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Removing distributor

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M

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I am preparing to remove my old distributor in order to send it to Jeff Schlemmer for a rebuild.

I will remove the bolts that hold the distributor to the engine, leaving the cross-bolt tight on the clamp that holds it to the distributor. By doing this, I'll be able to replace it pretty much as it was originally, and then reset the timing.

That much I'm pretty confident of.

But what comes next in removing the distributor? Does it just lift up and out, or is there something else to do? I'm sure it must be attached to something at the lower end, or does it just fit into a slot or some sort?
 
It just fits into a slot.

But I wouldn't worry too much about not disturbing the clamp. Most likely Jeff will have it off anyway for cleaning and inspection. Just make a note (or take a picture) of how the rotor & dizzy body are oriented before removing it. Then (if you can avoid turning the engine while the dizzy is out), put it back in the same place. That will get you closer than keeping the clamp clamped anyway, since the clamp has slots where it mounts to the pedestal.
 
FWIW worth I always point the rotor arm at number 1 cylinder and line up the timing marks when I take a distributor out. That way, putting it back in and re-timing is quicker.

Ash

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Jeff told me he marks the position of the clamp before he removes it, so the timing will remain pretty much the same.
All you have to do is stick the distributor back in and maybe rotate the rotor shaft until it's driven dog falls coimpletely in it's home. Once it's home you won't be able to rotate the rotor by hand..maybe just a little jiggle, but that's it.
 
poolboy said:
...Once it's home you won't be able to rotate the rotor by hand..maybe just a little jiggle, but that's it.
Click to expand...

Though the rotor can be moved quite a bit as it works the centrifugal weights.

I, too, like leaving everything at TDC for #1 compression to make reassembly a no-brainer. The dog (thing that fits in the aforementioned slot) is slightly off center so it should only fit one way but you have to look somewhat closely to see that is so.

Will Jeff replace the bushing or are you just having him install Pertronix?
 
I prefer to leave the clamp on the engine. Still the shaft bar on the bottom of the distributor will slip directly into the drive slot. Point the advance in the direction it was originally pointed. Timing has to be set anyway so there's no point in trying to keep anything perfectly. (make sure the wires go back on the same way, anti clockwise rotation 1342) I believe 1 is somewhat pointed towards the #1 cylinder. If it's not before you remove the distributor, note which wire is pointing at #1 cylinder and reconnect the wires the same way. (anti clockwise 1342)

The distributor fires 4 times per revolution, so it's only a question of rotating it within 90° to achieve correct timing. If it "points" in the same direction as it did before, it should be very close. Check final timing with a timing light, or static is good too. Most important is having the plug wires in the same place so it can fire on the correct cylinders.

There is unfortunately a bug in the process. Many times when a distributor is overhauled, symmetry is not maintained between the direction of the offset shaft bar on the bottom of the distributor, and the direction of the rotor. Both are keyed for a specific direction. If they are installed reversed, then your timing will be out by 180°. The easiest thing to do in this case is rotate the plug wires 180°, but it doesn't look right. Rotating the distributor drive is also incorrect but works. Correct is to either remove the bottom drive flange from the distributor and rotate it, or remove the distributor cam and rotate that. The second option is a bit difficult.
 
All this is great information, and I will proceed with the removal of the distributor (probably when the snow starts to fall around here).

I will take plenty of photos and mark where things are in the distributor, but I have one more question/concern: When my engine was rebuilt, the shop changed the firing sequence as follows:

Top left of the distributor cap: 3 wire/plug, top right: 1 wire/plug
Bottom left of the cap: 4 wire/plug, bottom right: 2 wire/plug

The firing sequence, therefore is 1, 3, 4, 2

Don't know if this will affect the rebuild of the distributor? I have alerted Jeff.
 
Geo Hahn said:
poolboy said:
...Once it's home you won't be able to rotate the rotor by hand..maybe just a little jiggle, but that's it.
Click to expand...

Though the rotor can be moved quite a bit as it works the centrifugal weights.
Click to expand...
Quite a bit ? Only if by twisting the rotor he's able to rotate the cam and the crank. It just jiggles a bit once the driven dog is home.
 
George and Poolboy,

This is a bit above my pay grade. I don't forsee my having to move the rotor enough to rotate the cam and the crankshaft by the distributor rotor.... but am I missing something. I would think I would just have to jiggle the distributor rotor a little bit in order for it to fall properly into the slot, or whatever it falls into.

I'm assuming what's under question here is a semantic question, i.e. the statement "moved quite a bit."
 
Don't worry about it, Ed. It is impossible to turn the camshaft or crankshaft by twisting the rotor, they are just arguing over the definition of "quite a bit" vs "jiggles a bit". As you say, just semantics.

The firing order remains the same, even though your shop evidently installed the cam gear wrong and then compensated by moving the wires around. You neglected to mention that you have had incompetant mechanics working on the car !!
But as long as you don't disturb the gear inside the pedestal, it should all go back together just as it came apart. Assuming of course that Jeff doesn't find that the distributor was goofed up as well and fix that. If so, I'm sure he will help walk you through the process of moving the plug wires back where they belong.
 
Randall,

Unfortunately, when it comes to mechanics, I have had to trust in those who have come recommended... but often I am finding that they are, indeed, incompetent. So, for a non mechanic such as I, all I can do is either give up (which I refuse to do) or try to learn to do as much myself. I'm sure I'm not alone in this situation.

Interesting thing: When I raise a question about something that seems wrong, the answer from a number of mechanics is always the same: "Oh, that's just the way it is." "All these cars are like that..." "There's nothing you can do about that..." Etc., etc. Ugh!

Since so many of you trust Jeff, I feel confident that he is going to do a good job for me and that he will get things back in good working order. That's one of the great things about this forum.

Folks have often told me that these old cars are "simple" compared with modern ones. My answer to them is: "Don't believe it."
 
LexTR3 said:
Folks have often told me that these old cars are "simple" compared with modern ones. My answer to them is: "Don't believe it."
Click to expand...

The key part of that statement is "compared to". I work on both to some extent, and IMO a TR3 <span style="font-weight: bold">IS</span> a far simpler car, both in complexity and ease of service. For one example, the TR3 wiring diagram fits easily and legibly on a single 8.5x11 sheet of paper, including the circuitry inside the generator control box. The equivalent diagram for my 95 Buick runs to a hundred pages or more, and still does not contain the circuitry inside any number of black boxes (for ECU, ABS, remote door locks, etc).

On the TR, if there is a problem with the distributor, you remove one bolt (or two nuts) and a couple of clips, then send the unit off to be serviced. On the Buick, you start by draining the cooling system and then removing components as you work your way back to the distributor (including multiple belts, radiator fan, EGR control, ignition coil, water pump, etc). And if you install the new one wrong, guess what it takes to fix it ...

The shop charges around $1000 to do a major tune-up on the Buick, and next time I'm going to pay them to do it!
 
The 50 and 60's were a far simpler time and most of the British Sportscars of the post war era reflect that. I guess if you didn't have the opportunity to maintain an old car when you were growing up it might seem complicated. But if a 15 or 16 year old with a few wrenches could keep the car running, certainly today with all the "mentorship" available on the internet you can do the same thing with a car from that era.
 
Lex, line it up with rotor pointing to #1 and just don't turn the engine while it's out and you'll be fine. Disconnect the battery so there are no "OOPS" that can happen.
 
All good advice and observations.

I agree that modern cars are very, very complicated, although some repairs require simply unplugging a unit and plugging in a new unit, no repair possible or desired.

The point I unsucessfully tried to make is that these cars are not as "simple" as people think. There is a lot of knowledge needed to repair and maintain them, and they are sensitive critters not governed by computer chips.

Back in 1962, when I had my first 58 TR3, the word around was that "they always needed adjustment, especially the carburetors." For us, even though we could work on cars, the dual carburetors were a challenge. Still are.
 
If your really concerned.
Pull the whole motor and ship that to Jeff.
 
Don,

Nice thought! But I think I'll stick with the distributor for now.
 
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