I changed my Rear main seal and that fixed most of an oil leak I had. I was told the rest was probably caused by the o-ring at the base of the distributor.

I hate pulling the distributor because it's such a pain on these cars. I can't even see the thing unless I also pull the plenum.

Can somebody tell me which o-ring I need to change? Rock auto is listing three different parts under "distributor o-ring" so I'm not sure which one I need

While I'm in there I'm going to change the pick up coil and the ignition module at the same time

 

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wow, that's interesting! Is this it do you think?

 

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Ok, thanks. I'll go to NAPA in person and check it out with my eyes before I buy it

I guess it's easy to change once I get the dizzy out?

 

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You don't have to mess with the crank at all... You just make a mark on the base of the dizzy where the rotor is pointing when fully down in the block and another where the rotor is when the gear comes free from the cam. Align the rotor with the free mark and make sure it lines up with the install mark when installed. And then double-check your timing when done.

Also, offset the o-ring with either a dizzy gasket (look for one for a V8) or RTV. The leak will be sealed for longer. Some say not to use the dizzy gasket, but I wouldn't advise going without it as the o-ring is the ONLY thing keeping oil pressure where it belongs as opposed to all over the back of the engine and transmission.

 

yes, when I've changed distributors in the past, I've always been able to just mark them, and slide them right back into place. The whole talk of the crankshaft threw me

Anybody got a part number for the right o ring?

 

FelPro 70800 for the ring and I think a 70056 for the base gasket (between the dizzy base and the block bore). Double check when you get there.

 

thanks! very helpful

 

I'm not coming up with that second number as being for my car, but this one does. is this the same thing?

 

The second number is the V8 dizzy base gasket.

 

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upon further research, I decided to get a distributor wrench to make the job easier. When it arrives, I'll tackle the job of replacing the o-ring

two questions while I'm waiting..

If I mark the dizzy before I take it out, should I be able to get by without having to check/fix the timing when I put it all back together?

Would removing the upper plenum before I start make this job any easier?

 

1. Yes, but it never hurts to just make sure.
2. The ONLY thing that makes removing the dizzy difficult is if the oil pump driveshaft sticks in the bottom of the dizzy gear. Pop the cap and rotor off of the dizzy, disconnect it, and remove the hold-down parts. Pull the dizzy out. Note: You will probably want to pull the oil pump shaft out of the engine and use some grease or something to stick it in the bottom of the dizzy gear before dropping the dizzy back into the engine, so that you don't have to fight with trying to get it into the gear.

Just remember that when the dizzy is installed that the base should be flat against the engine block. I had one time where the dizzy was sticking out slightly and it didn't go back in for some reason ...

 

ummm.. you lost me. oil pump shaft? wouldn't I have to pull the oil pan to get to that? Or am I thinking of something else?

 

noooo.... The oil pump is driven by a 3/8" hex shaft about a foot long that sticks in the bottom of the dizzy gear that runs down to the drive in the pump itself. To make this easier to understand, the cam drives both the dizzy and the oil pump off of the same gear. Which is why the FWD engines have the dizzy drive adapter that plugs into the dizzy hole in the block, because without the dizzy or drive, there is no oil flow .

 

oh ok. It will probably be easier to understand once I start messing with it. I have pulled a dizzy from a free standing engine before, but never one installed in one of these cars

 

What I like to do is to pull the spark plug wires off of one side of the engine and set the cap over on the other side to get it out of the way. Pull the rotor and put it in the cap.

Then, unplug the module, mark the rotor position (before you put it in the cap) and pull the hold-down bolt and clamp. Pull the dizzy up until it's free and you should have room to tilt it to one side or the other to get it out from behind the engine.

 

The talk of "messing with the crankshaft" is simply setting the engine to TDC #1 to make resetting timing easier, if you don't mark the dizzy before removal, or want to have a second base for verification. It's a good idea in my book and something I do whenever I remove a dizzy. In engines where I might be removing the dizzy several times I usually have it marked for re-installation at #1 TDC, so again it just makes re-assembly easier.

I advise to not use the V8 dizzy gasket. It's not needed and worse moves the dizzy up in the bore that causes the mesh wear pattern between the dizzy gear and cam gear change that can lead to premature failure of either the dizzy gear or the cam gear. The other thing to consider is that if the original O-ring lasted for 15+ years (typical lifespan), why wouldn't the second one last as long or longer? Do you really think you'll have the car or the engine for that long?

The oil pump drive should stay in the engine, if it doesn't, either someone has rebuilt the engine previously and either installed the oil pump drive shaft upside down, or didn't install it with the little retainer that is slid onto it and is there to keep the shaft from moving up when the dizzy moves up.

 

Wow. Just, wow.

Setting the engine to TDC #1 is an unnecessary step that just wastes time. If he uses chalk/crayon/something erasable on the dizzy base, all he has to do is wipe it off and make new marks the next time he needs to pull the dizzy, or just use the same ones.

And, as I've said before, the whole "don't use a dizzy base gasket" thing is complete and utter . If the V8s run a base gasket, and just about everyone else can or does use a base gasket, what makes the 60* V6 so special that it can't? Nothing. Last I checked, the cams and the dizzy gears are the same material between platforms. The whole thing is complete and until you can provide actual photographic proof of this so-called damage because of a thin paper gasket, it will stay that way. There is no reason not to use one for added insurance, especially with the cheapo o-rings out there.

And you can't install the oil pump shaft upside down... It's the same on both ends .

 

*sigh*

Look into wear patterns of gears, then you will understand why it's a bad idea to retrofit the gasket in place where it wasn't previously used. If it was used from day one, like the SBC, then it's fine and I would recommend one be used, to keep the mesh pattern the same after the re-install of the distributer. I have experience and observation that says changing the gear mesh is a bad idea. I have seen many distributer gears cam gears ruined because the mesh was changed by something as simple as the wrong thickness of gasket, or a dizzy not completely seated into the block, or in the case of a SBC/BBC where a new intake wasn't machined correctly and placed the dizzy at a different height, and cause the gears to wear prematurely. A different intake will not effect the 660, but I am using it as a point of reference. Sorry I don't take pictures and catalog everything I see in my daily life, so you can choose to believe it's not true all you want, metallurgy says otherwise.

How long does it take to set the engine to TDC #1? About 35 seconds, how is that a waste of time? It's a good idea, even if your time is so precious that 35 seconds is too much to waste. This is especially a good idea for someone that hasn't re&re'd a dizzy before, it gives an absolute reference point, should one be needed.

Yes, the oil pump drive is the same at both ends, but there is a retainer that is nearer one end, thus giving it a proper orientation at engine assembly, and is why it can be installed upside down. If both ends were different, it couldn't be installed upside down and thus a moot point.

 

Another distributor question. The pick up coil... Is that something that can be changed easily when I have the dizzy out, or does it have to be pressed in by a shop?

 

It's something that you can do. You will need to knock out a steel pin to separate the dizzy to get to it. Install it and re-insert the steel pin and you're done. I did mine while I was replacing my lower dizzy gasket and also placed a V8 dizzy gasket between the dizzy and engine just to make sure. Haven't had a leak since. Did the timimg on it as well while I was there. I'm, by no means, experienced but I like to do my own work. Good luck.