I hate My Distributor
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 102
Likes: 0
From: Taft CA
I hate My Distributor
Hello all.
Well it just keeps getting more and more fun....
i have been messing with the distributor on my 71 for a few days now and it keeps getting worse. I think i managed to really screw thing up. the dist. is in but it wont go all the way down flush with the manifold. and now when i bump the engine the rotor wont turn and i can't get the stupid thing out again. i pulled with every thing i have and it wont budge. 
i don't really know what to do next. what do you guys think would be the best way to get it out so i can see what is wronge.
-tom-
Well it just keeps getting more and more fun....
i have been messing with the distributor on my 71 for a few days now and it keeps getting worse. I think i managed to really screw thing up. the dist. is in but it wont go all the way down flush with the manifold. and now when i bump the engine the rotor wont turn and i can't get the stupid thing out again. i pulled with every thing i have and it wont budge. i don't really know what to do next. what do you guys think would be the best way to get it out so i can see what is wronge.-tom-
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 12,065
Likes: 2
From: Smalltownville Michigan
Cruise-In 5, 6 & 10 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '09
Man, have you been learning from my experiences here lately or do we have the same luck manager? lol take it back out and checks to make sure everything is right with it...
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,167
Likes: 2
From: Ft.Worth Texas
O.K. , you need to quit turning the motor with the starter.
You have jammed the gear on the distributor and need to slowly move the crankshaft backwards while lifting up on the dist. Just a LITTLE bit backwards.
Hope this helps. David
You have jammed the gear on the distributor and need to slowly move the crankshaft backwards while lifting up on the dist. Just a LITTLE bit backwards.
Hope this helps. David
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 102
Likes: 0
From: Taft CA
Originally Posted by David Ey
O.K. , you need to quit turning the motor with the starter.
You have jammed the gear on the distributor and need to slowly move the crankshaft backwards while lifting up on the dist. Just a LITTLE bit backwards.
Hope this helps. David
You have jammed the gear on the distributor and need to slowly move the crankshaft backwards while lifting up on the dist. Just a LITTLE bit backwards.
Hope this helps. David
Man, have you been learning from my experiences here lately or do we have the same luck manager? lol take it back out and checks to make sure everything is right with it...
Thanks again
-tom-
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,804
Likes: 1
From: OKC Oklahoma
Ask the guys that told you to bump it with the starter-hahahaha. Not laughing at you. Here is an idea, put the trans in reverse and bump it-the reverse rotation of the engine should un-jam it. 
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,167
Likes: 2
From: Ft.Worth Texas
Originally Posted by 79VetteMike
Ask the guys that told you to bump it with the starter-hahahaha. Not laughing at you. Here is an idea, put the trans in reverse and bump it-the reverse rotation of the engine should un-jam it.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 102
Likes: 0
From: Taft CA
Originally Posted by 79VetteMike
Ask the guys that told you to bump it with the starter-hahahaha. Not laughing at you. Here is an idea, put the trans in reverse and bump it-the reverse rotation of the engine should un-jam it.
or mabey i put in in 1st and then push it backwords that may work too. 
all i know is that what you read in the manuals seems to be easy enouph untill you acualy try to do it then all hell breaks loose and it takes so much more time and money. but i guess once i do get it right i won't have a problem doing it again.-tom-
Tech Contributor
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 14,375
Likes: 6,375
From: At my Bar drinking and wrenching in Lafayette Colorado
For future reference, my "How to Install your Distributor" paper is posted here on the Forum. It's also on CorvetteFaq. Or you can drop me an e-mail request and I'll send it to you. The distributor can be correctly installed in any engine in under 55 seconds using the correct process.
...And you sure as heck don't bump the engine over with the starter... Sorry to see someone gave you bad advice.
...And you sure as heck don't bump the engine over with the starter...
Sorry to see someone gave you bad advice.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 102
Likes: 0
From: Taft CA
Originally Posted by lars
For future reference, my "How to Install your Distributor" paper is posted here on the Forum. It's also on CorvetteFaq. Or you can drop me an e-mail request and I'll send it to you.
-tom-
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 226
Likes: 0
From: Bloomington IL
Distributor Gear
The only time I ever had a problem like this was when I rebuilt the distributor and had the gear on it upside down. It was a stupid mistake and I caught it before it hurt anything.