distributor installed wrong


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By kansas - 15 Years Ago
who ever installed this dist put it in one or two teeth off so they just moved the plug wires on the cap to make up for it/my ? is if I redo the initial timing how can I reline the oil pump drive shaft with out pulling the oil pump/Im hoping that there is some way of going down the dist shaft hole and turning the oil pump shaft If you have done this let know now hard it is to do/ by the way this is a 292
By GREENBIRD56 - 15 Years Ago
My usual method is to try "bumping" the motor once - but another way that works....

Get a 1/4 drive x 5/16 socket and tape it to a couple of extensions (so you don't have do any fishing later) - and stick it down in there onto the pump drive shaft. Then you can turn the pump shaft slightly to try a different alignment - without moving the crank and cam gear. 

Have fun Smile

Did you try a different set of advance springs? Be ready to "re-adjust" the total amount of vacuum advance as it may add in too much "total" at lower RPM levels. When the replacement distributor is a Motorcraft version - they often come with an adjustable vacuum pot. Takes a 3/32 or 1/8 allen wrench.

These directions above give the vacuum pot maximum travel - turning the opposite direction will restrict it.

By charliemccraney - 15 Years Ago
GREENBIRD56 (11/26/2010)
My usual method is to try "bumping" the motor once




me too.
By kansas - 15 Years Ago
springs are on order/will install when I pull dist this weekend
By oldcarmark - 15 Years Ago
The oil pump drive shaft will go into distributor in any position.There is no "master spline".Because the shaft is multisided(6?) it wont be far off.I usually just bump the motor slightly and dist. drops right in.If you do want to make a turning tool as Steve described I would suggest using a "deep" socket on the end as the standard one is wide just where it passes through the block and tends to pull off  even when taped.If you are setting timing from scratch the valves on #1 cylinder(passenger front) should be closed and TDC on crank should be very close to "0".In order to help align rotor to #1 position in the dist. I use a black marker to make a black mark on top lip of dist corresponding to #1 on cap when installed.9 times out of 10 distributor will drop in without having to bump the motor.Hope this info is helpful.
By Hoosier Hurricane - 15 Years Ago
Steve"s advice is good, but the drive shaft is 1/4", not 5/16".
By Mr Sweden - 15 Years Ago
At least on SB ford engines, and most of the other on this forum unmentionable V8 brands that I had, if one wants to "line up" the rotor the method is to pull up the distributor so it disconnects from the driveshaft. If you "milk" it in and out of position the rotor will walk arond to the wished positin. You also have to help it slighly, the shaft is hexagonal so it wont fit on the drive in every positin, the camshaft gear does that. Lift - turn rotor until its in correct position, down, if stop, lift a bit again and correct rotor position, the rotor turns as you push down.

If you try it, it is wery easy if you dont have your thumb in the middle, use no violence, then reposition spark cables. I can not imagine that the Y should have been constructed anyway stranger than most V8s regarding distributor drive. Most 8s have rotor set to point at nr 1 cyl at zero if Im not totally gone in my recalling the unmentionables.

Best regards Per, in a snowy Seden.

By deadhead - 15 Years Ago
"IF", the cam AND crankshaft are installed CORRECTLY, then it makes NO difference how the distributer is installed unless you are a stickler for correctness. When you have the #1 piston on T.D.C. on the compression stroke you can drop the dizzy down the hole and put the rotor on and wherever the rotor points is #! on the cap and you wire it from there. 'Nuff said. TomBigGrin
By oldcarmark - 15 Years Ago
The problem you may run into is that the wires wont reach the "new" locations on the cap especially if the ones you have are not overly long to start with.Especially those on the "left" side of the motor.
By 'GB'ird - 15 Years Ago
This was a well timed post for me as I'm having problems re-installing my distributor. Presumably there are more teeth on the drive cog than flats on the hex, so is it possible to be a tooth out of sync? I got TDC (I think - difficult to tell with the tiny marks on the pulley) but the dist only fully engages with the rotor pointing between #5 and #1. Can't seem to get it in anywhere else. Tried starting it and it splutters a bit but won't fire up.

Richard

By Ted - 15 Years Ago
'GB'ird (12/1/2010)
......Presumably there are more teeth on the drive cog than flats on the hex, so is it possible to be a tooth out of sync? I got TDC (I think - difficult to tell with the tiny marks on the pulley) but the dist only fully engages with the rotor pointing between #5 and #1. Can't seem to get it in anywhere else. Tried starting it and it splutters a bit but won't fire up.

Very rarely does the distributor drop all the way in without having to rotate the engine either slightly forward or backwards so that the oil shaft aligns with the distributor.  And its not unusual to be just one tooth off where the vacuum advance chamber on the distributor is situated such that distributor movement is inhibited in the right direction.  In the case of being just a tooth off, the distributor is pulled up and moved one tooth which typically requires that the engine (crankshaft) will need to be moved one way or the other to realign the oil shaft once again.

 

My preferred method of dropping in the distributor is to first insure that the engine TDC is on the #1 compression stroke.  I then move the crank so that the damper is on 15° BTDC at the timing mark.  With the distributor case marked with a Sharpie where #1 on the cap is suppose to be,  I then drop the distributor in with the rotor pointing approximately at that #1 Sharpie mark.  If the distributor does not drop all the way down due to the oil shaft, then I simply rotate the engine forward or backwards with a light downwards pressure on the rotor until the distributor falls in place.  I then put the damper back to the 15° BTDC mark  and reallign the rotor with #1 while also checking that the points have just started to open or the electronic pickup within the distributor is aligned with the stator depending upon which ignition system is being dealt with.  The engine is then started and the timing fine tuned with a timing light.  This only works where the damper ring has not slipped.