Jump to content

Flathead 8 Rotor Spins Freely-Now I know Why


Lisa P

Recommended Posts

I believe that I have discovered why my car has not run reliably or predictably.  Today, for a nice 30 seconds, she ran great.  No misfiring, no hesitation but then stalled out.  Troubleshooting lead to discovering that the rotor will spin freely, even with the distributor bolted down.  The shaft on the end of the distributor looks fine, it is slotted and must fit into something, but what is that mysterious something and can I access it by dropping the oil pan?  On a side note, I was trying to make sure she would run smoothly as it is a project that needs a new home.

 

*I pulled the oil pump out this morning, and as you can see the drive springs are missing as is part of the retaining clip.  Can these drive springs and clip be purchased?  If so, where?  If not, can they be fabricated?  Thanks again for all of your invaluable input. 

20190315_094711.jpg

Edited by Lisa P
Photo added (see edit history)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You need to remove the oil pump from the block, the gear on the pump has a hole that the split shaft of the distributor fits into, in the hole of the gear there are three metal strips that are held in place by a retainer clip. Sounds to me that this may be where your problem lies.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh wow, you are a lifesaver!  Thank you so much for the quick reply, I guess you'll know where to find me this weekend. By any chance, are the 3 metal strips something that can be bought, or do they have to be fabricated?  And, if they need to be fabricated, are they steel, or spring steel, or some other material?  Thanks again. 

Edited by Lisa P
Need more information. (see edit history)
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/14/2019 at 1:07 PM, Lisa P said:

Oh wow, you are a lifesaver!  Thank you so much for the quick reply, I guess you'll know where to find me this weekend. By any chance, are the 3 metal strips something that can be bought, or do they have to be fabricated?  And, if they need to be fabricated, are they steel, or spring steel, or some other material?  Thanks again. 

And now you know why Charles is the POCI 1953 Pontiac Tech advisor!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, Pfeil said:

And now you know why Charles is the POCI 1953 Pontiac Tech advisor!

He is always right, isn't he?  If I only knew where to get replacement parts for the darn thing...thank goodness for guys like Charles and his willingness to help!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/15/2019 at 8:40 PM, Lisa P said:

He is always right, isn't he?  If I only knew where to get replacement parts for the darn thing...thank goodness for guys like Charles and his willingness to help!

i try to be correct whenever giving answers or advice, but even i'm not always right, thanks for the kind words. charles.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...