It's ALIVE!!!!!

[Nate Mellom <bronson@inwave.com>]

Time to thank the list, once again.
Since I was stranded last week with my car (the by now famous '81) 
lacking sparkness and fuel-pump runnage and all, I called in sick Monday 
(cough, cough).  After I towed my car home on Sunday from the car parts 
store, where it had died,  (after spending a few hours, in the rain, on 
Saturday trying to get it to run) I got up on Monday to check it over. 
 Tried to start it for fun, and guess what?  First thing I heard was the 
pump relay, then the pump, and it started.  Figures.  It died right away 
(tach dropped to zero immediately), as it never got to full idle. 
 Started it again, and it was running enough to let me get under the 
hood and wiggle some wires.  Now when I bought the car last winter I 
noticed the tie wire around the distributor holding the Hall sender 
connector to it, and it's always been a little loose.  So, I pushed on 
the connection and it died.  Never did get it started again.  So, I 
pulled the distributor and checked it over.  The plastic part that 
connected the  Hall sender plug to the distributor body was busted, and 
someone tried to JBWeld it back, and when that didn't work used tie 
wire.  Smart, eh?  Got in my gf's truck, headed to the local early VW 
junkyard and scored another distibutor out of a Rabbit (nice and clean, 
too!).  Grabbed the connector and all the wire I could cut off, and then 
got the door handles, ignition key module and trunk release from an A2 
Jetta, paid the man, and came home.  Installed the distributor, traced 
back as much of the harness as I could and rewired it.  Put it all back 
together, and she fired right up!!!   Last night I did timing (which was 
WAY off), and I stll have the idle to adjust, new plugs, timing belt and 
alternator belt.  
Question is, what would cause the rotor to disintigrate?  Half of it was 
gone when I checked it out on Friday, but it was still running.  I 
figure it was a combination of all the factors, but should I be worried 
about it happening again?  
Another thing, will I be able to use the trunk-release lock mechanism 
from the Jetta in my hatch?  I assume the handles and ignition will be 
bolt-on, and I'd like to use the same key for everything.....

Happy until next time,
Nate
'81 (keeps coming back from the dead)
'84 (still dead, seriously thinking about selling it/parting it out)



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