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From: Who says "Nothing is impossible" ? I've been doing nothing for years.
Can't stab distributor ??
Very unusual for me as I have put distributors in countless times. My 427ci small block wasn't running that great so I decided to go through everything and when I was finished and couldn't find anything out of line it was time to install the distributor.
It just won't go in, it stops 1/4in. or so above the intake manifold. I have a long screwdriver and have moved the oil pump shaft to every position, even going so for as to move the distributor shaft 360 degs. just to see if it will fall in in any position.
I am stumped, the next step is to take the intake manifold off, but I was wondering if anyone else had this problem and what was the fix. It usually takes me 2-4 stabs and it goes in. I have tried at least 50 times with no luck. Any help is appreciated.
Have been there myself. Sometimes better to just take a break for a day until the stars are aligned! You will get in eventually or as my grandfather used to say to me "put a little hair around it" !
So, what has changed since the dizzy was removed?
New Intake?
New Dizzy or rebuilt?
New dizzy Gear?
New Oil Pump?
New Pump Shaft?
New Cam?
I have had luck with putting the dizzy clamp on with a few turns of the clamp bolt. With just a little clamp pressure pushing down, I jog the IGN key.
If that doesn't work, you have to crank all the way around to TDC and start over.
Last edited by HeadsU.P.; Feb 26, 2020 at 03:47 PM.
From: At my Bar drinking and wrenching in Lafayette Colorado
Originally Posted by wilcar
.....
That was helpful.
So, Wayne -
Here's a quick check you can do:
Remove the distributor drive gear. With the gear removed, drop the distributor down into the block. In this configuration, you can rotate the distributor shaft with your fingers until you feel it engage with the oil pump drive shaft. It should then drop all the way down. If it does drop down, you don't have any real problem other than just getting everything to "mesh" right on installation: Put the gear back on (making sure it's not upside-down) and re-stab it. If it does not drop all the way down with the gear removed and the shaft engaged in the pump drive, you have a problem with the pump drive shaft being disengaged from the pump or from the pump connector sleeve.
If you don't have a copy of it, e-mail me for my "How to install your distributor" paper, which outlines the "walking" method to line up the oil pump shaft and getting the clocking right. Let me know if you have HEI or standard distributor.
Very old MSD distributors do not have a "lead in" chamfer on the bottom of the distributor gear.......it is hell if the oil pump shaft is off to one side like they usually are......it just won't engage over the oil pump shaft......
I do not know if that is what you have but it is worth a look on your gear......if it doesn't have a chamfer, take it off and chuck it up in a lathe and make one.
1/4" off the intake means it is not engaging the drive shaft.....if it was intake to block shift, it would stop going in much higher.
From: At my Bar drinking and wrenching in Lafayette Colorado
If the distributor mainshaft does not have the chamfer on the oil pump "tongue" on the end of the shaft, it will be hell to engage. You don't need a lathe - just grind a 45-degree chamfer on all 4 sides of the "tongue" carefully on your bench grinder. It will then engage with the pump drive shaft.
One more detail if you remove gear. Mark it so the roll pin hole is the same way it came out. Gear has odd number of teeth. Needs to be installed same way it came off, not 180 degrees off.
Hate to ask this, but.....is the drive gear installed correctly on the shaft? ("pilot" shaft DOWN, gear UP) this has happened to more than a few folks....
That's not correct. The dot on the gear should point in the same direction as the firing tab on the rotor.
Lars
Actually, I've seen it both ways. The drive pin hole will line up with a tooth, or between 2 of the teeth. If you install it wrong, it won't affect timing. The distributor might be about 14 degrees off with respect to the engine position on the intake. But then that's dead give away that it's wrong.
From: At my Bar drinking and wrenching in Lafayette Colorado
I've been building and setting up distributors for 40 years. I've never seen it "both ways." The dot on the gear always points the same way as the rotor firing tab - that's what the dot is for. 100% of the time. The only exception is if an aftermarket mainshaft has been installed, which has the roll pin hole drilled at any random clocking.
I've been building and setting up distributors for 40 years. I've never seen it "both ways." The dot on the gear always points the same way as the rotor firing tab - that's what the dot is for. 100% of the time. The only exception is if an aftermarket mainshaft has been installed, which has the roll pin hole drilled at any random clocking.
So pretty sure I didn’t check that during my recent work on the distributor and think I may have placed it backwards. Is this something I need to take apart and correct to prevent a problem or something I just need to correct when I am working in that area next time? See attached pictures, before and after and angles of cam to module. Before After, appears to be off a few degrees
Hate to ask this, but.....is the drive gear installed correctly on the shaft? ("pilot" shaft DOWN, gear UP) this has happened to more than a few folks....
If the gear was off, the distributor would be 14 degrees off. Your vacuum advance would be pointing farther away. which it appears that it's not. If anything the distributor is out of sync with the cam gear.
From: Who says "Nothing is impossible" ? I've been doing nothing for years.
Thanks for all the info, I have dropped the same dist. in on the same engine a few times and nothing has changed, I thought about the shaft leaning one way or another. Lots of good info, I'll try again tomorrow. And let you know how it turns out. I have a grinder so grinding on the end is no big deal. Just never had this problem in many years of tinkering.
Can't stab distributor ??
Lars
