distributor play

[EJGjr]

Question please advise.How can I check my distributor for play when it is on the engine.

[Dave in Boise]

there are 2 types of play..
Rotational (twist the rotor clock and counter-clockwise) which will give you an idea of timing play and slop in your distributor gear and midshaft. This is generally pretty common to have 5-10 degrees of play. This can be fixed by replacing the distributor shaft(s) if you have the 2 piece units below the distributor body
lateral (move the rotor side to side) which will give you varying spark gaps between the rotor and the distributor body as well as differing and random) point gaps if the movement is large enough) Lateral movement should be as near to 0 as possible. If there is lateral slop, it is time to put in new bushings in your distributor.

Hope this helps.

Dave in Boise

[EJGjr]

Thanks Dave I think it is time work on the distributor

[Brentwood Bob]

watch for cracks in the housing next to the bushing. There are 2 widths of the channel the top plate rides in. The top plate also wears on the inner surface where it contacts the housing. Go with the 2 piece shaft.
Bob

[TinCup]

Don't forget the cam drive gear. I see these all the time with teeth that are so worn they appear to be sharpened. Any slop here and it just transfers to the distributor gear.

[EJGjr]

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Thanks folks your advise has been great thanks again

[Brentwood Bob]

Tell us what you found, We can always learn from your experiences. Thanks, Bob

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Brother, Bob, I have a long shaft dist that runs very "true" & apparently has a perfectly straight shaft. I feel that this is a plus, as it eliminates an extra slot connection to lessen rotational play. Bill W.

[Marshall57]

There are two kinds of play in the distributor that have continued to plague me. First is the bushing being worn and the second and less talked about is the fit of the top plate in the distributor body. There is a real problem when buying new parts for the distributor but the top plate fit is not always taken into account and makes a huge difference. I have had to mix and match to get a plate and a body that didn't have an unreasonable amount of play. Try holding on to the top plate and moving it back and forth, some that I have seen are so sloppy that they could never hold a point gap. This might also be a wear problem on an original distributor if it has been in service for all those years and has seen untold adjustments of the timing. This of course does not address the gears which have been addressed above.

[ford3]

i worry more about the play in the crank and cam gear, ive seen some cranks move over 25 degrees before the rotor turns, when that happens there is no way to get an accurate timing, take the dist cap off and turn the crank shaft back and forth and see how far it turns before the rotor moves, should be very little if any play before the rotor moves, that really works on engines with timing chains

[Brian T]

Originally Posted by Marshall57

There are two kinds of play in the distributor that have continued to plague me. First is the bushing being worn and the second and less talked about is the fit of the top plate in the distributor body. There is a real problem when buying new parts for the distributor but the top plate fit is not always taken into account and makes a huge difference. I have had to mix and match to get a plate and a body that didn't have an unreasonable amount of play. Try holding on to the top plate and moving it back and forth, some that I have seen are so sloppy that they could never hold a point gap. This might also be a wear problem on an original distributor if it has been in service for all those years and has seen untold adjustments of the timing. This of course does not address the gears which have been addressed above.

There is an easy fix for loose top distributor plates, picture here courtesy of Marco Tahtaras.

[Marshall57]

That might work, I will have to take another look,,
Thanks

[Tom Wesenberg]

I always grease the center hole and tabs on the top plate, to help slow wear.

[EJGjr]

Thanks for all the input .I found verticle play as well as side to side ,bushings are bad also in need of thrust washers.Thanks folks for the help.

[Mitch//pa]

Originally Posted by EJGjr

Thanks for all the input .I found verticle play as well as side to side ,bushings are bad also in need of thrust washers.Thanks folks for the help.

your welcome

[Marshall57]

Originally Posted by Brian T

There is an easy fix for loose top distributor plates, picture here courtesy of Marco Tahtaras.

Marco was exactly correct, tryed it and it worked like a charm.
First time I have had one that was perfict..
Thanks again.