Distributor stuck

Patrick L. said:
That doesn't look as bad as I thought it would. To look at the drive gear the side cover needs to come off.
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I’ve never cracked open the head or side of the engine. If I open the side of the engine, how does that shaft come out of the block? I may be “tempting fate” on opening it.


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Maybe if that shaft is as good as it looks from your pic and your not interested in looking at the oil drainage [ crud under the side cover] or valve lash then just maybe things are better left alone.
 
Pulling the side cover off and putting it back on again is pretty straight forward.
The thing that complicates it a bit is having the intake and exhaust manifolds in place and having to work around them while you are doing it. Easier with them off but not a deal breaker.
Two bolts to take the oil drain tube off and then the bolts around the edge of the cover come out and the cover comes off. Reverse the process with new gaskets and your all set.
 
If you do not remove the lower shaft, at least pour some motor oil down that hole to lubricate the lower shaft. Pour more than just a couple of squirts... it will just end up in the oil pan... so not too much, unless you are changing the oil, then pour the first quart down that hole.
 
Patrick L. said:
Maybe if that shaft is as good as it looks from your pic and your not interested in looking at the oil drainage [ crud under the side cover] or valve lash then just maybe things are better left alone.
Click to expand...


At this point, I’ve had quite the adventure. I think I’m ready to catch my breath and get the car back together. One task keeps leading to another.


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abachman3 said:
If you do not remove the lower shaft, at least pour some motor oil down that hole to lubricate the lower shaft. Pour more than just a couple of squirts... it will just end up in the oil pan... so not too much, unless you are changing the oil, then pour the first quart down that hole.
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That sounds like a good plan. I’m getting ready to change the oil after I get the car back together. I’ll probably pour some out down that hole before I change the oil.


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I’m putting the car back together. How snug should the distributor hold down screw be tightened on the side of the engine? I’m asking about the screw, not the lock nut that should be tight. I’m thinking the screw itself would be tightened just “shy” of being snug because the distributor shaft rotates against it or near it. Am I correct?

541028c1e39a366c0ed3f9c7444ae68a.jpg



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Just snug not tight. Then tighten the locking nut. It won't be touching the turning shaft only the body containing the shaft.
 
Last edited:
The set screw point sticks to the distributor housing. Just snug it, not tight. Put your 9/16 wrench on the nut and then hold the screw with a screwdriver to keep it from tightening when tightening the jam nut. That screw is there to be just tight enough to keep the distributor from walking up and out and it provides a bit/source of a ground. If you look at the housing you'll see that set screw goes no where near the spinning shaft.
 
Glad you got it fixed, it pays to take your time as I broke one off once and had to drive it out of the head. If you ever want to take the side cover off and see how the shaft and cam gear come out, I have a couple engines sitting over here, it isn't as hard as getting that distributor off!
 
shew01 said:
At this point, I’ve had quite the adventure. I think I’m ready to catch my breath and get the car back together. One task keeps leading to another.


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Even if you don't do any more now you should plan to do it sometime just to check things and get more familiar with your car. I went back to see why you removed the distributor and must have missed the reason. Did it have a problem?
 
J Franklin said:
Even if you don't do any more now you should plan to do it sometime just to check things and get more familiar with your car. I went back to see why you removed the distributor and must have missed the reason. Did it have a problem?
Click to expand...


It’s related to the thread below. I was trying to deal with one problem at a time in separate threads. One problem kept leading to another.


Cannot Get Rebuilt Ignition Cable to Read 6 Volts on the Points

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/to...ead.php?t=280849&share_type=t&link_source=app


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