I'm trying to adjust my timing but the shaft of the distributor will not budge. I've doused it twice with penetrating oil but no luck. Is there a specific tool that will fit on the square lug on the shaft? This is an HEI distributor on a 72 Cutlass 350.

 

A large crescent wrench?

 

Not to be insulting, but did you loosen the nut on the bracket that holds the distributor in place? There is a specific tool to do this, check it out!

https://www.amazon.com/KD-Tool-KDS10...stributor+tool

 

Yes, I loosened the hold down nut. Was able (barely) to get a 12" crescent wrench on it. Had no leverage from that angle, so I attached a length of small diameter chain to the end of the handle and, standing now a few feet in front of the car, tugged as hard as I could on it. Nothing.

 

There are two problems. First, the aluminum distributor body and the iron block cause galvanic corrosion in the presence of any moisture. This can really stick the two together. Second, the o-ring seal on the distributor gets hard and also sticks. You need vibration, like an impact wrench, to break it free. Unfortunately, you can't get an impact on it. They make a tool shown in the photo below that goes in an air hammer and is used to break loose O2 sensors. Perhaps you could fab something similar to go on the flats on the distributor. I'd get a cheap open-end wrench and weld it to a chisel for an air hammer.

 

That's a great idea Joe. Didn't even know they made such a tool.

 

Any chance you can slip a piece of pipe over the handle of the crescent to increase leverage? Longer the better.

OR..if the crescent has a hole in the handle, a bar or rod placed through it and fulcrum from there.

 

Now my car won't start--no spark at all. This pic shows wire that I thought was abandoned after hei upgrade. Don't see anywhere this could have been connected. But in trying to loosen the distributor shaft I damaged this wire. Anyone know if this wire is needed? It has nothing to do with the usual plug-in wires on the opposite side of the cap.

 

Worst one I ever had was in a boneyard. '77 Toro crank triggered ignition and I was not going to leave it there.

I did not want to break the dist'r so I cut a hole in the oil pan and removed the oil pump and hammered upwards on the bottom of the thing via the drive rod.

In your case, persistence from above is the recommended means. You may break the dist'r anyhow.

 

I use a very large channel lock pliers and clamp it on the side of the distributor where the cap sits on. Gave a couple of back and forward motion and the distributor came tight off.

 

I already tried a 12" crescent wrench with a 6' piece of chain hooked on the end of it. Pulled it with my whole body like "tug of war." Didn't move.

 

I hate to say this but have you ever think of taking the engine or transmission out?

 

i have had to remove the hood and use a slide hammer to get one out

 

I had the distributor of a 3.0L V6 Mitsusbishi motor in a Chrysler LeBaron become seized the same way. I finally got it out with plenty of PB Blaster and using a pair of BF channel locks.

Sorry about my earlier question, I just wanted to make sure you covered all your bases. Good luck.

 

Can you get in there with one of these? There probably is a bunch of varnish like buildup and the Oring is stuck to the block.



I've also had good luck with a hammering on a block of wood from the underside of the distributor housing.

 

Is that a single-wire connector? Not the three-wire connector that goes to the cap? If so, this isn't the distributor you want anyway. This is one of the 1980-ish HEI units with the extra timing wire for emissions reasons. Frankly, since it isn't an original or valuable distributor, I'd get it out of there any way possible and install a known good HEI that doesn't have the spurious wiring for specific emissions control applications.

 

Thanks, Joe. Yes, that is a single wire connector. Has an odd two-pronged pointed metal "spear" inside it. What was that supposed to hook to??
Since I can't even turn the distributor I'm reluctant to try and take it out for replacement. But since my spark suddenly went out I have to start replacing parts. The coil was rusted/pitted so I thought that was it, but replacing the coil didn't fix it. Going now to get the control module tested...

 

...nope, not the control module. Only thing left is the pick up coil. But step 1 for installing the pick up coil is...wait for it..."remove the distributor." Son of a @#^^$&!!

 

That's because you need to remove the distributor shaft. You don't have to do that to test it though. Don't throw parts at it you may not need.

 

Well, since I've got power to a brand new coil (the one in the distributor cap) and the control module tests good, there's really nothing left to account for having no spark except the pick up coil.
I have managed finally to loosen the distributor and it now rotates freely. But so far when I try to take it out it comes up only so far then stops cold. It turns nicely counter clockwise when you pull up on it, as it is disengaging from the oil pump gear that drives it. But then just stops.

 

Yup, also common. The combination of the hardened o-ring seal and the carbon buildup on the bottom of the distributor conspire to get the housing stuck in the hole in the block. Unfortunately, persistence and brute force are the only options.

 

just keep working it up and down and spray w pb blaster or wd 40 when its up and it will come out shortly

 

Thanks Joe and All. Finally got that sucker out! And now that it's out I really don't want to put it back in. As Joe pointed out, it's kind of an oddball--the guy at the parts store finally found reference to it under California emissions... Also the shaft doesn't seem to rotate very freely.


I'd love a recommendation for a new distributor. Doesn't have to be racing, my car isn't going to be revving over 5k. Just something good and reliable.
Note the necessary tools of destruction: hammer drill, steel rods, and 36" crow bar, among others.

 

Make sure you put the oil pump drive rod back in there, it won't come with a new distributor.

 

Yep, for sure.

 

And be advised that there is most likely a small clip floating around in your oil pan that was used to keep the drive rod in place during initial engine assembly.

Olds%20oil%20pump%20drive%20shaft_zpsaqnjdmj8.jpg

Olds%20oil%20pump%20drive%20shaft-1_zpsllhrceu1.jpg

Olds%20oil%20pump%20drive%20shaft-2_zpschmura5w.jpg

 

Glad you got it out. I am running this distributor and it works well. I'm sure Summit sells one for the 350 as well.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/s...ake/oldsmobile

 

Yeah, since all 1964-1990 Olds V8s take the same distributor.

 

Your engine wouldn't be the first to have this problem. If you really are worried about it, get a magnetic drain plug or stick a magnet to the side of the oil pan sump.

 

 

It has a very fast curve and requires a lot of initial advance.

 

Thanks for the help. I ended up putting the old distributor back in with a new pick up coil. Cleaned everything up and the motor's running good. But now a few more issues have popped up.
The small vent hole on the bottom of the MC is sucking air. I have figured out from previous posts here and elsewhere that the seal is likely bad on the booster.
Also, 5 minutes in to my first test drive since repairing the distributor I lost third gear on the TH350. I'm going to check out the vacuum to the modulator, and inspect the governor gear. The fluid is full and looks good. Also will check the downshift cable. The trans had been shifting perfectly up to this point. This happened very suddenly with no prior indications of anything being wrong--no slipping or hesitating.
Any other suggestions would be most welcome!

 

I'd start with the kickdown cable.

 

Good advice. It was the downshift cable. Turns out when I was wrestling with the distributor I shifted the position of the cable along the firewall just enough to put the cable in contact with the headers a bit further down. That melted the outside of the cable and, I believe, caused it to stick. I managed to get it disengaged, then disconnected it temporarily from the accelerator. Trans is shifting normally again!
Question: how do you remove the downshift cable from the trans? Looks like maybe you need to drop the pan to access where it connects?

Tomorrow will be replacing the brake booster due to the blown diagram causing the vac leak at the MC. Looks really easy to do.

 

Unbolt it, pull the case up and you will expose the cable end and the bar that it connects to. If you drop the bar then you will need to drop the pan, otherwise you can swap the cable without doing so.
If you can get a pair of needle nose vise grips to hold onto the bar to make things easier you should be alright swapping the cable.

 

I had one for the bolts that attaches the booster to the firewall spin on me and I needed a second pair of hands. just be aware of that possibility.

 

On the end of the cable at the trans, remove the bolt. Pull the cable gently and grab on to the wire with a needle nose pliers. You will see a dog leg that the cable slips on to. The rest is self explanatory as you need to twist the cable to separate the two.

 

Thanks for the advice on the downshift cable. It would be much easier with the car on a lift, instead of a pair of ramps.
Those booster bolts are proving more difficult to remove than I anticipated...

 

Are you sure it's a blown diaphragm and not just the small seal between the M/C and the booster? If the M/C has ever leaked brake fluid out the back, that seal can be damaged. If the diaphragm in the booster were bad, you wouldn't have any power assist at all.

 

Well, at least on my booster, that seal is little more than a dust boot. Doesn't look like it could hold any pressure. But I could be wrong.