--- Brian Hagen <brian.hagen@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > Ok...but how come I cant move it again? If i try to > turn the "key" at the > top of the distributor it doesnt move with my > power... so how did wigglin it > out do it? > > Just askin... It moved once the distributor was pulled out enought to disengage the teeth. It actually ROTATES coming out of the hole, as the teeth are disengaging. Once the gear teeth mesh again, you can't turn it by hand. Brian, you have to remember a few things when removing/reinserting a distributor. The gear teeth are cut at a 45 degree angle or more...that's how much you're off, right? When you made your mark on the valve cover, that's great...but the top rotor TURNS as you're removing the distributor, as the gears have to move that 45 angle to come out and apart...the teeth aren't straight up and down, remember, so the gear has to move sideways some, meaning the shaft has to turn, to disengage from the camshaft gear. Clear as mud so far? SO, when you go to put it back IN, the rotor must be pointing about 45 degrees away from your original mark, THEN 2 things must happen - 1) the oil pump must engage the tang on the distributor shaft end, and 2), the helical gears must reengage, and slide past one another to seat, so the shaft of the distributor will rotate the opposite way as it's going all the way down to seat. Sometimes the oil pump tang is differently spaced than the one you took out ( in relation to the roll pin that holds the gear on ), or if you're putting a new distributor in, it could be in a different spot than the old one in relation to the rotor line-up slot. Either way, doesn't really matter, the IMPORTANT thing is to get it back to your original mark...and that may mean playing with it some by dropping in the block half-way and spinning it some after it engages the oil pump but BEFORE the gears mesh. If it gets off even ONE tooth, it won't line up perfectly with your original mark on the valve cover. So, it's not an exact science, you have to fiddle with it, but it's no real mystery. Just pull it back out some, then reinsert it, and watch the top rotor turn, and determine which way it is turning, CW or CCW to the mark. THen make sure it's 45 degrees off your mark in the OPPOSITE direction when trying to reinsert, so the shaft turns to the correct position when fully seated. That should get it back to where it was. If the distributor won't fully seat, then the oil pump tang isn't engaged right. Just keep playing with it, you can't hurt anything , unless you beat on it in frustration. :) Just keep your cool, and it'll eventually go where you want it to. GOod luck! Jerry Casper 17 AMCs in Virginia __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The all-new My Yahoo! - Get yours free! http://my.yahoo.com