distributor drive shaft

[Brendan]

i took out my distributor, to pull the head, that's a different story. but is the drive shaft come out with it? mine did, dose that shaft fit into the oil pump, then drive the dizzy?

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

YES
YES
Bill W.

[Tom Wesenberg]

The distributor shaft fits into a gear driven by the camshaft. This gear has a pocket both top and bottom, to drive the distributor and oil pump.

[larrys40]

since you have that all apart it might be worth pulling the valve cover and dist drive gear and making sure it's the one piece style and cleaning things up.

Larry Shepard

[olebug]

1929 Model A. Noticed distributor body wobbling in head. Not my car, so I don't know how long it’s been that way. Tightened screw on the side of the head. Wobble stopped but made loud noises. Loosened screw to minimum wobble and minimum noise. Tried to pull distributor and get it almost to the end of the casting nose when it pulls back down to the head as if a spring is attached. It appears that this may be a one piece shaft. Is there a connection inside the valve chamber or is something seized ?

[WHN]

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If it is a one piece shaft? It should pull right out if nut under distributor body is fully removed.

Enjoy.

[Synchro909]

The distributor drive from the skew gear that engages the camshaft to the distributor is normally in two pieces. I have seen the internals of an engine in that area so rusted and gunked up that the joints between the sections of shaft have become locked together. I think that is what is happening in that motor and the spring you are feeling is the one that holds the drive gear on place. You may have lifted it far enough that it disengaged the cam shaft so you might do well to check the timing again before trying to start it. Make sure the screw in the side of the head is undone far enough and carefully pull the dizzy up till one of those joints comes free. Distributor bodies are fragile so be careful. I haven't had to do it but I've thought about taking the side cover off and using a screwdriver to prise the shaft off the drive assembly that is held in by the spring.
Let us know how you go.

[w.michael]

I had one that was stuck so tightly I could not get it out. The bottom of the distributor shaft was stuck to the top of the drive gear. I could pull the distributor up against the spring, but then the spring would pull it back down. I had to take the side cover off the valve chamber and drive a steel cut nail (square cut nail with a taper) into the small gap between the tang on the top of the drive gear and the slot on the bottom of the distributor shaft. That popped the two pieces apart.

Before you button everything back up, spread the slot on the bottom of the distributor shaft with a big screwdriver to make sure it will come apart next time. Check this even if you are replacing with a new shaft.

w. michael

[olebug]

Thank you all for your input. Found a picture for the distributor drive in the “RED BOOK” so now it makes sense to me. Next on the agenda, pull the side plate.
Thanks again,
Charley