Help me unstick my distributor ....

[SchoolfriendSteve]

'79 with a 351M. Been wrestling with a seized engine for several months and have gotten to the point where I have everything removed except the Camshaft and the distributor and maybe 3-4 lifters, yet. This has been a lesson in patience ... I'm actually surprised I've gotten this far (thanks to previous comments about pulling the engine with the torque converter attached... success!) Neither the distributor nor the cam will rotate more than a half inch. I've tried gently beating on it from the bottom where it meshes up with the oil pump, but it's not moving. Obviously, tried prying up from the top. Found a guy on YouTube who's broke off and took a month to get it out... hoping to avoid that. anyone have a technique that's worked for them?

 

[SchoolfriendSteve]

Realize that first pic had little to do with the question at hand. From underside. I'm showing where the two gears mesh and from where i was trying to drive it out from the bottom...
what it was looking like from the topside before I disassembled and pulled the engine. Thermostat is stuck there too.

 

[Tiha]

The distributor housing is aluminum and it sits in a steel or cast block. Usually I find it is the oxidation on the aluminum distributor causing most of the problems and yes I am sure the distributor shaft is sticky too.

First if you loosed the distributor hold down can you turn the housing? Keep turning it back and forth until it moves fairly freely.

Next shoot some penetrating oil down the shaft where it enters the housing. The shaft the rotor sits on. Let it soak in.

The cam does not need to turn in order to remove the distributor. The rotor should turn as you lift the distributor up and out.

 

[johnnyreb]

The distributor housing is aluminum and it sits in a steel or cast block. Usually I find it is the oxidation on the aluminum distributor causing most of the problems and yes I am sure the distributor shaft is sticky too.

First if you loosed the distributor hold down can you turn the housing? Keep turning it back and forth until it moves fairly freely.

Next shoot some penetrating oil down the shaft where it enters the housing. The shaft the rotor sits on. Let it soak in.

The cam does not need to turn in order to remove the distributor. The rotor should turn as you lift the distributor up and out.

Yes the ones on the 351,s and 400,s are a pain. I used ALOT of PB Blaster and Marvel Mystery Oil . I have also used AERO KROIL --ITS IS REAL THINand gets in where other penetrating oils don,t. Its expensives,but worth it. Let it set for awhile. Before you put it back together. You might want to put a grease around the UPPER PART. Wehere it goes throught the top part of the block. I worked my a-- for about a month on mine.Used and tried everything. My cousin,s son laughed at me. I told him if he THOUGHT it was so easy. Lest see him get it out. I,d give him $50. He just reached in and lifted it out. I handed him $50 and he wouldn,t take it and I told him I made the offer--he got it out. He said it was your work that made it happen.I just lifted it out,but I made him take the money. Keep putting --if you can get Kroil -its really good. I use it on working on guns too.It gets into really tiny cracks.Good luck and after you soak it0--take a break from it.

 

[SchoolfriendSteve]

The distributor housing is aluminum and it sits in a steel or cast block. Usually I find it is the oxidation on the aluminum distributor causing most of the problems and yes I am sure the distributor shaft is sticky too.

First if you loosed the distributor hold down can you turn the housing? Keep turning it back and forth until it moves fairly freely.

Next shoot some penetrating oil down the shaft where it enters the housing. The shaft the rotor sits on. Let it soak in.

The cam does not need to turn in order to remove the distributor. The rotor should turn as you lift the distributor up and out.

Thanks for the tip. Nothing on the distributor rotates at this point more than a few degrees. I will continue to work with the penetrating oil to see if I can get it loose.

 

[SchoolfriendSteve]

Yes the ones on the 351,s and 400,s are a pain. I used ALOT of PB Blaster and Marvel Mystery Oil . I have also used AERO KROIL --ITS IS REAL THINand gets in where other penetrating oils don,t. Its expensives,but worth it. Let it set for awhile. Before you put it back together. You might want to put a grease around the UPPER PART. Wehere it goes throught the top part of the block. I worked my a-- for about a month on mine.Used and tried everything. My cousin,s son laughed at me. I told him if he THOUGHT it was so easy. Lest see him get it out. I,d give him $50. He just reached in and lifted it out. I handed him $50 and he wouldn,t take it and I told him I made the offer--he got it out. He said it was your work that made it happen.I just lifted it out,but I made him take the money. Keep putting --if you can get Kroil -its really good. I use it on working on guns too.It gets into really tiny cracks.Good luck and after you soak it0--take a break from it.

Thx, Johnnyreb! Will continue with the aero kroil, see if I can get that to work. Good to hear from a Mountaineer! I have a sister in Charleston, was just through that way a couple weeks ago. Almost Heaven....

 

[johnnyreb]

Thanks for the tip. Nothing on the distributor rotates at this point more than a few degrees. I will continue to work with the penetrating oil to see if I can get it loose.

Your lucky you have the motor out and you don,t have to lean over the front. Try and get a plastic head hammer to peck it with to. You don,t need to chip a gear. The penetrating oild willl do it job. Just try and have paitence with it.

 

[johnnyreb]

Thx, Johnnyreb! Will continue with the aero kroil, see if I can get that to work. Good to hear from a Mountaineer! I have a sister in Charleston, was just through that way a couple weeks ago. Almost Heaven....

Well she has probably been hear. I live about 100 miles from their. I stay away from their. Your near hear.Drop in.

 

[johnnyreb]

Well she has probably been hear. I live about 100 miles from their. I stay away from their. Your near hear.Drop in.

It is super thin and really good .

 

[johnnyreb]

It is super thin and really good .

Did you get the distributor broke loose?

 

[johnnyreb]

4-20--2022--Did you get the distributor unstuck?

 

[Zeus78]

My father-in-law had a green and white 79 that caught fire on the top of the motor. We had to go in and redo all the wiring and hoses and sure enough, that distributer wouldn't budge.
I worked on that sucker for two days with hammers, pipe wrenches and lots of penetrating oil.

I finally got out a drill and drilled through the aluminum at a sharp angle in about 10 different spots. Took a pipe wrench and spun it around. It came right out.

My FIL made a trophy out of it and gave it to me for Christmas that year.

 

[johnnyreb]

My father-in-law had a green and white 79 that caught fire on the top of the motor. We had to go in and redo all the wiring and hoses and sure enough, that distributer wouldn't budge.
I worked on that sucker for two days with hammers, pipe wrenches and lots of penetrating oil.

I finally got out a drill and drilled through the aluminum at a sharp angle in about 10 different spots. Took a pipe wrench and spun it around. It came right out.

My FIL made a trophy out of it and gave it to me for Christmas that year.

Well you got it out. I think the NEXT time I have mine out. I,m gonna sand around the part that fits snug to the block. I,d rather have a little oil moisture come out . Then stuck. Plus the oil should stop it from sticking. Great trophy. Be proud of it. Congratulations for coming in second place.hahaha

 

[johnnyreb]

View attachment 28243
Realize that first pic had little to do with the question at hand. From underside. I'm showing where the two gears mesh and from where i was trying to drive it out from the bottom...View attachment 28244
what it was looking like from the topside before I disassembled and pulled the engine. Thermostat is stuck there too.

My motor in my fairlane is stuck too. I have it all down except for the cam. Gonna hit it when the weather gets warm and rebuild it. I think what I,ll start doing is when I park it for awhile. I,ll fill the motor up with oil. i did the one in my Dodge 518--took 6 gallons. It got stuck. They say used motor oil is good to unstuck a motor. Some kind of chemicla in the used oil that does it.