How NOT to adjust an 1100/1300 distributor....


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Grogster

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Joined: 31/12/2012
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 9204
Posted: 10:04pm 14 Feb 2023      

@ phil99 - It kinda is.  The dizzy drive shaft gear thing, has a helical gear that engages with another gear on the camshaft.  Behind that on the same shaft, it fits into a hole in the engine block that holds the gear in the correct position.  Back outside the engine, there is a retainer thing that holds the dizzy drive in place, so it can't thrust forward and come out, but once you remove that, without screwing a bolt into the dizzy drive, it can just drop down into the gearbox if you lose your grip on it, which is what happened.   It's a schoolboy(or girl if you like) mistake, and not something anyone who works on these engines should ever allow themselves to do - cos you use the bolt to stop that happening, till you have it seated correctly....

@ CaptainBoing - Well, there is that I guess.  We'll probably check the crank and big-end bearings while we're at it.  Knowing our luck, they will all be due for replacement.

@ SimpleSafeName - They are small, but still too heavy to lift out by hand.   You can't get into the bottom-end, without removing the gearbox that is basically the sump in these power units.  To seperate the gearbox/sump from the engine, you have to take the whole assembly out of the car.  Oh well - something to keep us busy at weekends for a while I guess...

I might post photos if anyone is interested.