[stefjeano]

Has anyone had any experience with the electronic distributor 22-5888 from Vick Auto?
My 1987 Spider has ignition issues that I can't figure out. Seems like a logical choice.
They sell for $150 which is half of what similar distributors sell for.

NEW Electronic Distributor Alfa 4cyl 1.3-2.0 ltr - (SKU 22-5888) [22-5888] - $150.00 : Vick Autosports, The Premier Fiat and Alfa Parts Source

Vick Autosports NEW Electronic Distributor Alfa 4cyl 1.3-2.0 ltr - (SKU 22-5888) [22-5888] - New Electronic Distributor Simply pair with a Bosch Blue Coil (SKU 22-1312) and you're ready to go! You may have an old Bosch Blue Coil and while that might seem good enough, more than likely it is not...

www.vickauto.com

Just looking for some personal reviews!

 

[yvesmontreal]

Your car has Bosch injection? Unless int has been converted to carbs I'm not sure this would work, the L-Jetronic system depends on the ignition signal to trigger the injection.

This said, the Vick system is a replica Bosch body, which is produced in great numbers in China for the VW crowd, with an Alfa drive adapter and some sort of electronic trigger thrown in. They do not specify the advance curve. Their insistance at using a Bosch Blue coil does not show a great triggering ability. The Bosch Blue has a 3,5 ohm primary resistance is a very mild coil, much less powerful than for example the 1,5 ohm Marelli coil that was supplied with Spica cars.

 

[ossodiseppia]

I would search for feedback about dealing with Vick Auto before buying from them.

 

[stefjeano]

Great! Just my luck, should have posted this before I ordered it! I would have thought they sold a quality item. Guess I was wrong!

 

[Alfajay]

Your car has Bosch injection? Unless int has been converted to carbs I'm not sure this would work, the L-Jetronic system depends on the ignition signal to trigger the injection.

I don't have a dog in this hunt, but the question piqued my curiosity. Looking at the Vicks website, there is a note:

NOTE: DO NOT USE ON SPIDERS WITH MOTRONIC IGNITION (1990-94)

which sort of implies that that it should work on an '87 with L-jet. But honestly, I have no idea.

This said, the Vick system is a replica Bosch body, which is produced in great numbers in China for the VW crowd, with an Alfa drive adapter and some sort of electronic trigger thrown in. They do not specify the advance curve.

The problem here is that an air-cooled VW has a completely different advance curve than an Alfa. You would need to set a high static advance to get anywhere near the proper advance at high rpms. Of course, we are just assuming that this is what Vicks are selling, though for only $150, it's hard to believe it's anything more sophisticated.

stefjeano: Exactly what sort of ignition problems are you having? Often it is better to identify the specific cause of a problem before buying new parts and hoping they fix things. Might your ignition wires be bad? Or whatever triggers the distributor in an L-jet system? If so, the Vicks distributor won't fix the issue.

 

[ossodiseppia]

Great! Just my luck, should have posted this before I ordered it! I would have thought they sold a quality item. Guess I was wrong!

I can't comment on the quality of their product. My comment is only meant to alert you to customer service issues.

 

[jett]

A distributor on an 1986 Spider doesn`t do much but distribute spark to the cap....
Unless the bushings inside are damaged than it will need replacement

 

[stefjeano]

I have voltage to the coil but nothing at the plugs. Coil resistance is good as well as the wires. I figured the would be a great way to good. I haven't installed it yet, keeping fingers crossed.

 

[stefjeano]

I can't comment on the quality of their product. My comment is only meant to alert you to customer service issues.

No returns on electronic parts. I haven't installed it yet. Keeping fingers crossed

 

[zedsn]

Might want to check out your speed and reference sensors.

 

[Alfajay]

A distributor on an 1986 Spider doesn`t do much but distribute spark to the cap....

Ah, so you're saying that the slow advance curve inside the Vick / VW distributor wouldn't make much difference in an L-Jet car. But I guess you're also saying that there isn't much inside stefjeano's old distributor that could have gone wrong.

 

[Jim G]

The jetronic bosch distributors have nothing inside. Not even advance weights.

 

[stefjeano]

The jetronic bosch distributors have nothing inside. Not even advance weights.

Yep! just a rotor button. That's it. If I'm correct signal comes from the VVT Solenoid.

 

[andylarry]

@stefjeano, on a (stock) 87 Spider, the VVT solenoid sends no electrical signal to anything. The signal to fire the coil comes from the flywheel sensor and the ignition ecu. The most common culprit is the flywheel sensor. A quick and easy test to see if the coil is getting a signal is to use a test light (looks like a screw driver with a bulb in the handle and a wire lead coming out of the handle end) With the key on, the coil positive + post should light the test light. With the engine cranking, touch the test light to coil negative -, the test light should pulse. No pulse = no signal. If you have a blinking test light, you have a problem with the coil or the coil wire, or the rotor or cap. It is always better to diagnose and find the faulty component before blindly throwing new parts at a problem.

 

[zedsn]

If sensors check out then go to the ECU.

 

[stefjeano]

Might want to check out your speed and reference sensors.

@stefjeano, on a (stock) 87 Spider, the VVT solenoid sends no electrical signal to anything. The signal to fire the coil comes from the flywheel sensor and the ignition ecu. The most common culprit is the flywheel sensor. A quick and easy test to see if the coil is getting a signal is to use a test light (looks like a screw driver with a bulb in the handle and a wire lead coming out of the handle end) With the key on, the coil positive + post should light the test light. With the engine cranking, touch the test light to coil negative -, the test light should pulse. No pulse = no signal. If you have a blinking test light, you have a problem with the coil or the coil wire, or the rotor or cap. It is always better to diagnose and find the faulty component before blindly throwing new parts at a problem.

I have a test light. I will try that. I did test the flywheel sensor. It checked out good.

 

[zedsn]

I believe that you are going to have to check out the ohms on both sensors and see if they are still good. Maybe do a search to see what the correct readings should be.

 

[andylarry]

Did you test both sensors? Try swapping sensors? Don't mix-up the connections!

 

[stefjeano]

Did you test both sensors? Try swapping sensors? Don't mix-up the connections!

I checked both. Resistance was within specs. That was over the summer.

 

[andylarry]

Have you performed the test light test at the coil when cranking?