Well My "O"-Ring finally gave out completly. On Sunday I added oil to my and Monday morning a half of a quart of oil was on the ground. So I set out to replace it.The parts store was no help I got a blank look and he said "O-RING?".

The O-Ring was so bad that it wasn't even trying to seal any more and felt like plastic not rubber. Stiffer then hell and flat!

Just in case anyone else needs to know the size it is 1 inch I.D. 1 and 1/4 inch O.D. by 1/8 of an inch thick.

I never set the timing on a car before so I took extra care in marking the distributor so I could match it back up when it came to put it back in. Well the timing was still a little off, but I suprised my self and was able to set the timing by ear. It will do until I can get a hold of a timing light.

My only question is, how tight does the hold bolt have to be? It is a bitch to get to and I don't think I was able to tighten it enough.

 

i awalys used a 15mm short socket i think it was 15mm any ways with a swivel and a extension with a small swivvel on it like it will move a little set it on there turn it and itstight or loose. They also make a tool to get to that bolt cant remeber what its called tho.

 

Go to sears and get the typical GM distrib wrench, its odd double ended thing. I heated up one of the 90* beds and welded a 15mm Socket to it and it works great.

 

Haha, aren't parts store monkeys great?

I usually tighten it a little bit more than "snug"... but not at the "cranked on with a ton of force) extreme. Make sure to re-check your timing a few days afterwards to make sure it hasn't moved. I usually use a 3/8" ratchet, 7" extension, universal/swivel adapter, and a 15mm socket.

 

Yeah all I seem to find at kregans are a bunch of high school drollers. When I was trying to buy my Accel Supper coil the jerk kept spell it Excel, as in MS Excel. Then he kept telling me I have a coil in cap type coil.

I found a nice indepenant shop around the corner from me that knows what they are doing, but they close at 6pm and I needed it that night.

I think I got it tighten enough now. It takes a bit of force to move the distributor now. I used the extensions and swivel adapter, but it was still a pain in the but. I could tighten it to torque specs in the book, but I call it good.

Oh, the O-ring solved my oil leak. Now I'm back to my original oil leak from the valve covers, but thats not a big deal. Just a quater sized drop every night. When I have the cash for intake and valve cover gaskets I will take care of that one too.

 

Hey man, I had that similar problem, the problem is the 3.1, or the 2.8 have a lot of oil pressure in that one spot, there is a seel in the shaft of the distributor that forms a seat to seel off the hole, well after a while that seel goes out, what you have to do is undo the bracket with one bolt, I believe it is the 15mm and then you mark the spot where the rotor is pointing on the fire wall with tape, and gently pull the distributerout and then a little down the shaft youll see it, get the replacement and put it on and reverse the instructions, if you already had this fixed, that is how you do it in the future.

 

I replaced that 0-ring three times untill I found a parts guy that didn't give me a blank look.

The last time I did it I used a paper disributer gasket for a 305 (dealer doesn't sell) and got the 'special" high temp o-ring from the dealer ($3), it was brown and only the dealer seemed to have the right one. I used Molycote 55m grease (silicone o-ring lubricant). Don't use oil to pre-lubricate this type of o-ring. Use emery cloth and varsol to clean the distributor's o-ring surface and without dropping too many things (one or two bolts are okay...) in there, clean out distributor hole in the engine block. Lubricate the gear with that silicone grease if your going to slide the o-ring over it, instead of taking the distributor apart. It should be apart because you should've spent the $10 and 20min to "rebuild" it like Ked says.

As for that hold down bolt, grab a long 15mm wrench and a propane torch. You're all greasy!, do really want to go to Sears... Bend a smooth 90 deg angle right before the box end. I sacrificed a good wrech. I made one from a cheap wrench before and I was able to bend it with a pair of pliers. To loosen or tighten wrap a pair of vice-grips or just pliers around the open end.

I know this one was almost dead but I followed those replies before and I was still at square one. I was lucky and ran into a knowlegable parts guy, who sold me the $0.85 paper gasket and sent me to the dealer for the o-ring.

 

I gave an answer to this but it never took.
Oh well.
The Chevy Small block distributor gasket, A CLEAN GREASE FREE SURFACE, a rebuilt distributor and effort, really make this project done once.
A new o ring, good insurance.
Yet, my distributor gasket (using Black RTV a thin film of it, both sides of gasket) & a self made hold down bracket/clamp really worked well for me.
Get a new bolt, longer than the bolt you pull out.
Chop off head of said new bolt.
Insert the headless bolt (now a stud) into the block, place clamp on it, place new nut on the stud, clamp, tighten down.
Start engine, check timing (listen for pings),
Timing ok?
Tighten down, then, forever.
ONLY bad thing, did you replace your timing chain yet?
Checking timing chain free play is another topic.

 

Ked

you be amazed how many parts guys don't know the diff bewtween an o-ring and a gasket. When it comes to distributors, the meanings seem to get blurred. I asked for an O-ring at the 'cheap' parts place and they handed me that paper gasket and told me it was for a V8 but it should work and my distributer doesn't need an o-ring . I was a little confused after that.

later
:rockon:

 

Whenever I replaced my O ring the parts guy knew exactly what I needed.
The O ring I got is made by Fel-Pro and it is part number 70800.

 

Well I got lucky and scored a really cool wrench!! My brother works for the bus company as a bus mech, and had a wrench for doing this job. Acctualy it's a extension for a ratchet, and has a 90* bend in it . So that bolt is nice and tight now. I have allready rebuilt my distributor back in July or Aug. but forgot to an o-ring and paid the price of having to pull out and replace it in 30* weather. Unfortunetly it looks like I will have to pull it out again at a later date. when I did the rebuild I replaced the pickup coil and just cleaned the pickup pole pice. Well when I had the disrtibutor out for the o-ring I noticed that one of the poles was touching the pickup coil. I didn't have time to run down to the store and get another one so I just bent it back. It seems to have work just fine, but once you bend something once it gets bent the secound time easier and is much weaker. So when some slightly higher temps come my way I will be pulling it out again.

As for the timing chain. I know it has to be replaced. My car has 179,000 miles on it and it has never been changed. No need to check for chain play. It's on my big list of things to do. When I'm done getting everything taken care of it's going to be like having a rebuilt car! Well almost

 

Is it so far away in time that when ya said a Small Block Chevy Distributor gasket, I have to explain what that item is?
I go to Pep Boys-
"I need a set of points for a 1968 Chevy Camaro 6 Cylinder"
Yes, I go thru a dance.
"We don't have those in stock, that's a special order."

Who, here, has ever set points with a matchbook cover?

 

Actually KED... I have... back in mech. class 2 years ago... I wouldn't remember how to do it... it wasn't too hard

 

Is there any other way to set points?

My theory is that electronic ignitions were only invented because changing mores led to a decline in the number of smokers and, thus, a dramatic absence of matchbooks, thereby making it virtually impossible to gap points.

Well, I said it was a theory

 

Someone (well, two) actually UNDERSTOOD what I said!
Kinda like me & Harley owners in LA.
I "RESPECT" the Harley owner, that BUILT his Motorcycle.

 

Necro-posting on purpose.

This thread looks like it contains a lot of good info, so please allow me to continue.

I need to replace the distributor O-ring on the the 1988 V6. By all accounts, the part is the Fel-Pro 70800 O-ring. I see it listed on bunches of websites as correct for the V6 distributor. However, a reviewer on the Advance Auto site complained that the soft Fel-pro ring didn't last long, and stated that the dealerships were using a harder HDPE ring. Anybody have any thoughts or experience on this? I see Grainger sells a ring (#214 Very Hard PTFE O-Ring, 0.984" I.D., 1.262"O.D.) that looks to be (close enough?) dimension HDPE material at https://www.grainger.com/category/o-...yzabwrZ1yzzd56

 

I sure have, It's been a long time but setting points (and dwell) with spares/matchbooks in glovebox is something i'll never forget doing.

 

Any current opinions/experience with the Fel-Pro O-ring or alternatives?