relocating grub screw

[Dadevilledisco]

How does one relocate the grub screw on the bushing on the vertical drive shaft in the distributor? Pulled out the original as it needed to be adjusted to get the timing right and now we cannot get the grub screw back to hold the bushing in place. Help Please!!!!!!

Is the grub screw necessary? absolutely! We are at out wits end!

Mark

[bobzinak]

the bushing has a hole in it to keep the bushing from turning. do you have the hole lined up with the screw?

[Moose]

OK, here is a tried and true method I have used many times.

Make sure the bush on the drive gear is easy to rotate and put some "three in one" light oil on it. Install the gear with the "master spline" located at the two o`clock position when standing at the side of the engine. Advance the gear as you drop it in as it is aligning on a skew gear. Check that it is at the correct position.
Use a pair of needle nose pliers, grip the inside of the drive gear and move the gear up and down without disconnecting the gear. At the same time put a thin screw driver or a piece of wire inside the screw hole so that is just touches the drive gear bush. As you move the gear up and down the bush will rotate and you will feel the hole "arrive". Do not let the bush bottom out or the hole will not align, keep it just slightly of the bottom position and install the grub screw with a bit of loctite. Do not over tighten or you will bind the bush.

Brett

[Dadevilledisco]

Cant get the hole lined up after seating the vertical drive gear back on the spline shaft and on to the cam drive! That is the problem. The vertical drive goes in and the manual says to "locate the grub screw hole" and refit! The bushing spins and the hole is not lining up with the hole.

[Dadevilledisco]

Moose,

You are dead on! We seemed to be to deep to find the hole with our calculations and what you are saying seems logical. Hard to hold that gear with needle nose! Will give it a try. I had to step away for an hour or two but you advise has encouraged me for a moment!

[Moose]

A buddy of mine uses a pair of "exterior" circlip pliers ( squeezing the handles opens the pliers) to grip the inside of the drive gear. I've had good luck with a pair of (long) needle nose pliers.

One person can handle this task but if you have help, one person on top to move the gear up and down and one below reaching up prodding gently into the grub screw hole makes this an easy peasy job.

[Dadevilledisco]

In the immortal words of Bill Murray....." Its in the Hole!" It was very difficult for 1 person but manageable after about an hour and several close calls used a mirror some which help to actually see the darn thing. When that screw slipped in that last 1/8 inch and went flush it was a beautiful thang!

Still not in time though! My 2.25 petrol is a late rebuild with 5 mains and the flywheel has 5 lines on it. I put TDC on the center line, put the drive in at 2 oclock and it seated home in perfect position. Reinstalled distributor and when it is running its best the marks are about 1.5-2 inches to the Left of the timing mark. Ideas? It runs ok but not like it should.

This is what it was doing before we pulled the dist. Thinking that if we moved the gear drive over 1 spline that we could get more adjustment towards our mark. Was that the wrong thing to do? Looking at taking to mechanic and let them see. Advise?

Thanks again Moose