Distributor screws - DO NOT REMOVE

[tinmanSC]

Ok, I'm a bone head. Let's get that out of the way first. Is there a "knuckle head" sub forum here on BITOG?

I posted this to the Lexus forum and no one answered. One assumes they had no idea what I was talking about.

On the distributor for my 95 SC300 there are 2 screws under that cap that say "DO NOT REMOVE." Well, I removed them by accident. Anyone know know what these do and if I can just put them back. I have moved the distributor since their removal. They were removed a while ago and I'm just now getting around to putting the SC back together.

 

[KrisZ]

I'm not familiar with Lexus, but since most distributors work on the same principle, the screws you removed more likely than not are used to time the spark. Since you removed them with the distributor, unless you marked the original position of the housing against the shaft, you will have to have to do the timing.

 

[yonyon]

By accident like Veronica in the movie Clerks when she slipped and fell and landed on the screws that were labeled "do not remove"?

 

[eljefino]

There are ways to assemble things with very important bolts that hold subassemblies inside something. Transmissions come to mind; particularly valve bodies. Undo the wrong bolt and all sorts of stuff falls apart internally.

Most time-able distributors I've seen the timing mechanism is not under the cap but rather one rather obvious bolt on a slot outside so you can do it while the car is running. Possibly with the lexus being computerized timed these itty bitty screws could have messed that up, I don't know your car that well.

 

[asand1]

These screws might secure the inductive pickup coil. This would affect timing, however you still need to set Tue timing anywway.