2 destroyed starters in a row...WTH?
My Duster is back on the road again, so I thought I would wind up this thread with the answer to the original question.
It turns out that the source of the engine kicking back when cranking was the Distributor.
After verifying my timing marks with a piston stop, I ordered a new "Pro Billet ready to run" Distributor from @Johnny Mac over at Blueprint. It's a step up from the original Distributor, with Blueprint's usual great service.
With the new Distributor, she's an angry beast again. I took a good look at the faulty Distributor and didn't see any obvious problems with the advance mechanisms or anything, but replacing it solved the problem .
While I had the engine/tranny out, I also replaced the 727 manual shaft seal (leaked since day 1)
and put another bend at the top of the ATF dipstick tube so it now points clear of the blower motor and the fabricated valve cover. 2 more big PITAs off my list now.
Mopar life is good again!
My Duster is back on the road again, so I thought I would wind up this thread with the answer to the original question.
It turns out that the source of the engine kicking back when cranking was the Distributor.
After verifying my timing marks with a piston stop, I ordered a new "Pro Billet ready to run" Distributor from @Johnny Mac over at Blueprint. It's a step up from the original Distributor, with Blueprint's usual great service.
With the new Distributor, she's an angry beast again. I took a good look at the faulty Distributor and didn't see any obvious problems with the advance mechanisms or anything, but replacing it solved the problem .
While I had the engine/tranny out, I also replaced the 727 manual shaft seal (leaked since day 1)
and put another bend at the top of the ATF dipstick tube so it now points clear of the blower motor and the fabricated valve cover. 2 more big PITAs off my list now.
Mopar life is good again!