Lubricating the distributor on "Starter Generator" Buicks

[Hubert_25-25]

What is the best way to lubricate the distributor shaft of the cars with starter generators?  There is a grease fitting.  Then there is a cavity between the Starter Generator housing and the distributor housing shaft.  Then there is a 1/8" hole in the distributor housing shaft and you can see the actual distributor shaft.  No way the grease will jump across and into the little hole.  I assumed the grease fitting was for the drive gear also.   This fitting is about 3" above the drive gear.  Lots of old drive gears out there with very sharp teeth from a lack of lubrication.  The shop manual says 2 oz of grease every 500 miles.  Do you just keep loading this cavity with grease?   I assume it starts coming out the water pump shaft in no time.   

 

Edited December 26, 2018 by Hubert_25-25 (see edit history)

[Brian_Heil]

I lube the shaft and weights. Pack the large well too.  Assemble. 

 

Part of my routine is to lube this often until grease comes out the water pump shaft. Wipe off the excess there as it comes out. 

 

Agree.  I had a distributor drive gear that was worn to pointed razor sharp teeth. Lucky I found a good one. 

[Hubert_25-25]

Brian,  

    Thanks for the note.  The distributor shaft does get it's lubrication thru that little 1/8" hole.  There is bushing  material above and below the 1/8" hole to allow the shaft to get lubrication (Not a great way to do it).  Then you have the drive gear which is another critical piece to keep lubricated.  I know new replacement gears are ~ $100.  It looks like the later distributors are set up the same way also. 

 

    

[Brian_Heil]

Hugh,

 

I think what saves us is the load on the distributor shaft and gears is little to nothing.  The grease well on my distributor was full but the grease was petrifide.  My weights were frozen and the little springs had come off the weights too.

 

Anyone who has not been through theirs should go through it.  Not complicated.  Note your rotor location at TDC before pulling things apart.

 

There is an overriding clutch in there and one on the starter end of things too.  Both need to be cleaned and lubed along with the Oldham Coupling that drives the generator function.  Many of us have been through these and are ready to help.

 

I learned just this year of the second overriding clutch at the starter gear end (thanks to this forum).

Edited December 26, 2018 by Brian_Heil (see edit history)

[dibarlaw]

Hugh :

 As I had shown you some of my other distributors when you visited the concern about lubrication was also discussed.

 The distributor that I had in "Beulah" was a cobbled up mess. The engine did run but I could shut down the engine by placing slight finger pressure on the side of it. That was how sloppy the shaft was. When I replaced with a cast iron unit things were tremendously better.

The cobbled up unit above. They just turned a bushing to replace the original die cast section without any provision to get grease into the bronze bushing and thus the shaft.

When I installed this cast iron unit I did pack around the undercut section before assembly.

Note the added copper crush washers that were used as spacers on cobbled unit at right.

 

 

Edited December 26, 2018 by dibarlaw (see edit history)

[CTCV]

Here is my before and after. I think I have everything greased well. Hope to be firing it up soon.

[Hubert_25-25]

Wow,   Dual points and an offset screw for adjustment.  Pretty fancy.  What is that out of?  It is looking good to go now.

[CTCV]

This is from a 1932 Buick 97 344cid. I sure hope I have everything good to go. I never worked on a prewar to this extent. 

[Robert Engle]

1931-32 Buick 8 cylinder engines used a 4 lobe distributor cam and two sets of points.  An extra step to set up the dwell. This is not like the 50's Malory dual point distributors.

 

Bob Engle