Still not fixed

D

DonChiotos

Junior Member
I am having trouble with my distributor not turning with hand cranking the engine. I think the distributor gear that is being driven by the cam gear and that is not meshing. I can turn the distributor shaft by rotating the rotor and see the shaft turn, but if I hand rank engine the distributor doesn't move. I can see the timing gear move and can align the dimple in the gear with the pin. I can't completely remove the shaft that has the gear due to pin pressed into cover that covers the long shaft with the gear shaft. I most likely will have to drill this pin out if I need to get the shaft completely out. Is there a measurement I can take on the shaft gear to see if it is worn so it is not meshing with cam gear? Or any other advice on what to do?
Rechecked and this time I held the shaft in one position with a ling flat blade screwdriver and was able to turn the gear the at the other end of the shaft that meshes with the cam gear. Did same by turning shaft with screwdriver and holding gear and I could turn screwdriver, gear didn't move. Not sure if gear is pressed on, or there is a pin holding it in place.
 
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I missed the first thread on this. Do you have the stock arrangement, where the distributor is linked to the oil pump drive gear assembly via two "short" shafts, or do you have the aftermarket version where it's a single "long" shaft?
 
Take the valve cover off the side of the engine and all will be revealed as to what the problem is. It's not that hard to do. Remove the carburetor to make access easier. Other than that, it's just a bunch of bolts (hex head screws) to remove.
 
To avoid a 2026 Exxon Valdez event, when you follow Jim's advice to remove the valve cover, jack up the right side of the front end so that the car leans to the left (driver's side). Gravity will force the oil lying on the bottom of the valve chamber to trickle towards the middle of the engine and slightly drain down the holes on chamber floor that oil the main bearings. Allow the car to sit like this for a couple minutes before taking off the valve cover. There will still be some oil leakage as the cover is removed, but a great deal more oil will stay inside the engine than if you simply pulled the cover off with the car sitting level. Take the extra five minutes to do this and you will save yourself a messy clean up job.
I have seen one example where the long one-piece distributor shaft broke inside the distributor body. You could turn the upper shaft by hand, but the starter or hand crank would not spin the upper shaft. The upper shaft couldn't simply be pulled out - which would have revealed the problem right away - because the bushings were dried out and rust had formed. This in effect was clamping the upper shaft inside the body. Only some determined upward pulling removed the shaft. Try pulling up on the upper distributor shaft to see if it is broken in two. Otherwise, the trouble must lie in one or more of the suggestions posted so far. There are only so many reasons why a distributor shaft won't turn. You'll find the answer once the valve cover is off and you observe the distributor shaft's operation by pressing on the starter rod or while hand cranking. Plan on removing the distributor no matter you find. But do NOT aggressively pry between it and the cylinder head or else you will for sure break the distributor body casting. 'Been there in my Model A formative years. Use a dedicated distributor removing tool if it proves stubborn.
Marshall
 
I'm really getting thoroughly confused by the descriptions of what's going on.To make it simple,when you take the distributer drive gear assembly out and hold it in your hand,can you hold the gear and turn the other end?,or does the other end turn and the gear stay still in your hand?I don't understand the 'pin'you are talking about.
 
When I hold the drive gear in one hand and turn the top slotted end, the shaft turns but the gear doesn't. I think it has a broken pin on the gear or new shaft . The pin I am talking iabout is on the top of the lower gear assembly It is a sleave that covers the two shaft joints.
 
Does your drive gear look like this, with the collar on one end? The one I'm holding is a new slightly oversized replacement, the original is on the bench, along with the old collar and pin.
 

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This picture shows the various distributor parts and shafts.
The long rusty one on the left is a single shaft that replaced the upper and intermediate shaft.
 

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In the early 60's there was some oil pump drive gears that the gear was pressed on the shaft and some failed.
 
The picture is what my drive gear looks like. the gear came loose from the shaft on mine. I'm not sure what size to order. Standard, .004 over, or .010 over sized. How do I determine what size of gear to order?
 
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