I have a spark knock in my 1986 tercel. New plugs, cap rotor, plug wires. There was a lot of rust dust inside the distributor cap. I cleaned and lubed the area in the bottom of the distributor. The problem seemed to be intermittent, but I can't be positive about that. The knocking returned and is worse despite advancing and retarding the timing, etc.

I removed the distributor again, cleaned it better and was able to see that the spring mechanisims and mechanical parts in the bottom of the distributor move freely.

Time for a new distributor? This is the one with three vacuum hoses coming out of it. Are there any valves or things outside the distributor that could be suspect??

Thanks for your time.

to be honest, i think you'd be better off replacing the distributor cap if it was corroded... it was probably the source of the issue, and even if you find something else, it will probably be benificial...

I neglected to mention that I did replace the cap. Did the plugs, rotor, cap and plug wires.

Thanks

ahh - and your still having problems?

yes. Less power than usual, lots of jingling/jangling especially on acceleration going up long hills (as in where I live).

EGR or distributor problems. Timing chain?

Thanks

hmmm...

Thats a tricky one...

is it firing on all cylinders?

it might be worth taking it to a garage...