there used to be ...
and some are still on vanagons ..
a metal  shield that fits down over the distributor cap ..
it's about suppressing radio interference I believe.

those were grounded to that small male spade terminal.
Many vanagons don't have that shield anymore.

you could use it for grounding the distributor if you want. It won't hurt.
or just remove it, or ignore it.
I installed a late distributor ( 90 or 91 ) on an 87 of mine recently ..
I think  the later distributors didn't even have a screw there that could
hold a ground cable from a distributor cap shield.

Scott
www.turbovans.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Vickery" <david_vickery@YAHOO.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, June 22, 2011 10:03 PM
Subject: Spade terminal on Distributor?

> Does anyone know what the male terminal is for on the side of the
> distributor on later vanagons?  Was it used on some years and not others.
> My van is an 87 but the engine was replaced and I noticed my distributor
> cap is shielded which I think is different than what normally comes on an
> 87 so maybe that explains the unused terminal?  I am trying to figure out
> if that spade connection should be attached to ground or something?
>
> Thanks much.  I looked in my Bentley and searched under distributor but it
> brings up too much unrelated stuff.