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Distributor not going all the way in.

68EFIvert

68EFIvert

Well-Known Member
I am putting the distributor in the engine this evening and it won't go all the way down. I can feel it slide in the hole, engage with the cam but it won't drop down the last 3/8". I think it is interfering with the small washer thing on the oil pump drive shaft. Is that possible?

My options are

1. call the engine builder and have him put it in the rest of the way.
2. use a small screw driver to tap the washer down a little to see if that is where the problem is.
3. I have no idea what to do and see option 1.

What do you guys recommend. I don't want to screw up my new engine by doing something stupid.
 
I got it covered. Tapped it a couple times with a dead blow hammer and she slid right in. The oil pump shaft retainer was in the way.
 
A hammer? A little concerned that you should have to go to that extreme to seat the dizzy. How hard do you have to hit the dizzy to get it down? Do you have the oil pump shaft retainer near the top of the oil pump shaft near the dizzy? It should be near the bottom near the oil pump, so when you pull the dizzy out the retainer hits the block and keeps the shaft from either coming out with the dizzy or part way out and drop down into the pan. And yes, I've had both happen the first is easy, the second sucks since you have to drop the pan to get the shaft out.

Hate to say it, but you may want to pull the dizzy and have a look to see what caused it not to go down.
 
Most likely the hex oil pump shaft wasn't turned perfectly to align with the hex opening in the oil pump. Been there a million times. Takes a few wiggles of the rotor with the cam gears meshed to get it to drop.
 
Most likely the hex oil pump shaft wasn't turned perfectly to align with the hex opening in the oil pump distributor. Been there a million times. Takes a few wiggles of the rotor with the cam gears meshed to get it to drop.
Click to expand...

I'd put money on that being the culprit.... and NOT the oil pump drive shaft retaining washer...... which should have been installed on the underside of the shaft to prevent it from falling out.


Just out of curiouisty Darreld, how hard were the hammer blows? If they were anything more than very, very light "taps"...... I've seen the bottom's of distributors split/crack from people trying to force the distributor down when the male hex of the oil pump shaft wasn't aligned with the female hex of the bottom of the distributor.
 
I just barely touched it with a dead blow hammer. It took about 4 taps to get it in place. I think I will pull the dizzy out and double check I didn't drive the shaft down so that it won't engage the dizzy.
 
I think I will pull the dizzy out and double check I didn't drive the shaft down so that it won't engage the dizzy.
Click to expand...


That's not likely/possible. The oil pump drive shaft "bottoms out" in the oil pump. You'd of have to have been whacking it hard with a 5# sledge to drive the shaft through the pump.
 
Give a guy a break about the gasket. I'm not stupid enough to put one on. I just used 10 o-rings instead. :lol Maybe that is why it wouldn't go in all the way. I couldn't get the bolt started because of the o-rings.
 
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