Thread: Help with stubborn distributor removal

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I am literally in the middle of R&R my intake manifold on my 427 chevy bb!!! The distributor REFUSES to come out. it will lift up about an inch and thats about it. I've wiggled and giggled tugged and pulled, and it just won't come out!

Originally Posted by zero_presence

I am literally in the middle of R&R my intake manifold on my 427 chevy bb!!! The distributor REFUSES to come out. it will lift up about an inch and thats about it. I've wiggled and giggled tugged and pulled, and it just won't come out!

Have you tried "bumping" the engine over yet??

i bet your oil pump shaft is stuck in the distributor gear. there is a collar on the oil pump shaft that suppose to keep it from coming out with the distributor. it stops on the main cap. you are right it should come right out an thats the only thing i can think of that would stop it. is it out of the car or in the car?

What Denny said, it's just junked up!
Been there a few times.

Pat

I got it! I had to bump the motor over, although I was trying to avoid it. I didn't really want to waste time having to get the motor back to tdc and all that, but oh well, had to do it...

I have an idea about how to put my distributor back in, but since all my marks got thrown off from bumping the motor to get my distributor out....
run me through the reinstallation. Like should it be on #1 tdc and all that? I know to compensate for the rotation when dropping in the dist, but just give me a good run down if ya could!

Pull the drivers side valve cover. Turn the engine over (by hand) until the intake valve on number one closes. Now keep turning until the timing mark comes up. You are now on TDC of number one cylinder.

Have fun

Even easier then that.

Pull all your spark plugs, put a wrench on the harmonic balancer bolt and turn the engine over in the normal running direction (clockwise while looking from the front). Hold your thumb over the #1 plug hole. You will feel a puff of air coming out and will see the timing mark coming up. Stop !! If you overshoot a bit, you can back off (CCW) an eighth to a quarter of a turn (to take the slop out of the timing chain), then come back slowly to the timing mark. Drop the dist in place - though you might have to turn the engine over (again with the wrench on the bolt) to line up the oil pump drive. If the valve covers are off, that will just verify the valves are closed and you aren't 180* off..

If you are lazy like me, then just pull the #1 plug.

As you are ready to drop in the distributor, shine a light down the hole and eyeball the oil pump shaft. You can use a screwdriver to align the pump shaft to mesh with the dist. shaft. Rember, as the dist. gear drops down thru the camshaft gear, the dist shaft will turn. What I am saying is that the oil pump shaft must be set to mesh in a little ahead of where you drop in the distributor. You still might have to bump the engine to get it to drop though. If you do, just move it back around to TDC compression #1.

AND.. I have a little tid bit to help you out a tad more:

After achieving distributor installtion, and getting it on TDC compression #1, move the engine to the appropriate timing. IE if you want it on ten before TDC, then put it there.

Now, with the dist wired up, put plug #1 laying on the block where you can see it spark. Put power to the distributor. Rock the distributor back and forth, looking for the spark. You have to gesstimate exactly where the spark is occuring, then tighten it down.

Not only will this get you cranking on the first try, but I can usually get it within a couple degrees of perfect.

ok the distributor is in and engine runs (kinda roughly). Should I have it set around 8 deg?

yeah its a stock 427 "tall deck" motor. I just realized also that i can't find a mark on the crank pully to set the timing with...