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having a clearance issue as the title implies with my distributor in my 455, the gear is going all the way down and making contact with the block. This is my second distributor the first one started to eat the block and itself during break in. do they make a gear that has a shorter bottom or a shim kit
I'm not sure how to explain it but the gear n the distributor is laying flat and making contact on the block over the hole for the oil pump shaft and is eating it away there
It should not be able to do that and yes there are distributor shims. http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS-Performan...40082/10002/-1
There are also 2 types of gears depending on what type of cam your running, flat tappet vs roller.
That's what I thought, its almost like there is jut too much extra on the bottom of the gear, ill post some pics of my first unhappy findings when I get home
Is that a washer/spacer between the dist gear and the dist housing? There shouldn't be one there. An Olds engine dist gear is drawn TOWARDS the block when running(unlike a Chebby, which is pushed AWAY).
When your dist is tightened down, you SHOULD be able to pull up on the rotor shaft anf get a few thousandths play, if you dont, stop, find out why. Try taking that spacer/washer out (have to remove the roll pin from the gear) and then install. Check for play like I suggested.
As Gregvm said you should be able to pull up on the dist. shaft once installed. If it's binding then I'd be concerned. Otherwise it's fine as the gear is pulled downward by the rotation of the cam.
I remember reading that some of the early 330/425 engines may have clearance issues with some versions of HEI distributors (aftermarket?), but I have never heard this with a 455 block.
Is that a washer/spacer between the dist gear and the dist housing? There shouldn't be one there. An Olds engine dist gear is drawn TOWARDS the block when running(unlike a Chebby, which is pushed AWAY).
When your dist is tightened down, you SHOULD be able to pull up on the rotor shaft anf get a few thousandths play, if you dont, stop, find out why. Try taking that spacer/washer out (have to remove the roll pin from the gear) and then install. Check for play like I suggested.
.02
Greg
jumping over here from my thread on the same issue, my distributor and the rebuilt one I just got have a washer between the gear and housing. Both when installed have no up/down play of the very center shaft. The outer shaft that the weights are mounted on has up/ down play though. As you say we may need to remove that washer but do you think no washer was " stock" ?
There should be some play but we're talking minimal movement. I would think .015 would be the max I'd like to see. Although the gear is pulled down and rides on the block it can also bounce around. I have no doubt this happens across the board on all engines. That kind of movement can cause spark scatter so the less movement the better.
You never want zero movement because that means you have binding and something will have to give. That means the distributor housing, washer (if present), gear, block, etc. will have to give.
Someone asked in one of these threads if the gasket is needed. The simple answer is no. The distributor housing has an O-ring for oil control so there should be no need of a gasket. Internally there is a felt and plastic cup device to prevent oil coming up the shaft.
If you have zero play then that needs to be addressed. End play is built into the distributor for a reason. Those distributors came from the factory with plenty of end play to ensure 100k+ miles of pain free driving. A typical factory clearance could be .050-.060 or more. Personally I think that is too large and is why I recommended .015 but zero is worse. There has to be some play in the shaft or you risk destroying either the top of the distributor or the bottom. There has to be a happy median in there.
Looking online I see some distributors with, some without that washer. Ran across a website called www.oldsmobility.com that shows Canadian master parts catalog. IF it's same as American It does have drawings of parts with part numbers. Depending on the distributor number some have the washer and others don't.
What brand dist is that? It doesn't look original. I have seen ALOT of reman/repop Olds dizzys that have a washer between the bottom of the housing and the gear and causing a bind when tightened down. I don't see the need for a washer there,as there SHOULD never be a thrust load on that surface(between the aluminum housing and the dist gear) The thrust wear should be against the bottom of the gear and the block....but not to the extent of what you're showing.
FOO, this is pictures of my distributor washer. You can see it's been rubbing hard. Have you pulled yours out yet to see condition of your washer?
Washer with heavy wear on it
Distributor without washer. Have not installed yet. Still nervous about using it with no washer. Also picture is of distributor shaft gear not against distributor but will contact it if you push shaft toward distributor housing.
Last edited by Gary M; June 22nd, 2017 at 04:51 PM.
I think I'm going to take my gear to a machine shop and have it shaved off as suggested by Gene. I can't get myself to go with the washer out. Don't know how far that rod goes into the oil pump so I don't want it moving up and down and the possibility of chatter like Trip said. Foo, what I'm thinking is the gear is metal and the distributor housing looks like pot metal or some lighter metal than the gear. If they rub together without the washer the distributor housing seems like it would wear sooner making the play increase and rod into oil pump move more. Just my opinion on that, why take the chance?
Last edited by Gary M; June 23rd, 2017 at 04:55 PM.
June 8th, 2017, 10:19 AM
