Help with distributor install....
 

I pulled the distributor on my 427SO to replace a leaking intake manifold gasket. There's a lower rubber o-ring/seal where the distributor enters the block and mine was sorta mangled up, tho' i had no leaking. So, I was planning to replace it with the one included in the Fel-pro gasket kit. I slipped the distributor shaft through the seal and pushed it up onto the distributor's shoulder, but it was so thick that I couldn't get the distributor to fully seat in it's hole. Tried to lube the outer edge with some grease, but still no go. If you look down the distributor's hole, you can clearly see a small ledge or indentation in the block's casting, just above the oil pump gear, which I assume is the home of this ^%(*&%^# seal. Right?

Without the seal, the upper most part of the distributor sits flush with the intake manifold, no problem. Using the old seal puts the upper most aspect of the distributor about 1/16-1/8" proud to the intake, but it is seated. My pre-op photos don't show enough detail for me to rely on what was there before I got my grubby fingers on it.

Is that seal supposed to be there? If so any tricks to getting the distributor seated fully? I didn't try using a heat gun on the seal yet. Should I just use the old one and forget it?

I X-posted this on the FE forum and good pictures reside there. thanx. s

thanx steve

If your car is down for the winter giving you some time, you might put a hose clamp around the seal and tighten it up and let it set for a week or so to compress the seal a little. Then lube it up and try again. Otherwise I would suspect the seal in that particular kit is not in spec and you may need to try another source.

thanx so much. but, you agree, the seal needs to be there? s

I think it should be there - I've heard of oil leaks from there. But, it would probably depend on your motor, how much blow by it has and how effective a ventilation system you have installed.

Because the distributor drive indexes in the block but the housing sits on the intake, it's important how the intake was installed. Seems I remember that when an intake is installed, the distributor should be inserted while the bolts are still loose to center the intake on the distributor housing and then the bolts tightened. Otherwise the housing may not seat easily when later inserted. It's possible that wasn't paid attention to when your intake was installed and that may explain why your other seal was sort of mangled. But I'm just speculating.

Just looked at your other thread on this and picked up on the second part of your question. The only seal is the neoprene, tapered one that fits in the groove of the distributor housing. There's no flat gasket used elsewhere.

I agree with Dan. The O ring is the seal at the intake. It doesn't use a flat gasket like GM.

Putting an O ring down where you described wouldn't seal anything.

John

Excellent guys!! thanx so much. steve

OK, sorted out....back a few years ago, a "real" mechanic helped me do the intake manifold on this car. I recall distinctly that he placed the distributor, as he was critical (rightly so, really) that I had failed to mark the distributor's position on the intake. At any rate, he must have placed that errant "o-ring/seal" back then. It's misshapen appearance, as seen in the photos, was a tip off that it never should have gone there in the first place. Now, I come along, by myself, 3 years or so later, and see that there's an "o-ring/seal" there and figure that's where the new one goes. WRONG! So much for adult supervision.

That "o-ring/seal" that came with the Fel-Pro manifold gasket kit, goes at the top of the distributor, where it meets the intake manifold, not deeper down at the block's indent, where there is no seal. This was correctly noted by a couple of the guys on the thread, and verified by Susan Parham at Southern. So, thanx everyone. The distributor is correctly mounted and so, now, it's onward through the fog! thanx again. steve