I REALLY wish I had an old junk block around - I'd take a torch, carve a section out of the back, and post a pic holding the distributor saying "Here's how to do it!"

I have a '66 283 truck motor in the garage with the dist out. From what I can see on that, the distributor has to come up just about 5/8" before the shaft will spin freely all the way around. I think we all pretty much know what we are looking at, but I can take pics of the pin, gear, looking down the hole, etc if it would help, just let me know what angle view you need.

 

If the pin has walked out part way of the gear and is hitting the cam gear, simply turning the distributor rotor 90* to the cam should allow the distributor to come up more than it has.

This has been mentioned numerous times with no indication the OP has tried it.

No reason for this to remain a mystery of what is really wrong. You have to diagnose before you can identify the fix.

 

After 3 pages I can't believe I am the only one with an extra engine block laying around.

By removing the pan you get a visual of the gear and pin. It also allopws you to remove the oil pump and oil pump drive shaft as that might be stuck on the end of the dist gear and removes one more variable out of the equation. Now if the pin is out and not allowing the dist to come out you really have no room to work as the crank and rods are in the way. There is also no room to drop it out of the bottom but that would require wrecking the dist mech advance.

If the pin is not out of line you could use a small brass drift through oil pump driveshaft hole and tap the dist up.

These photos should help clear things up.

Picture from the top of a 406 I'm building now.



The next photos are from an old block I have.

Underside of block where the dist gear interfaces with the oil pump driveshaft




Photo showing how the oil pump drive would be in the block.

 

So, you want the OP to pull his crankshaft out?

 

i spun engine by hand 180 degrees and it never came up any farther than 1/2 inch. (Using 5 degrees at a time) I need the do the other 180 hopefully tonight. I will also check if there is a bead of silicone around intake. If you guys ever come over I am hiding my sledgehammer, sawzalll and truck tire hammer.

 

Got an acetylene torch?

 

It seems to me that some people want to focus on my 'last ditch effort' idea and not seem to have a problem in moving the cam forward and verifying where the pin is located. It WAS as I somewhat put it.. ALL ELSE FAILS idea.

100%! It would be my ultimate last resort....But I have cut them...but it was not done due to having to get it out. It was done to make a priming tool.

Jeff it is all good....no offense taken...because I agree with you..it is a crazy idea.....you would be shocked in some I come up with that work in other scenarios.

Cutting the distributor with a cut off wheel would not get any shaving in the engine. Think about it. Using a vacuum to suck what is being thrown off the cutting wheel...would not do anything..and the shavings that would possibly make it down the internal shaft of the housing would be stopped BEFORE they get to the main gear....if not get collected in the area where the tach drive gear goes and a vacuum can suck them out. And knowing that the pan would be coming off.. it all can be washed out. I feel you are over reacting.

No need for an entire engine tear down and rebuild...heck..I bet there is more debris floating around inside and engine that can do harm that most people are not aware of.

And seeing how this is NOT going to be done.,.,.we will not have to
worry about it.

EXCELLENT...I honestly did not think of doing that. I am sure it would dawn on me after I made the imaginary cut and realize I was a total idiot....which does happen.

Simply pull out the housing...because it is not what is hanging up...that is what would be next because the shaft and the housing are not one...thus leavign the shaft in place.

but seeing how '4 Speed Dave' posted photos. My idea is NOW MUTE. It would be the very last resort.

I have an engine block that I could have accessed...but from what Lars commented on. I did not think of questioning it.

DUB

 

If this were my engine, before I started breaking things, it would come out and upside down and start the disassembly to find the real problem. If this roll pin is out of position, it's likely hitting the block casting, not just the gear on the cam. But without "seeing" who knows. Removing the engine, crank, cam is lots of work, but sometime you gotta do what you gotta do.

 

It helps if you watch the OP's video, all 3 seconds. I slowed it down a little, and ran it through a loop. I even added some tunes!



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1drHzrs4PA

 

It screams for a 4 ft. crowbar under the flange. OP has waaaay more patience than me. I'm prying that sucker until something lets go. Gotta tear down that motor to "fix" it anyway at that point but... at least you're moving along. You're going somewhere.

 

Wow...... I thought this was a collaborative forum. Sorry nobody thought your suggestion was brilliant. I'm done with this thread.

Allan.

 

If the distributor comes up a little, do you have enough room to somewhere get a pickle fork in on a level plane and start tapping it into the gap?

Even if it doesn't pop out and if you aren't confortable tapping in in too much at a time, you could leave it in there overnight with some pressure on the distributor and tap it in a little each day until it breaks free.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Am8A_4d02XM

 

From an old thread on another forum.....

 

Did that come out without breaking anything?

 

After watching the video, I would take a slidehammer and remove the distributor. And then address any further problems, if any. Looks gunked up to me, the way it's moving. Not all of us can be as brilliant as Sir 65tripleblack, however. I think I mentioned slide-hammer about 100 posts ago......

 

Update- July 2017........
distributor now moves 9/16" before going clunk. Progress!!

 

Here read for yourself. Just remember that site is not as tame as it is here. You might just get your feelings hurt over there if you stay too long.

http://www.yellowbullet.com/forum/sh....php?p=6207213

 

That's not too likely!

That site and every other site I went to for this problem all had similar comments from 98% of the respondents. Hammer, pry bar, wiggle it, twist it, engine hoist, winch, dynamite. And there were the 2% ers. Pull the engine and do a complete tear down and be careful and don't scratch anything.

You know, if the pin is sticking out, and if it happens to be in line with the gear tooth, it likely should spiral right on out as you lift the distributor.

 

Don't know, that was the last post in the thread.