Need some A&P magic.

[Chip Sylverne]

One of the contact springs pulled out of the distributor block of my Bendix mag along with the lead. I know there's a special tool to reinstall, but that sucker's about $85 from Spruce. Gotta be more than one way to get it back in there.

Any tried and true alternative methods shy of pulling out the mag and doing it on a bench?

 

[Skylane81E]

Push? I may be thinking of the wrong spring though, not something I have to deal with often.

 

[Chip Sylverne]

Push? I may be thinking of the wrong spring though, not something I have to deal with often.

This is one of the little springs down inside the high tension towers in the distribution block. With the mag installed, the only way you can see down inside is with an inspection mirror, and the only way I've come up with so far to hold onto the spring is with bent nose pliers. The hole is tapered larger at the top, and the base of the helical spring rides in a groove at the bottom. Pushing so the spring snaps into place without damaging it sounds alot easier than it does.

 

[Skylane81E]

Yeah, that's the one I'm thinking of, but when I had to put one back in I had good access to the back of the mag so it was fairly easy.

Your best bet may be to remove the mag

 

[Chip Sylverne]

I'm thinking maybe if I get a short piece of doweling a hair smaller od than of the bottom of the tower, and stick the spring on the end with a little dialectric grease, maybe it would work as a plunger. Or maybe put the spring inside a short piece of one of those large-bore slurpee drinking straws, and push it out in place with a plunger kind of dealio...

McGyver, where art thou....