'29 Distributor not turning

D

djhoosier

New member
Got the '29 out for a local parade. Started it up a few times to move it around and go for a very short trip down the road and back and it ran OK.

Later in the day, went out to start and it started and died. Tried again and it wouldn't do anything...tracked it down to the rotor wasn't spinning. After much penetrating soaking, finally got the distributor out and upon spinning the engine w/o distrib., looking down at the "coupling" in the engine, it wasn't spinning.

Was hoping somebody might be able to shed some light on possible causes ?

Thanks.
 
the distributor is driven by the camshaft. possibly the cam gear is stripped pull the side cover and see if it turns.
 
Last edited:
Had the same thing happen to me. The cause is that you haven't been oiling the distributor. You got the engine hot on that first drive, metal expanded the dry shaft froze in the distributor body, and you broke the pin in the oil pump drive gear that is at the bottom of the distributor inside the valve cover. Did you try to turn the shaft in the distributor? Is it stuck?

The Fix. - Open the valve cover on the side of the engine. dropped down in the hole is the oil pump drive gear. Remove and either push out the old pin holding the gear on and put in a new pin. I've seen nails trimmed and sweged used before, or get a new or used, but not worn out gear from a swap meet or ebay. Very easy fix. Drops right in.

Here is what you are looking for and a link to an auction for one. (not my auction)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320520902566

456d_12.jpg
 
Last edited:
The cam gear drives the distributor drive gear. If you are lucky this part is defective and a cheap fix. Before tearing things apart do a compression test and see if the cam timing gear has not stripped.
 
Model A's need to be serviced and driven regularly, and I don't mean a parade once a year. We all just learned why from your post. Thanks.
 
When you have the valve cover of, turn the engine and make sure the valves are going up and down. If not, its your timing gear up front.
 
I have been told of a situation where a poorly made aftermarket oil pump / distributor drive gear failed. The gear had been made seperately and was pressed on the shaft. When the distributor became hard to turn the gear started to spin on the shaft. Once the part was replaced and the distributor retimed the engine ran as designed. Gar Williams
 
Same thing happened to my friends '29 Model A. The distributor shaft turned hard and later took out the teeth on the drive gear. Replaced with a good one and now he oils the distributor. He didn't know the distributor needed oiled and probably the previous owner as well.
 
Thanks for all the quick insight fellers ! I'm the "caretaker" of this particular car for the father-in-law, who does only drive it once a year for the one local parade. As bad as it sounds...it's the "get it started and hope it makes it through the parade". I admit...I didn't recognize the importance of oiling the distrib...until now :(

Now I just need to get the car back over and take it apart.
 
You have already performed the first logical step to troubleshoot the problem. Pulling the distributor and noting that the driveshaft is not turning. The next most logical troubleshooting proceedure is to pull the timing pin, rotate the crank and determine whether the cam gear is turning. That's it, from these two steps you can determine the problem. If the cam gear turns the distributor/oil drive is stripped. If the cam gear doesn't turn, it is stripped.

Some of the other well intentioned advice will get you there but why make it harder that it needs to be?
you don't need to pull the side cover to see if the drive gear is turning, you already saw that from the top.
The pin in the drive gear doesn't drive the gear, it only holds the sleeve on.
Pulling the timing pin will give you the same answer as a compression check.
Same thing with watching the valves go up and down.
I don't know what making sure the previous was oiled will do?
Rainmaker Ron
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top