Removal and installation the ignition distributor (BMW 5 Series E28)

Table of contents: TCI System ↓ Motronic system ↓

TCI System

Removal

1. After carefully marking, disconnect the high-voltage wires of the ignition coil and spark plugs from the distributor cap (see chapter Routine car maintenance).

2. Remove spark plug #1 (closest to the front of the engine).

3. Manually turn the engine to Top Dead Center (TDC) of the compression stroke of piston No.1 (see section Repair work carried out without removing the engine from the vehicle).

4. Carefully mark the vacuum hoses if there is more than one leading to the distributor.

5. Disconnect the vacuum hoses.

6. Disconnect the primary ignition circuit wires from the distributor.

6. Disconnect the primary ignition circuit wires from the distributor.

7. Mark the position of the runner in relation to the distributor housing (shown by arrow). Also mark the position of the distributor housing relative to the engine.

8. Remove the mounting nut or bolt and bracket.

9. Remove the ignition distributor.

Do not crank the engine with the distributor removed.

Installation

Before installing the distributor, make sure piston #1 is still at TDC on the compression stroke.

1. Insert the ignition distributor into the engine, positioning the adjusting bracket over the mounting hole. Do not interfere with the rotation of the distributor shaft when installing the ignition distributor.

2. Install the mounting nut or bolt. Before tightening the nut or bolt, it is necessary to align the marks previously applied to the distributor housing, runner and engine.

3. Install the distributor cap.

4. Connect the wires to the distributor.

5. Connect the spark plug high-voltage wires.

6. Connect the vacuum hoses according to the markings.

7. Check the ignition timing (see section Checking the operation and adjusting the ignition timing (tCI system)).