Lotta bad parts floating around nowadays: HEI modules

[jumpsoffrock]

So from what I've read bad HEI modules are nothing new, it was a problem a long time ago too, but worse nowadays.

I am getting a Cadillac 500ci engine prepped and ready for installation in a project and I wanted to use HEI, so I bought a "remanufactured" HEI bare distributor--which means it came with the metal housing, the advance mechanism, the module, and capacitor.
Sadly they are NEVER in stock and I waited for a month before it was even available. Back on rockauto today, they're still outta stock.

I had to supply my own rotor, cap, coil, and coil cover.

Put it on the engine and it was not firing, I saw no reason why, so I checked for spark and of course: none.

After learning about how to diagnose HEI and fiddling with it for a couple days, I discovered the brand new module in the rebuilt distributor I just bought was rotten, bought a Standard LX301 and the engine fired right up(as well as it could with a junkyard carburetor sitting for 10 years in my garage).



So as far as I can tell here's a list of things that have been talked about on various forums that are apparently failing when brand new or just breaking in. And also where I heard it from

♦HEI modules. Here and in personal experience.

♦Ring/pinion sets for differentials. This forum and a Ford truck forum(across models ranging in age by 50 years; sounds like everyone is feeling this)

♦Camshafts(and lifters?) Every forum I'm on.

♦Quadrajet accelerator pump sealing rings. This information is plastered all over Cliff Ruggles forum--but I haven't experience this yet myself and as nice and approachable as Ruggles is--he responds himself on his forums--I am a bit suspect being that he and many other qjet gurus sell their own accel pumps that are "resistant". Bit of a conflict of interest, but I guess I'm about to find out.


I don't mean this to be a "china bashing" thread. China makes rockets and surgical tools and computer hardware/software as good as anyone else does.

China will make anything we ask them to make for our cars--and they'll make it as good as we're willing to pay for.

Why is all of our "chinese junk" so bad?


hobbyist consumers.


They can't sell a "as good as factory GM 1969" electric window motor for a camaro, becaus it'd cost $380 a piece. So they make it good enough and sell them for $80-120.

They can't make C10 fenders as accurate as NOS and sell them for $800 a piece; so they make 'em good enough and sell for $150.

I guess we just gotta watch out for eachother and post our reviews. I have a 1 year warranty on my distributor, but I didn't wanna wait 3 months and pay shipping. I bit the bullet, payed $47 for a module at oreillys and went along with my life.(yes I checked, the module from rockauto woulda been $34 shipped and taken half a week)


end rant...