Distributor oil
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 8,837
Likes: 1,028
That's probably true for most. I personally found the replies pretty funny. I expect Lars wanted me to be more specific and after that, well all I can say is... where the hell are those muffler bearings? I've been looking everywhere! 
I may be an exception. I know that I don't know, and I'm not trying to hide that fact. I'm a computer geek, not a mechanic. Others very well might be offended, so it probably is a good policy to keep the sarcasm down a tad. Unless you see "metheglin", then please, let it rip.
I may be an exception. I know that I don't know, and I'm not trying to hide that fact. I'm a computer geek, not a mechanic. Others very well might be offended, so it probably is a good policy to keep the sarcasm down a tad. Unless you see "metheglin", then please, let it rip.
Pro
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 633
Likes: 1
From: Hamilton, ON, Canada
I believe the correct lube is GM #1960954 Gear & Shaft Lubricant which comes in a little plastic can which states it's for starter gears & shafts & distrubutor shafts. It looks like a black moly-lube but costs about $41 as I recall for a 12.5 oz can. At least this is what's listed for the HEI distributor.
Drifting
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,425
Likes: 0
From: Seattle Wash.
Metheglin,
No sassy remarks from me. I applaud your efforts on what you have accomplished. I have weighed in with some advice on some of your earlier inquiries to assist you on your distributor rebuild and you are doing a great job. You are proof that even if you are a so-called "computer geek" and not a mechanic, anyone with a little patience and mechanical aptitude, can accomplish just about anything. You are definitely on the right path to get the distributor rebuilt. Keep the questions coming and let us know how things are going.
Good luck
Tony
No sassy remarks from me. I applaud your efforts on what you have accomplished. I have weighed in with some advice on some of your earlier inquiries to assist you on your distributor rebuild and you are doing a great job. You are proof that even if you are a so-called "computer geek" and not a mechanic, anyone with a little patience and mechanical aptitude, can accomplish just about anything. You are definitely on the right path to get the distributor rebuilt. Keep the questions coming and let us know how things are going.
Good luck
Tony
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 763
Likes: 0
From: Loveland Colo
i'll go way out on a limb here, and may create some hard feelings, but
sarcastic answers don't help.
they will probably only intimidate novice mechanics from asking questions that they need answered. after all, isn't what this forum is all about? nobody knows it all-if you think you do, step on up!
sarcastic answers don't help.
they will probably only intimidate novice mechanics from asking questions that they need answered. after all, isn't what this forum is all about? nobody knows it all-if you think you do, step on up!
"I'm a man,
But I can change,
If I have to,
I guess."
All better now?
It's hard to resist smartass replies to queries like this. Yes he was unsure of what he was asking, but he got good answers as well as a good ribbing. If you hang out in any shop, real or virtual, you're gonna get a ribbing from time to time. It's a way of testing a man's mettle. Sometimes, yes, it can go too far or become mean spirited. But if you wanna run with the dogs, you gotta be prepared to take some poop.
I don't think any of these replies were mean....Not like the ones Yellow73SB generated at first. And look at him, he came back and takes it and dishes it out with a good attitude! And he's earning respect, as well.
Glad you got your answer, Metheglin.
John
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 55
Likes: 0
From: Wellington
Cleaned all metal parts, and cleaned out some old hardened oil sludge
Replaced plastic cap, felt washer, and mounting gasket.
Greased (not oiled) with the official GM lubricant (since I had some in a tube). Oiled the shaft and bottom end (not that it was really necessary). Used some stuff called "dry slide" on the weights, actually an adhesive that dries thin and hard and slippery (I hope I didn't add too much weight!!!)
Shimmed. It came out on the loose end of the spec (.007) , but that means it will have no resistance to spinning, so I'm fine with that... there's no visible endplay at all.
Reassembled. The first time I put the gear on upside down, and was stymied that it wouldn't drop all the way down.
Installed. Had to do this multiple times, because I didn't quite understand it... When the gear first engages as you drop it in, the rotor rotates about 1/16th of a rotation (22.5 distributor degrees = 45 crankshaft degrees). When it engages the oil pump at the bottom, it rotates about another 1/16th of a rotation (another 45 crankshaft degrees). I didn't notice that second rotation, but I figured it out by taking off the valve covers and looking to see which valves where open, and by how much, and then I noticed it the next time around.
I did a lot of manual cranking with a breaker bar.. I prefer that when dropping the distributor since it seems to be gentler. However, at one point I was cranking the engine with the breaker bar and suddenly the car scoots backwards!
Timed. It now runs from about 12-20 BTDC at idle (idle varies right now, and I suspect the weights are engaging early still) up to 36 BTDC at WOT. If I need to swap springs to get the weights to stay centered at idle instead of flopping outwards early, I know that I can do that without adjusting the timing any, because it's the 36 degrees that matter, and that pretty much spot on ("pretty much" because of the dist cap issue, discussed below).
There are no points or condensor in my distributor... just a pertronix ignitor that senses a spinning disk with 8 equidistant markings/sensors on it.Replaced plastic cap, felt washer, and mounting gasket.
Greased (not oiled) with the official GM lubricant (since I had some in a tube). Oiled the shaft and bottom end (not that it was really necessary). Used some stuff called "dry slide" on the weights, actually an adhesive that dries thin and hard and slippery (I hope I didn't add too much weight!!!)
Shimmed. It came out on the loose end of the spec (.007) , but that means it will have no resistance to spinning, so I'm fine with that... there's no visible endplay at all.
Reassembled. The first time I put the gear on upside down, and was stymied that it wouldn't drop all the way down.
Installed. Had to do this multiple times, because I didn't quite understand it... When the gear first engages as you drop it in, the rotor rotates about 1/16th of a rotation (22.5 distributor degrees = 45 crankshaft degrees). When it engages the oil pump at the bottom, it rotates about another 1/16th of a rotation (another 45 crankshaft degrees). I didn't notice that second rotation, but I figured it out by taking off the valve covers and looking to see which valves where open, and by how much, and then I noticed it the next time around.
I did a lot of manual cranking with a breaker bar.. I prefer that when dropping the distributor since it seems to be gentler. However, at one point I was cranking the engine with the breaker bar and suddenly the car scoots backwards!
Timed. It now runs from about 12-20 BTDC at idle (idle varies right now, and I suspect the weights are engaging early still) up to 36 BTDC at WOT. If I need to swap springs to get the weights to stay centered at idle instead of flopping outwards early, I know that I can do that without adjusting the timing any, because it's the 36 degrees that matter, and that pretty much spot on ("pretty much" because of the dist cap issue, discussed below).
There are still some problems.
1. The pertronix ignitor mounting plate isn't quite flat. Unfortunately I can't use the hammer trick, because it's mounted on permanently, with rivets, and I'd smash the electronics if I tried to flatten it. I used pliers the best I could. However, the spinning disk that the electronics sense doesn't spin quite flat, it spins a bit wobbly. If the gap between the disk and the sensor is too far at some point in the cycle, I'm wondering if I'm going to be missing sparks. I got it as close as I could. It rubs lightly most of the way around, and any gap that shows up is really quite small.
2. The distributor cap is tight at the front, but loose at the back. Something is loose in the spring bit. So I'll need a new one of those.
3. The plug wires are old. Wire 3# has a missing or deeply crimpled metal contact at the plug end. I'm wondering if that cylinder is ever firing... I suspect spark gets to the end of the wire, but the end of the wire is short of the spark plug. is there a way to tell if it's firing? Sometimes the timing gun was clearly missing sparks (on wire #1 of course)... and the engine sounded like it was too. So new wires are in order.
I really don't care about radio reception, and there are no electronics (fuel injection, engine management, etc), so I was thinking about old-style solid core wires that spit out tons of EMI but never wear out, instead of carbon ones. Anyone know where to get those?
I also was able to adjust the idle mixture somewhat better, even though the idle isn't steady, by cupping my hand over the primaries and noticing that this made the idle speed increase, verifying a lean condition (Thanks to Lars' good writings). So I backed out the mixture screws another 1/2 turn.
There is still a lot more to do.
I wonder if I should mention the hole in my radiator
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,270
Likes: 20
From: Central Michigan
