eliminated and the engine is easier to hand crank.
9.Remove the cap and rotor. Loosen cam locking screw until the cam can be turned. Note: A cam wrench can be purchased from one of the Model A venders, makes the job easier. 10. Replace rotor and/or use the cam wrench to turn and line up the notch in the cam with the No1 contact point on distributor head. 11. Remove rotor and/or wrench from cam and using your fingers slightly turn the cam in a counter clockwise direction, until the breaker points are fully opened. 12.Slowly turn the cam back in a clockwise direction until the points just close.
13. Lock the cam by securely tightening the cam locking screw. This method removes the backlash in the distributor shaft from affecting the timing. 14.Turn on the ignition and with your fingers twist the cam counter clockwise. With the slightest movement the points should spark. If it does not spark retime. Final check with the ignition on pull the spark advance lever down one or two notches and listen and/or have someone watch for a spark from the points. If the lever moves more then three notches retime. Replace timing pin and put away crank Oil the distributor and Apply Vaseline to the cam. 15. Reassemble distributor housing, rotor, and cap
Model A's are positive ground. The Model A frame acts as the positive ground wire from the battery
The Primary Circuit. The primary circuit is the low voltage circuit that controls the ignition system. Battery - provides the power to run the system. Ammeter - Used to measure the current flow. Ignition Switch - allows the driver to turn the system on and off. Points - a mechanical switch that acts as the triggering mechanism to break the circuit to collapse the magnetic field in the coil. Condenser - provides a false ground and protects the points from burning out. Primary Coil - produces the magnetic field which collapses and creates the high voltage in the secondary coil. Wires - join all the components together. Model A Frame - acts as the positive wire used for ground.
The Secondary Circuit The Secondary Circuit is the high voltage side of the ignition system. The voltage is generated when the magnetic field collapses in the primary windings. Secondary Coil -Creates a high voltage when enacted upon by the collapsing of a magnetic field in the primary coil. .Coil Wire - a highly insulated wire, that takes the high voltage from the coil, to the distributor cap. Distributor Cap - a plastic cap with an electrode to distribute the electricity to the rotor. Rotor - spins around on the top of the distributor shaft, and distributes the spark to the right spark plug. Plug Connectors- metal strip that takes the high voltage from the cap to the plugs. Spark Plugs - Highly insulated electrode that forces electricity to arc across a gap in order to ignite a fuel air mixture in a combustion chamber of an engine.
Primary and Secondary System The ignition switch allows the driver to turn the system on and off. Turning the key to the on position closes the circuit and allows current to flow. As current flows around the primary coil, a magnetic field is created. The strength of the magnetic field is determined by how long the points are closed. The points act as a mechanical switch that is controlled by the distributor's cam. When the points open, the circuit is broken; this instantly collapses the magnetic field and induces a high voltage into the secondary windings. The voltage is so intense that in its path to ground, it is able to ionize the air gap of the spark plug, thus igniting the fuel air mixture in the combustion chamber.

How The Condenser Works The function of a condenser is to provide a false ground. When the points open and the magnetic field collapses in the coil. A high voltage is created in both the primary and secondary windings. The voltage in the secondary windings heads towards the spark plugs to ignite the fuel; while the new induced voltage in the Primary windings searches for ground. The voltage created by the collapsing of the magnetic field in the primary coil is strong enough to jump the gap between the points in the distributor as they open, but instead, the current is attracted to the condenser, where it is collected and stored to assist in the next cycle of creating a magnetic field in the Primary Coil.
Note: At one time the condenser was considered the weak link in the system and failed often. Today's reproduction condensers do not fail like their predecessors and are quite reliable.
Tom Wesenberg Tip: "Condensers are very easy and quick to change if you follow these steps exactly. 1. Have the new condenser lying next to the distributor. 2. From the passenger side, remove the ground screw FIRST. 3. From the driver’s side remove the condenser terminal screw and be sure to keep light pressure on the screw while you slip out the old condenser and slip in the new one. 4. Tighten the terminal screw, then go to the passenger side and tighten the ground screw. Always set the points to .020” first, then set the timing. Remember that the points setting can affect the timing, but the timing can’t affect the points setting. Be sure to have lube on the points rubbing block. I always carry a small piece of sandpaper in my billfold just in case I need to clean points, or check an engine number at a swap meet, etc. A points file is good to keep in your car’s tool kit and only costs about a dollar."
How The Coil Works The coil itself does not care which way it is hooked up, it will be just as efficient either way. On the other hand the spark plugs do care. They prefer the center electrode to be negative and the end electrode to be positive. The reason is electrons like to jump from a cold surface to a hot surface and the center electrode of a spark plug is hotter than the end electrode. By correctly establishing the coil’s polarity the voltage required to jump the spark plug gap is 15 to 30 percent stronger which may or may not be evident on the performance of your ‘A’ depending on the condition of the ignition components. Oddly enough the large amount of voltage created by the coil is not affected, positively or negatively, by the mere 6 volts (or 12) of the battery. Therefore; positive ground or negative ground of the battery is not relevant.
Tom Wesenberg Tip: "To check coil polarity hold a pencil lead in the spark path with the plug wire about a third of an inch away from the distributor terminal. You’ll see a FLARE on one side of the pencil lead and this flare should be on the spark plug side of the lead." Tom suggests to hold the pencil in the middle or even slide the pencil into a plastic tube to avoid an electrical shock. If the flare is on the plug wire side. Switch the two wires on the coil.
Restoration Tips by Tom Endy
Distributor Techniques Numerous articles have been written concerning the rebuilding of the Model A Ford distributor. Just about any one of them will get you through the rebuilding process. The intent of this article is to provide some tips to help you do the job better.
Distributor Roadside Seminar On any long club tour sooner or later one of the Model A's will pull over to the side of the road and up will come the hood. The first component to be attacked is the distributor, and it is probably the most likely source of the problem..
Model A Ford Ignition Diagnostic Ammeter "Jiggle"... A wealth of knowledge:
The Ammeter The ammeter in a Model A Ford can be a very useful tool in a variety of situations that will signal to the driver the car’s electrical status.	Source:  http://modelabasics.com/Ignition.htm

TECH: How to convert a mallory YL dual points distributor to electronic

this is a thread from over on jalopyjournal.com that i thought i would file for later...i just got an NOS Mallory YL Ignition Distributor from my friend Earl Reynolds...with NOS ignition wires....

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Hello tom here.... Thought id share some pictures I took while converting the distributor....its pretty damn easy too.

First things first get yourself a good useable mallory dual point distributor... Next order your self a petronix ignitor conversion kit pictures below... About 80 dollhairs



Then select the tools you'll need for the job



Then grab your distributor and inspect it...



Then gently remove all the old dual points crapolla inside... Remember be gentle



Once you have all that shiznit out you can install the petronix igntor and pull the writes through the existing hole



ThenYou get the the supplied cup and press it on







Then get your rotor and press that in, there is a spacer if you need it... I actually don't have the right one but just put it on for reference





Then reinstall the cap and your done



If I can do it anyone can... Hope this helps

Tom

__________________
my 31 ford tudor V

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...d.php?t=369296

COME ON 49ers!!!!

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Last edited by tomcantdoit; 06-26-2011 at 10:10 PM.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=602518

26 Degree Only in Racing Environments

The only change was moving the spark plug wires from over-the-valves to the left side. This resulted in 1.5 HP increase at 2500 rpm.  We recommend, for street use, timing to be set at 28 degree advance. We are recommending 26 degrees only in racing environments where idle is not an issue and rpms over 3000 are used.

 Source: http://www.secretsofspeed.com/LION.htm

Source: http://www.secretsofspeed.com/LION.htm