401 keeps eating distributors !! help !!

[HunphreyJason]

My '66 Electra has a 401 that eats distributors. It seems that the lower bushing runs dry, heats up and siezes. Either the distributor will bind just enough to turn the distributor housing a couple degrees and knock the timing out of whack and keep running or the shaft competely stops and the sheer pin gives out. Any ideas or suggestions?

Correct me if I am wrong but doesn't the bottom bushing get oiled by splash. I can't figure out why the distributor seems to not be getting oiled.

[Reatta Man]

Has the engine set up for a while? If so, sludge may be blocking one or more of the oil passages that should supply oil to the "dip-splash" oiler.

You may want to run a couple of cans of engine flush through the crankcase, then change the oil and add some Mystery Oil with the fresh oil. This will help provide the additional solvent/detergent to remove sludge.

After doing this, run the distributor for a few miles, pull it out and see if it is getting oil on the shaft and gear. If not, you may have to tear down the top half of the engine to see why it is not getting oil.

Good luck.

Joe

[HunphreyJason]

Thank you very much. I'll have to try that soon.

[HunphreyJason]

Ok so I ran a can of engine flush and there were a lot of specs of something in the oil when I drained it. I haven't had time to see what they are or cut open the oil filter yet. The one thing I did notice is that when I put the distributor back in after pulling it to check for oil I had to turn the oil pump shaft which is now difficult to turn. I also did hear a metal to metal noise when I turned over the engine. I'm wondering if foriegn material is mucking up the oil pump what's the likelyhood that the main journal bearings have sustained damage. So do I do a complete rebuild or try to drive it after rebuilding or replacing the oil pump. Or maybe another can of engine flush helps to free debris that is mucking up the pump. How fast would the bearings go south if I ran debris into them? The filter is after the pump, maybe the pump has been damaged but nothing has been pushed into the bearings yet because the filter caught it. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[Reatta Man]

Humphrey,

So far so good; you've learned a lot and sounds like you have NOT permanently damaged your engine.

At this point I would not start it any more because you now have evidence of excess and solidified carbon in the oil. Starting it runs the risk of one or more of those chunks breaking loose and blocking the oil galleys in the engine, the oil pump gears or the grooves in the bearings meant for oil flow. If that happens, you can spin (ruin) a main bearing or break the camshaft faster than you can say "how much will it cost for a new engine, sir?"

If it were mine, I would raise the engine off the motor mounts enough to drop the pan and inspect it. While you have it apart, replace the oil pump. If the crancase is not full of sludge or carbon deposits, replace the pan gasket and easily removed seals and put the pan back on. Then, remove the intake manifold and the cover underneath it to inspect the lifters and oil galleys. I removed the intake manifold on a 307 engine in a Riv convertible, and found a chunk of carbon about 10" long, 2" thick, and about 4-5" wide. It had blocked all of the oil galleys around the lifters except one. Only one oil passage stood between me and ruining an otherwise good engine. Apparently the guy who owned it before me had a super-rich condition in the carb, it was dumping gas in the crankcase, and his solution was to remove the "Check Engine" bulb on the dash.

I would bet you the price of a good lunch that you have some excessive sludge or hardened carbon deposits somewhere in that engine. It is blocking some or most of the oil flow, and you are getting very poor circulation around the shaft that drives the distributor.

Keep me posted. This may seem like a lot of work, but believe me, it is nothing compared to the cost and hassle of pulling and rebuilding the entire engine.

Joe