Home » Public Forums » GMCnet » distributor seizing up
| distributor seizing up [message #366665] |
Fri, 10 September 2021 10:14  |
Ken Shaffer
Messages: 89
Registered: September 2017
Location: Marion Iowa
Karma: -1
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Member |
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I decided to start a new thread about my distributor issues so that it can be more easily found in a search later if someone else has similar problems.
After my 3rd and 4th distributor seized up when coming home from South Dakota last weekend many of you have commented on possible solutions. I decided I should give a little more background to my coach for better diagnosis. My coach has the original engine in it and it has 61k miles (confirmed). Three years ago I removed the intake and heads to have the valves done, the engine is very clean. I had the oil pan off to check bearing clearances and look at the bottom of the engine. All looked good. At that time, I decided it was a good idea to replace the oil pump while I was right there. (possibly contributed to this distributor problem)
After putting the engine back together, howell EFI/EBL, rebuilt tranny, final drive.... etc, I seized up my 1st distributor 40 miles later. The distributor shaft is frozen with pick up coil winding shredded under the rotor. I replaced it with another. 40 miles later..... same thing. Before I replaced it the next time, I was reminded to check for end play in the rotor. I had none! I installed the reman Cardone distributor (1st 2 were salvage yd) and had to install a shim ??(distributor gasket) under the base of the distributor between dist and block. This seemed to do the trick... at least for 10k miles. This brings us up to last weekend coming home from SD. After replacing the 1st dist, I had a back up used dist with me and installed it. I thought I had enough end play... well, 40 miles later, I was stopped with the exact same problem. I installed another Cardone reman and put 3 paper gaskets along with the felpro rubber gasket that I had previously installed to get sufficient end play. I drove home (250 miles) without any issues. Yesterday, we took apart one of the seized up distributors. The two bushings in the distributor housing that the drive shaft turns the rotor were fine. The problem is up in the pick up coil bushing.
thus far much of our discussion has been with improper oiling of the distributor. My question would be, how could three distributors last 40 miles and one 10k miles without oil? Perhaps the lack of end play could be constricting the flow of oil (although, the bottom of the distributor shaft still has paint on it. So that at least is not bottoming out against the block)
OR my thought is that the hex shaped drive shaft that goes between the oil pump (newly replaced) and distributor shaft is putting pressure upwards and taking out the very top pick up coil bushing???
Jim H suggested to me that possibly the spring clip on the hex shaped drive shaft between the oil pump and the block is somehow keeping the shaft from seating into the oil pump all the way and causing the shaft to stick up too high. Or maybe even the oil pump was built out of tolerances and causing the shaft to sit too high.
Anybody aware of a pickup coil with a bearing instead of a bushing?
I thought this detailed description of this situation could be helpful. If anyone has other thoughts... please let me know.
Ken Shaffer
Marion Iowa
73 Canyon Lands, 455, Micro-level, Alum radiator, Alcoa wheels, Lenzi hubs/bearings, Howell EFI/EBL, Rostra Cruise, Custom interior
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| [GMCnet] Re: distributor seizing up [message #366669 is a reply to message #366665] |
Fri, 10 September 2021 10:44  |
Ken Shaffer
Messages: 89
Registered: September 2017
Location: Marion Iowa
Karma: -1
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Member |
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will do. Thanks Jim!!
On Fri, Sep 10, 2021 at 10:31 AM Jim Kanomata wrote:
> Ken,
> Contact Dick Patterson at Springfield ignition.
> He is better qualified to assist.
>
> On Fri, Sep 10, 2021 at 8:15 AM Ken Shaffer wrote:
>
>> I decided to start a new thread about my distributor issues so that it
> can
>> be more easily found in a search later if someone else has similar
>> problems.
>> After my 3rd and 4th distributor seized up when coming home from South
>> Dakota last weekend many of you have commented on possible solutions. I
>> decided I should give a little more background to my coach for better
>> diagnosis. My coach has the original engine in it and it has 61k miles
>> (confirmed). Three years ago I removed the intake and heads to have the
>> valves done, the engine is very clean. I had the oil pan off to check
>> bearing clearances and look at the bottom of the engine. All looked
>> good. At that time, I decided it was a good idea to replace the oil pump
>> while I
>> was right there. (possibly contributed to this distributor problem)
>> After putting the engine back together, howell EFI/EBL, rebuilt tranny,
>> final drive.... etc, I seized up my 1st distributor 40 miles later. The
>> distributor shaft is frozen with pick up coil winding shredded under the
>> rotor. I replaced it with another. 40 miles later..... same thing.
> Before
>> I replaced it the next time, I was reminded to check for end play in the
>> rotor. I had none! I installed the reman Cardone distributor (1st 2
> were
>> salvage yd) and had to install a shim ??(distributor gasket) under the
>> base of the distributor between dist and block. This seemed to do the
>> trick...
>> at least for 10k miles. This brings us up to last weekend coming home
>> from SD. After replacing the 1st dist, I had a back up used dist with me
>> and
>> installed it. I thought I had enough end play... well, 40 miles later, I
>> was stopped with the exact same problem. I installed another Cardone
> reman
>> and put 3 paper gaskets along with the felpro rubber gasket that I had
>> previously installed to get sufficient end play. I drove home (250
> miles)
>> without any issues. Yesterday, we took apart one of the seized up
>> distributors. The two bushings in the distributor housing that the drive
>> shaft
>> turns the rotor were fine. The problem is up in the pick up coil
> bushing.
>>
>> thus far much of our discussion has been with improper oiling of the
>> distributor. My question would be, how could three distributors last 40
>> miles
>> and one 10k miles without oil? Perhaps the lack of end play could be
>> constricting the flow of oil (although, the bottom of the distributor
> shaft
>> still has paint on it. So that at least is not bottoming out against the
>> block)
>> OR my thought is that the hex shaped drive shaft that goes between the
> oil
>> pump (newly replaced) and distributor shaft is putting pressure upwards
> and
>> taking out the very top pick up coil bushing???
>> Jim H suggested to me that possibly the spring clip on the hex shaped
>> drive shaft between the oil pump and the block is somehow keeping the
> shaft
>> from
>> seating into the oil pump all the way and causing the shaft to stick up
>> too high. Or maybe even the oil pump was built out of tolerances and
> causing
>> the shaft to sit too high.
>> Anybody aware of a pickup coil with a bearing instead of a bushing?
>>
>> I thought this detailed description of this situation could be helpful.
>> If anyone has other thoughts... please let me know.
>>
>>
>> --
>> Ken Shaffer
>> Marion Iowa
>> 73 Canyon Lands, 455, Micro-level, Alum radiator, Alcoa wheels, Lenzi
>> hubs/bearings, Howell EFI/EBL, Rostra Cruise, Custom interior
>> _______________________________________________
>> GMCnet mailing list
>> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
>>
>
>
> --
> Jim Kanomata ASE
> Applied/GMC, Newark,CA
> jimk@appliedairfilters.com
> http://www.gmcrvparts.com
> 1-800-752-7502
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
>
_______________________________________________
GMCnet mailing list
Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
Ken Shaffer
Marion Iowa
73 Canyon Lands, 455, Micro-level, Alum radiator, Alcoa wheels, Lenzi hubs/bearings, Howell EFI/EBL, Rostra Cruise, Custom interior
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| [GMCnet] Re: distributor seizing up [message #366670 is a reply to message #366665] |
Fri, 10 September 2021 10:30 |
jimk
Messages: 6734
Registered: July 2006
Location: Belmont, CA
Karma: 9
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Senior Member |
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Ken,
Contact Dick Patterson at Springfield ignition.
He is better qualified to assist.
On Fri, Sep 10, 2021 at 8:15 AM Ken Shaffer wrote:
> I decided to start a new thread about my distributor issues so that it can
> be more easily found in a search later if someone else has similar
> problems.
> After my 3rd and 4th distributor seized up when coming home from South
> Dakota last weekend many of you have commented on possible solutions. I
> decided I should give a little more background to my coach for better
> diagnosis. My coach has the original engine in it and it has 61k miles
> (confirmed). Three years ago I removed the intake and heads to have the
> valves done, the engine is very clean. I had the oil pan off to check
> bearing clearances and look at the bottom of the engine. All looked
> good. At that time, I decided it was a good idea to replace the oil pump
> while I
> was right there. (possibly contributed to this distributor problem)
> After putting the engine back together, howell EFI/EBL, rebuilt tranny,
> final drive.... etc, I seized up my 1st distributor 40 miles later. The
> distributor shaft is frozen with pick up coil winding shredded under the
> rotor. I replaced it with another. 40 miles later..... same thing. Before
> I replaced it the next time, I was reminded to check for end play in the
> rotor. I had none! I installed the reman Cardone distributor (1st 2 were
> salvage yd) and had to install a shim ??(distributor gasket) under the
> base of the distributor between dist and block. This seemed to do the
> trick...
> at least for 10k miles. This brings us up to last weekend coming home
> from SD. After replacing the 1st dist, I had a back up used dist with me
> and
> installed it. I thought I had enough end play... well, 40 miles later, I
> was stopped with the exact same problem. I installed another Cardone reman
> and put 3 paper gaskets along with the felpro rubber gasket that I had
> previously installed to get sufficient end play. I drove home (250 miles)
> without any issues. Yesterday, we took apart one of the seized up
> distributors. The two bushings in the distributor housing that the drive
> shaft
> turns the rotor were fine. The problem is up in the pick up coil bushing.
>
> thus far much of our discussion has been with improper oiling of the
> distributor. My question would be, how could three distributors last 40
> miles
> and one 10k miles without oil? Perhaps the lack of end play could be
> constricting the flow of oil (although, the bottom of the distributor shaft
> still has paint on it. So that at least is not bottoming out against the
> block)
> OR my thought is that the hex shaped drive shaft that goes between the oil
> pump (newly replaced) and distributor shaft is putting pressure upwards and
> taking out the very top pick up coil bushing???
> Jim H suggested to me that possibly the spring clip on the hex shaped
> drive shaft between the oil pump and the block is somehow keeping the shaft
> from
> seating into the oil pump all the way and causing the shaft to stick up
> too high. Or maybe even the oil pump was built out of tolerances and causing
> the shaft to sit too high.
> Anybody aware of a pickup coil with a bearing instead of a bushing?
>
> I thought this detailed description of this situation could be helpful.
> If anyone has other thoughts... please let me know.
>
>
> --
> Ken Shaffer
> Marion Iowa
> 73 Canyon Lands, 455, Micro-level, Alum radiator, Alcoa wheels, Lenzi
> hubs/bearings, Howell EFI/EBL, Rostra Cruise, Custom interior
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
>
--
Jim Kanomata ASE
Applied/GMC, Newark,CA
jimk@appliedairfilters.com
http://www.gmcrvparts.com
1-800-752-7502
_______________________________________________
GMCnet mailing list
Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
Jim Kanomata
Applied/GMC
jimk@appliedairfilters.com
www.appliedgmc.com
1-800-752-7502
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