Help!!! Why didn't this work?

Well Jack, I said that I'd keep you up to date on the ATTEMPT to
put a wasserboxer distributor into a 2.0 a/c motor.  Tried it
today.  First the gotchas.  1. to install the a/c vacuum advance
to the hall effect distributor one must drill a couple of holes in
the Vac. unit.  Turns out that the w/c advance unit has 4 holes
and the a/c unit has 2.  Naturally, the a/c unit's holes are
diagonally opposite from the w/c unit.  Small task.  2. The #1
scribe mark is located 90 deg. from the a/c unit. I can move
wires...

Now the installation... (used both Vanagon & '68-'79 Type 2
Bentley wiring diagrams)
Have the Vanagon harness.

Drops in.  Rev limiting rotor fits.  Hall brain bolts to spare
tyre well with idle stablizer. Ground goes to case. Hook white
wire from ECU to hall brain white wire, hook green wire from hall
brain to coil, hook black wire from 12v to hall brain black.
Attempt to start.  Awesome backfire!  Oh yeah, three is the front
plug four is the rear. Swap wires.  No start.  Move white wire
from ECU (that was hooked to the hall unit white) back to coil
points side.  Starts, but runs v. rich.  Decide to call it a day
and pop the original dist back into the motor.  We'll try again
another day... at this point I'm not sure exactly why it didn't
work.  There is someone down in the Sacto area that supposedly has
them running.  I'll x-post to both vanagon and type2 to see if
they'll respond.

Jim
Union, OR