I'm going to use the drill-trick to rotate the oil pump. Before I do this I need confidence that I can reinstall the distributor correctly. What steps should I follow?
CK5
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distributor reinstall
- Thread starter wazzabie
- Start date
lectric80
3/4 ton status
Do the oil pump prime, then line the pump rod up with the distributor keyway using a long screwdriver. I have even bumped the key to get the distributor to turn with the engine and drop onto the pump rod. But, using the screwdriver is the simplest way to get it lined back up. I also usually drop the screwdriver in to see how it lines up after pulling the dist. then I can just line the rod back up and drop the dist.
Bring the engine to #1 TDC, turn with a breaker bar on the crankbolt if necessary.
Pull the distributor cap off, and mark on the distributor housing with a paint pen or something equivalent, where the rotor tip is pointed.
Now mark the position of your distributor housing in relationship to the intake manifold.
If you have a vacuum advance unit on your distributor, make a line on the valve cover where the vac. adv is pointed.
Disconnect the wiring, and the dist clamp and remove the dist. When removing the dist. notice the rotor will turn counter clockwise as you lift it out of the engine. Make a mental note of how much it turns...maybe 45* or so. You will need to copy this amount of CC rotation when you put it back in.
If you have a priming tool, that is great, I have made one out of an old distributor, and ground the tip of the dist shaft down to fit into a drill. This works real well as the housing supports the shaft while turning.
So spin your primer tool, you'll feel when you get oil pressure as the drill will slow down from the pressurized load on the system. Remove the tool, and set distributor back in the engine. It probably wont seat on the manifold due to the oil pump shaft and the distributor shaft not lining up. If so, remove the dist. and using a large screwdriver move the oil pump shaft to the position to line up with the dist. shaft, and try again. When you get it right it should seat on the block and the line you made to the valve cover should line up with your vac. advance unit, and your rotor should line up with the mark you made on the housing.
If they don't line up, lift up the housing about 1" and rotate the rotor to get it to line up when the housing is seated. this may take a few tries.
When you get them to line up, be sure to time the engine with a timing light.
Pull the distributor cap off, and mark on the distributor housing with a paint pen or something equivalent, where the rotor tip is pointed.
Now mark the position of your distributor housing in relationship to the intake manifold.
If you have a vacuum advance unit on your distributor, make a line on the valve cover where the vac. adv is pointed.
Disconnect the wiring, and the dist clamp and remove the dist. When removing the dist. notice the rotor will turn counter clockwise as you lift it out of the engine. Make a mental note of how much it turns...maybe 45* or so. You will need to copy this amount of CC rotation when you put it back in.
If you have a priming tool, that is great, I have made one out of an old distributor, and ground the tip of the dist shaft down to fit into a drill. This works real well as the housing supports the shaft while turning.
So spin your primer tool, you'll feel when you get oil pressure as the drill will slow down from the pressurized load on the system. Remove the tool, and set distributor back in the engine. It probably wont seat on the manifold due to the oil pump shaft and the distributor shaft not lining up. If so, remove the dist. and using a large screwdriver move the oil pump shaft to the position to line up with the dist. shaft, and try again. When you get it right it should seat on the block and the line you made to the valve cover should line up with your vac. advance unit, and your rotor should line up with the mark you made on the housing.
If they don't line up, lift up the housing about 1" and rotate the rotor to get it to line up when the housing is seated. this may take a few tries.
When you get them to line up, be sure to time the engine with a timing light.
Silver84k5
1/2 ton status
if you lose, top dead center, or have already lost top dead center. I take a piece of paper, twist it, and jam it in the number one cylinder hole. Bar the engine over until it pops out. It should pop out with force.
4xcrazy
3/4 ton status
or just have someone bump the starter, while you have your thumb over the #1 spark plug hole, when the air pushes your thumb, you're there, drop the distributor lining up the rotor point, pointing towards #1, you'll feel the gears mesh and turn the rotor alittle as it drops, if it doesn't seat all the way down, just bump the starter till it does drop on the oil pump shaft.
Double check everything to make sure it's lined up the way you like and remember where to put #1 spark plug wire on the cap as you install it.
Double check everything to make sure it's lined up the way you like and remember where to put #1 spark plug wire on the cap as you install it.
all I want to do is get the oil pumped in the engine and to all the parts since it has been sitting for 5 years. I have an old starter that I don't care if it gets burned out. Could I just crank it over and over with the starter?
Also is there any way to do this with out having to reset the timing?
Also is there any way to do this with out having to reset the timing?
As long as there has been oil in the engine all you need to do is just crank the engine over several times and you're all good. For reference though, unless you have the "PROPER" oil pump priming tool just spinning the oil pump shaft won't feed oil into the lifters as the body of the distributor blocks an oil passage to the lifters just above and below the passage and without the distributor body in place oil will just dump back into the pan once it reaches that point.
Right on Scott, thats why I ground down the shaft on an old dist. and use that with the dist. housing in the block.
All you really need to do is remove the distributor gear and you're good to go.
I want to do it right but I also don't want to do more then what is needed. Will just turning over the engine with the starter and the plugs out be sufficent to oil the engine. The only condern is the engine getting lube since it has sat so long.
I did place some special fluids into the cylinders and had it sit overnight. I was able to easily turn the engine by hand.
I did place some special fluids into the cylinders and had it sit overnight. I was able to easily turn the engine by hand.
As long as the engine has ran before OR was lubed when built (rebuilt engine here) then just pulling the coil wire and cranking the engine is suffiecent to lube things up.
It ran when I parked it. It currently has no carb on it.
