[chucksrt]

I have a 96 Chevy express van and I completely built a all new 383 for it. I have had a ton of issues but got it running. I then had a intake leak and pulled it apart tp replace the gaskets and re seal it and not my dist. will not line up? I have the vortec engine and the dist. had to be learned and set to 0deg. It was set with a snap on scantool and the dist was not cocked either way when set. Now I replaced the intake gaskets and now I put the dist. back in and it will not set to 0deg without turning the dist. clockwise as far as it will go (until the cap hits the manifold) I marked the dist prior to removing it and ti went right back in but it is way off. What gives? I had a similar issue when I first assembled the engine because it is a summit dist. (aluminum housing vs the factory plastic one) and the gear was assembled 180deg out and the dist. would not set. I replaced the dist. and it set with no issue but now I am all out of wack? Any thoughts? Thanks Guys!!

[S10 Racer]

Originally Posted by chucksrt

I have a 96 Chevy express van and I completely built a all new 383 for it. I have had a ton of issues but got it running. I then had a intake leak and pulled it apart tp replace the gaskets and re seal it and not my dist. will not line up? I have the vortec engine and the dist. had to be learned and set to 0deg. It was set with a snap on scantool and the dist was not cocked either way when set. Now I replaced the intake gaskets and now I put the dist. back in and it will not set to 0deg without turning the dist. clockwise as far as it will go (until the cap hits the manifold) I marked the dist prior to removing it and ti went right back in but it is way off. What gives? I had a similar issue when I first assembled the engine because it is a summit dist. (aluminum housing vs the factory plastic one) and the gear was assembled 180deg out and the dist. would not set. I replaced the dist. and it set with no issue but now I am all out of wack? Any thoughts? Thanks Guys!!

I'm not sure what you are saying as far as the gear was assembled 180* out. It just sounds like you need to turn the motor with a socket and the distributor should almost fall in. Your oil pump rod may need turned a little to line up with the distributor.

[chucksrt]

The dist gear has an odd number of teeth and if the gear is installed 180 deg out then the timing will never line up on this vortec engine (you don't have much rotation on this dist.). I pulled the dist. and advanced it 1 tooth and it reads it is out 24 deg; I skip it back a tooth and the same thing just opposite. The oil pump does hold it from going all of the way down but if I just tap the ignition it generally falls right in.

[68NovaSS]

I'm with S-10, totally confused...what do you mean an odd number of teeth??? If it didn't have the same tooth pattern as the dist it would never mesh. Also, 180 out is referring to the position of the rotor when the dist is installed, meaning it is turned too far away from the #1 plug tower, it has nothing to do with the "number of teeth" anywhere. Did you rotate the motor at all while the dist was out, even a little bit? You can't use a long screw driver to rotate the oil pump shaft? And the oil pump will stop the dist from dropping in if the oil pump slot is not lined up.

[malc]

Get number one to TDC compression stroke and look down the hole for the distributor, you will see the shaft that drives the oil pump.
Set the slot in that shaft as per this picture.



You also have to set the rotor 45 degrees anticlockwise to it´s number one firing position, it rotates clockwise going in as the helical gears mesh.

[chucksrt]

Originally Posted by 68NovaSS

I'm with S-10, totally confused...what do you mean an odd number of teeth??? If it didn't have the same tooth pattern as the dist it would never mesh. Also, 180 out is referring to the position of the rotor when the dist is installed, meaning it is turned too far away from the #1 plug tower, it has nothing to do with the "number of teeth" anywhere. Did you rotate the motor at all while the dist was out, even a little bit? You can't use a long screw driver to rotate the oil pump shaft? And the oil pump will stop the dist from dropping in if the oil pump slot is not lined up.

It does have the same tooth pattern. Which means that if you look at the dist from the bottom and the pin that holds it in place goes through the middle of it, there would be one side of the gear where the pin is would have a single tooth right over the pin and on the other side the teeth would be on either side of the pin. So if the gear is on the dist. backwards/180 deg out (like the first dist. I received from summit) you will have a very hard time getting the timing where you need it. Iirc the dist. gear has 13 teeth.

[68NovaSS]

That's so far out in left field! There is no way to install the distributor gear
"backwards/180 degrees", upside down or any other way. Figure it out, if you have two teeth on one gear, the gear meshing with it has one gear tooth between those two...but here is another on the other side waiting to mesh on the next rotation. You are waaaay over thinking this! You need to move the oil pump slot to wherever it needs to be to have the rotor pointing at #1 tower on the cap when it rotates down, and the distributor shaft drops into the slot, period. Is this a joke thread??

[geezer69]

dont know if this will help or not but i put the dis. in for a buddy on his 327 build. he showed me a trick that worked dang good. get tdc#1 then point the #1 on the dis straight at the #1 piston. that dis. fell rite in place like it should and was done that easy. any of you guys ever tried this. it did drop rite in.it was a first for me.

[68NovaSS]

Geezer, I imagine that would work well if the motor hasn't been turned while the dist was out. I'm not sure what's going on here though, and not sure the OP understands what's being said about pump slot alignment.

[boatbob2]

With the # 1 piston,at TOP DEAD CENTER,on the compression stroke,point the distributer rotor to the right of the # 1 firing position(rotor),(as youre looking down)look at the bottom of the dist.there will be a boob sticking out,line the oil pump slot up with this boob ,install distributer,when installed,the rotor will turn,and point at the #1 plug wire (of course,) this is after you put the dist cap on,im assumiing you marked the dist,to show where #1 is,if you didnt,look at the dist cap,see where #1 wire is,point rotor to the right .

[malc]

#5 , what I said............with a picture no less.

[chucksrt]

Originally Posted by 68NovaSS

That's so far out in left field! There is no way to install the distributor gear
"backwards/180 degrees", upside down or any other way. Figure it out, if you have two teeth on one gear, the gear meshing with it has one gear tooth between those two...but here is another on the other side waiting to mesh on the next rotation. You are waaaay over thinking this! You need to move the oil pump slot to wherever it needs to be to have the rotor pointing at #1 tower on the cap when it rotates down, and the distributor shaft drops into the slot, period. Is this a joke thread??

How many teeth are on the dist gear? Is it an even # or odd #? If it is an odd # then the gear can be installed 180 out! Unless the pin was drillied offset then it wouldn't line ou if it was put on 180 out. I have set the dist. to TDC and the oil pump was lined up! I don't know what happened? I know if the pump is out of alignment that the dist. will not drop down all of the way. I ste everything as mentioned and I can not get it to set correctly in time (the dist is cocked til it hits the manifold to get the timing set. If I move the dist 1 tooth either way it then goes way out of time. -24/+24deg out. I had the dist set I evne set a mark and it all lined right up but now I can not get the dist to line back up with my marks. I understand all of the pics and info on the oil pump but if I set the dist in and for some reason the dist doesn't line up I can just crank the engine until it pulls the dist. in to place.

[malc]

Have you removed the distributor gear before this ?

I messed up and installed mine upside down,
did exactly what your describing.......

[chucksrt]

Originally Posted by malc

Have you removed the distributor gear before this ?

I messed up and installed mine upside down,
did exactly what your describing.......

No...But I did get a dist. from summit that had the gear on 180deg out and I scratched my head for a while until we figured it out.

[malc]

So, is it in yet ?

Not for a Ford is it ?