Help! Distributor wont engage oil pump shaft!

[jpcjguy]

Hi everyone,

I am new here - have a 79 CJ7 with 360. This is the first engine that I built myself - nothing but a book!! I built it back in 1999 and since then the engine has maybe 3-4K miles on it - if that. I used my original timing cover because I did not know to look here or from what I learned from various shops in the Washington DC area(where I was living at the time) Crown was not tooling them yet. Anyway, my pressure was at around 11-12 at idle and 38-40 - this is on a new engine. So I finally bit the bullet and ordered a timing cover kit from bulltear. I had them assemble it so that I did not have to worry about those tiny clearances!!

So, I spent the last 2 days working on it and now have it to the point where I need to just install the distributor. I did the rear main seal at the same time as that was leaking a little. Of course the crank moved and such so all markings are useless. I know how the distributor housing should sit in relation to the cover, but I CANNOT for the life of me get the stupid shaft to engage with the oil pump shaft. I have seriously spent almost 3 hours on this. I used a drill to prime the pump - never done that before - kinda cool!! I assume that it is primed as it used to spin freely and now there is resistance which I am assuming is oil and I hear what faintly sounds like a gurgling noise when turning it with a screwdriver now...

Of course, I did not test fit my distributor in the new cover to make sure it would engage, but I never thought that would even be an issue!!!! I am taking into account the rotation of the engagement of the distributor gear and the camshaft gear.
Anyone have any ideas?!??!? I am at my wits end here.

Thanks!
Joe
Richmond, VA

[jeepsr4ever]

Joe you did install the alignment pins correct?

[jpcjguy]

Do you mean the 2 in the block? I would assume so - if not, wouldn't everything else not be aligned properly?

[jpcjguy]

Here is a link to a directory of photos that I took during the process: http://www.joewatson.net/jeep/
If anyone is interested or if someone can point out something obviously wrong that I did... thanks!

[jeepsr4ever]

So no matter where you have it the dizzy housing wont sit down all the way? Try taking the distributor gear off and see if that helps. It could be a alignment issue! Some lbocks are known to be on the edge of their tolerance for clocking of the timing cover.

[jpcjguy]

Nope, tried almost every position. Let's say three hours of trying - unless I am the unluckiest person alive and have not hit the "postion". I will try taking the distributor gear off. What is the best way to do that? Never done it.....

[hotratz]

Just a simple matter of driving the pin out that holds the gear on the shaft. Support the opposite side of the gear hub that your driving from on something that allows the pin to pass through when you drive it out. A slightly opened vice works. Keep the gear teeth away from the vice. ¬†_Φ_

[1980_Cj7]

Did you reach down in with a screwdriver and turn the oil pump shaft a little so you can line up both the gear teeth and the slot?

[jpcjguy]

Yup, tried practically every degree/angle.

[fifesjeep]

Did you reach down in with a screwdriver and turn the oil pump shaft a little so you can line up both the gear teeth and the slot?

I'm with you on that one.... keep rotating the pump and trying to get the distributor to drop in... And do a quick measurement or compare the lengths etc to another distributor... But definitely try moving the oil pump and turn the rotor a little at a time...