On my 87 Trans Am 350 TPI I'm putting it back togeher but I can not get the dist. back in? Any ideas why? I've change the dist. on this car before without this problem. But I installed a LT4 Hotcam and Accel Intake base this time and I changed the dist. gear per the tech note in the GMPP catalog but now it won't go back in. It's got about 3" more to go and I can feel it hiting something but can not get it any futher. I looked down it with a lite and see no reason why it wont't go down. Any have any ideas?

 

not sure if you're having the same problem but I just built a 400 pontiac and had trouble getting the oilpump drive to spline and finally determined the drive was flared a littlebit preventing it from seating into the distributor. I finally had to just determine exactly where the drive position would be, drop it in, remove the rotor and use a screwdriver and a hammer to lightly tap the distributor in but 3" is nowhere near the drive. It would be at about 1/2-1" away for that. 3" sounds like the gear and the cam are not meshing. Make sure the gear is correct for the cam. the roller cam uses a different gear but I think that is only because of the material, not the splines.

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Kyle Osterholt
Okarche, Oklahoma
ASE Master Certified
86 T/A 383 TPI
89 TTA #1002 T-top/Leather
89 TTA #1358 Hardtop/Leather
80 T/A Pace Car
73 Opel GT
73 bronco

 

What would keep the dist. gear from lining up with the cam shaft? And how do I correct it? It's a dist. gear used in 87-88 Vettes I belive it's just a hardened gear for the steel camshaft it's part number 10456413. What could I have done to keep it from lining up?

[This message has been edited by Jas87T/A (edited April 21, 2001).]

 

Sounds like the hole in the accel intake might be just a bit tight. I've seen this happen before.

BTW....The gear is actually softer, not hardened. It it was hardened, it would have problems with the induction hardened camshaft. I think they call it a melonized gear. Actually, you shouldn't have needed to change the gear, because your stock cam should've been an induction hardened roller cam.

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Working on:
'84 Z28 LG4 305 with 200,000 original miles!
Added dual elec fans.
145 MPH IROC Speedo
Building 430 HP 350 (ZZ430)
using primarily GMPP parts.
Short block sitting on a stand. (Man, those Fast-Burn heads sitting on it look good!)

Starting to look like the Kicker poster child!

ASE Certified Master Tech

 

Could be your OIL PUMP SHAFT that runs up to the distributor. There is a slot on top of the shaft that mates inside the bottom of the distributor gear. That could be your problem.

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86 Tramaro 90% Trans Am/ 10% IROC/Z (nose, hood,& fenders)
Trans Am Mods as of 1/10/01
3inch
T.E.S/Flowmaster setup,gutted cat,gutted maf,relocated mat,373 gears,upgraded factory chip,255 liter h/press. walpro f/pump & throttle body coolant bypass
njdaewoo@excite.com

 

This may sound stupid, but check to make sure that the distributor gear was not put on upside down. This happened to me once cause I think I had my head up my a$$ that day. The distributor gear went on fine when it was upside down but wouldn't sit on the intake correctly. Just check, it might be as simple as that.

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1988 GTA 5.7L TPI Auto
355 ci. block,TPIS ZZ-9 Camshaft, SLP Headers, Borla Cat Back, B&M Holeshot 2400 Stall Converter, 3.73 Richmond Gears

"Why ride a stang when birds can fly?"

http://www.geocities.com/thegta

 

I checked also just to make sure the gear was not Upside down and it's not. I belive it's clearing the Accell Intake as it almost gose in it only lacks close to 3" till it's in I can hear it hitting but caint figure out what. Can I turn the engine over and see it it will drop in? I don't want to try that if it will tear anything up. Any more ideas. Thanks for the input so far.

 

Well I tried turing the engine over by hand and it did not help. Anyone have any more ideas on what it can be. I checked the oil pump shaft and it seems to be connected to the oil pump I can turn the shaft with a screwdriver and hear the oil sloshing around so I belive it's on there right.

 

Jas,

Pull the distributor gear off, and slide the shaft out (just so you don't ding it up any).

Then see if the distributor will slide in.

 

Problem solved. Turned out the new gear I bought was the problem. I went back to work and got my old gear to match them up they are the same size and everthing except the hole the shaft goes in is slightly larger on the new gear allowing it to slide sideways and not going into the hole in the block. Thanks for the help. Jason