I am in the process of putting plugs, wires, distributor cap, and rotor on my son's 87 IROC Z28, 305 TPI.

Checking the shaft play, its good and tight if you try to push on it horizontally. But vertically, you can move it about a sixteenth of an inch. I am thinking this is normal, that by lifting and turning, you can take the whole shaft out of there.

I just wanted to verify that I am right on this, and not in need of a new distributor shaft.

I have been chasing down a code 33, and have just about verified that all else is working (MAF sensor, relays, etc). Thought I would change out plugs, etc. (and a cracked cap could be a vacuum leak).

Once that is done, I would try to reset the minimum idle and then the TPS, see if that helps.

But I also wanted to verify that the distributor itself is in good shape. Any help would be appreciated.

 

Should be normal, mine does the same thing, if you keep lifting and turn the rotor a little the shaft will come all the way out

 

Um, I dont think it should do that..... The shaft should be held in place by a roll pin in the drive gear, that passes thru the shaft. If the shaft comes out without taking out that roll pin, chances are good the pin is sheared. Not a good situation.

 

Ok well i must have mis-understood, i thought he meant the whole distributor

 

A little bit of play (vertical) between the shaft and the housing is normal. I have seven or eight distributors out in the garage and they are all the same. As far as I can tell, it allows you to clamp the distributor down tight, without jamming the gear too hard against the cam, which prevents the gears fom binding.

 

Actually, I was talking about the whole distributor. I could not find anything that talks about end play, but I would think that would have to be normal.

I appreciate the responses. Thanks!