Thread: What the hell happened inside my distributor? Pictures inside

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I'd say that at some point in the past (before you got the truck) the cap was put on cockeyed with the rotor missing the inner electrodes and cutting into the cap a bit, likely no harm done as it did not start and was quickly corrected. However, the center carbon button was riding on the edge of the rotor electrode and got chewed up enough to start a bad wear pattern. Over time your center electrode eroded down and started arcing a bit, but your miss was due to the plug lead being loose, which coincidentally aligned with the cut in the cap. Those jets you adjusted on the fly only affect the idle circuit, up to about 900rpm or so. The easiest way to adjust them is with a vacuum gauge, setting them for the best vacuum at your selected rpm. Like I said before, I'd replace the cap and rotor and see if you can't forget about the distributor internals once you get your distributor clocked right with the cam to allow adjustment.

Originally Posted by rspears

I'd say that at some point in the past (before you got the truck) the cap was put on cockeyed with the rotor missing the inner electrodes and cutting into the cap a bit, likely no harm done as it did not start and was quickly corrected. However, the center carbon button was riding on the edge of the rotor electrode and got chewed up enough to start a bad wear pattern. Over time your center electrode eroded down and started arcing a bit, but your miss was due to the plug lead being loose, which coincidentally aligned with the cut in the cap. Those jets you adjusted on the fly only affect the idle circuit, up to about 900rpm or so. The easiest way to adjust them is with a vacuum gauge, setting them for the best vacuum at your selected rpm. Like I said before, I'd replace the cap and rotor and see if you can't forget about the distributor internals once you get your distributor clocked right with the cam to allow adjustment.

Yea thats about where im at, ive advanced the distributor as far as I can as far as clocking it. Its close but still there seems to either be a miss or its out of time, so im gonna have to pull it and advance it a tooth as the vacuum advance is now catching up on the firewall.

So now im about at my wits end with it, I tried getting the distributor out but its hitting on the fire wall so its almost impossible. So I go to seat it back in and the oil pump rod must of moved and now its going to be further out of time than what it was to start with. Add to it the wire harness leading up to the distributor is so damn short I dont even see how it made a connection to begin with, course now that its disconnected its an almost impossible feat to get reconnected.

Ok all the little issues are straightened out. Now any advice on rotating the oil pump rod so my rotor shaft lines up where I need it to?

I've always used a large slot screwdriver to line up the pump.

Yea I have a pretty good sized snap on one but can't seem to find the groove. I suppose I could just take the cap off and have my buddy bump the key until its where I need it.

Originally Posted by 1923tbucket

Yea I have a pretty good sized snap on one but can't seem to find the groove. I suppose I could just take the cap off and have my buddy bump the key until its where I need it.

NOPE! You need to keep # 1 cylinder at TDC.. Turn the oil pump drive, use a mirror to see down inside, you "may" be able to bump the starter while holding down the distributor, but you've got to get the alignment close before you bump it over.

Well I'm close. I mean a few degrees, to the point that I almost have it by clocking the distributor. Issue is with TDC on number 1 is that with my accessory drive I can't easily turn the balancer

Ya' know, I was reading one of the tech articles in a recent (July 2012 Hot Rod to the Rescue pg 106) Hot Rod mag where they were chasing a batch of problems on a '69 Camaro. Turned out that the pointer marking TDC was actually showing zero when it was retarded ten degrees. They did not know if the cause was a mis-indexed crank key, the wrong damper for the application, the wrong front cover (had a welded on timing tab) or some combination but they watched the #1 piston moving using a bore scope, and quickly noted that indicated TDC was retarded ten degrees. You might want to check your timing marks, and verify TDC before you go too much farther....

Here's a link to a method for verifying TDC - Top dead centre You've still got to have a way to rotate the engine, but having all the plugs out will make it a lot easier.

Originally Posted by 1923tbucket

Well I'm close. I mean a few degrees, to the point that I almost have it by clocking the distributor. Issue is with TDC on number 1 is that with my accessory drive I can't easily turn the balancer

I once had a van that gave me the same problem. I actually went to the flywheel and used a prybar on the teeth to slowly turn the crankshaft while a helper monitored piston movement. Food for thought.