okay i had to pull the distributor out of my buddies 283sbc in his 66 el camino.i marked the housing in relation to the rotor button and also noted were the vacum advance can points to.so i pulled it out with no problems and never bumped the engine over at all.now trying to re-install it has become a nightmare i can't get the rotor anywhere near the mark i made. it'll either go left or right of that mark or not stab in at all.
okay so am i doing anything wrong here or what's the secret.i should have left it alone the first time it looked at that time only a tooth off http://www.nastyz28.com/ubb/frown.gif

------------------
1972 chevy camaro ss
425HP 350sbc old school build-up

restification in progress 70's baldwin motion NHRA gasser with old school day2 parts
------------------

if it's to loud your to old

Make sure the oil pump drive is positioned in relation to the bottom of the distributor gear. If these are not "on cue" to each other, then you won't be able to drop the distributor in all the way. Use a very long flathead screwdriver down the distributor hole, on the engine, to turn the oil pump drive. Always remember that the rotor will move more as the helical gears mesh and the distributor moves closer to seating against the intake.

<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Originally posted by BrianBerry:
Make sure the oil pump drive is positioned in relation to the bottom of the distributor gear. If these are not "on cue" to each other, then you won't be able to drop the distributor in all the way. Use a very long flathead screwdriver down the distributor hole, on the engine, to turn the oil pump drive. Always remember that the rotor will move more as the helical gears mesh and the distributor moves closer to seating against the intake.</font>

the oil pump shaft should not have moved or did it ??.like i said before the engine has not been rotated over at all.will just installing the distributor cause the oil pump shaft to rotate ??.i've done this a few times before and always had no troubles before.

Sometimes they move a little. They rotate as the rotor rotates CCW when you pull the distributor out. IN THEORY you should be able to stab it right back in and it'll engage properly on the first try, but that doesn't always happen in the real world, especially after you've stabbed it in and out unsuccessfully a dozen times- it moves.

Just get a long screwdriver and a flashlight and give it a little tweak one way or the other until it allows the distributor to drop in on the proper tooth to get the rotor pointing back like it was before.

<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Originally posted by muscl car:
the oil pump shaft should not have moved or did it ??.like i said before the engine has not been rotated over at all.will just installing the distributor cause the oil pump shaft to rotate ??.i've done this a few times before and always had no troubles before. </font>

something moved, what who knows...if not it woulda fit back. best thing to do is take it to tdc and restab the distributor at #1.

find the compression stroke on #1 with the plug out. then restab the distributor with the rotor on the dis facing #1 on the cap, with in turn, the rotor should also be pointing towards #1 spark plug. you might need to get a long screw driver to clock the oil pump shaft to make it work right. flashlight is also handy.

yeah, the oil pump shaft can be turned when you've only got the distrib in partway- I was able to work mine around 360 degrees with just the shaft, wiggling it as it went down. If you were off by one tooth as you went to stab it in, you may very easily have turned the oil pump shaft and that'd be your problem. Try and line it up with a screwdriver, if you can.

I just find TDC for #1, drop dist in with the rotor pointing to what I think will be the right spot (as the gears mesh the rotor turns so I guesstimate as I drop it in) if the oil pump happens to be out of phase I just turn the engine over by hand slowly till the dist drops in. Then rotate the engine back to TDC and makesure the rotor points to number one. If it doesnt point towards #1 I just pull it back out, rotate the rotor one tooth and re-install. Turn the engine over by hand till she drops in and recheck. I usually get it lined up on either the first or second try.

Also the problem with marking a spot on the car where the rotor was pointing before removal is that unless you look at the rotor and the mark from exactly the same spot where you where standing they might look off.

The oil pump shaft moved. Twist slightly and try and reinstall. May have to do it a few times.

[This message has been edited by Rick WI (edited June 24, 2005).]

<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Originally posted by Joekool:
I just find TDC for #1, drop dist in with the rotor pointing to what I think will be the right spot </font>


TDC #1 on the compression stroke.
You'll pull your hair out if you're 180 off, and really are on the TDC of the exhaust upstroke.


[This message has been edited by BrianBerry (edited June 24, 2005).]

Also.. reminded me, since I just put a MSD distributor in my boat yesterday.

Set the distributor in. if the gears are meshed, but the oil pump shaft has not hit yet, you can turn the motor over by hand slowly to "meet" the oil pump drive. This way, the meshed gears stay with the cam & turn with the motor until you meet the oil drive. make sure the dist does not ride up the helical gear (it usually won't unless you bump the motor with a starter)

Of course, estimate where the rotor would be if it was to seat perfectly, before you turn the motor. With that, you can safely assume that once the dist seats, the tooth will be right.

Usually, if you can't replace a dist that you just pulled out, then the oil pump drive moved a few degrees clockwise (looking down through the intake). Either moving it back a few degrees with a screwdriver or moving the motor clockwise by hand a few degrees with the dist ready to drop the last 1/2 inch, will fix you up.

Brian is 100% correct and that will work perfect. I usually don't mention it as it can be confusing to some folks OR as he mentioned the distributor rises up and gets off a tooth. We just keep slight pressure on the top of the distributor and bump it with a remote starter switch until it drops in.