Hello, to start the engine of my truck thems to get a never ending story. I turn the engine to the TDC and want to set the ignition distibutor in to the borehole to connect it to the oil pump, the distributor get into the hole but will not connect to the oil pump. My question: Is there any trick how to turn the shaft that the ignition finger shows a TCD on the first cylinder? Wolfgang
I had the same problem. When I fitted a new distributor and a new oil pump the two were such a tight fit it took me about an hour of turning the oil pump by putting a long screwdriver down through the distributor hole and then trying to get the distributor to fit into the pump. I don't think there's a trick, other than recognizing the distributor has to turn as it goes down so that it will mesh with the gear on the camshaft. Just keep moving the pump ever so slightly with the screwdriver and trying again, and again, and again.....
Let me try this~ I'll be at this point soon, so let me try this and you guys that know better can laugh and point fingers at me if I'm wrong. First, make sure the ball is lined up with the arrow/pointer. Slide the distributor in the hole. No doubt it won't end up sliding into the slot of the pump~ that only happens in the movies. Not to worry. Pull the distributor back out, turn the shaft just a tad and try it again. Do this over and over until you hit the magic combination. (You'll know you got it because the distributor will go down that extra little bit it never had before.) ~In my case, I have the pan off because I wanted to check/clean all the gunk out of it before I got to carried away. With it off, I can take a stiff wire(?) and turn the slot in the pump to line up with the blade at the end of the distributor. Once the distributor is set in the pump, take the cap off to see which plug the rotter is pointing to. This will become the #1 and the wire needs to run to the #1 plug. Make sure the next wire is in the order it needs to be, and so on. Okay- Do I pass, or did I screw up somewhere? If I passed, thank you Nate and my dad. If I failed... I'll learn from the post that follows this one!
What I always do is drop the distributor in the hole if it don't line up with the oil pump just turn the engine over by hand until it drops down in to the oil pump.. Works every time....Big Tim
Thanks Big Tim, good tip. Next time I'm doing this I'll put the dizzy in while I can still turn the engine by hand - or do it when the pan's off and I can see what's going on in there. And Paul, I think the ball bearing will line up at Bottom Dead Center as well as Top Dead Center. There's something to do with watching one of the valves open and close as you turn the engine over then the next time the ball's in the window it's TDC. I'm sure someone knows the detail on this.
Big screwdriver, look at the relation of the pump drive to the position you are installing the dist. shaft. Turn the pump to line it up. Drop in dist. Remember that the dist. has to start at about 1 tooth over when inserting, it will rotate on it's way down and line up when it is seated. If you get it off a tooth, just rotate body of Dist.until 1 lines up.
Dizzy Install Pretty much what everyone else allready said ~ I wrote a post about this some time back , I use a coat hanger to rotate the oil pump's drive slot . I , personally take the time to ensure that when it is done the rotor is facing the passenger side inner fender, just the way itdid when the truck was new . It'll turn a bit as it slides fully home so begin with a tooth ot two off where you expect it to finish up .
