distributor rotor spins by hand

[mrnda]

Irish - the top part of the rotor is whats moving, I can hold the gear in place with my hand while spinning the the rotor.

bd - I will have to get to this this evening thanks for the instructions.

[Irish_Alley]

so not even the top part of the shaft spins?. makes sense as to why it still intact but a new distrib sound like a likely outcome but its not that much money to replace under $50 (some around 35-40) on ebay

[roundhouse]

Pull the rotor off
Try using pliers to spin the shaft
If you're using the plastic rotor it may just be the plastic stripped or broken inside


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[mrnda]

partial update - grabbed a distributor from an extra engine in my garage and it works just fine, which is good.  however on the test drive the engine started squalling after about 10 miles really bad and loud, the squalling would increase with engine speed.  is makes the noise from the moment the engine is running from idle to drive speed.

I loosened the power steering belt and the alternator belt, lubed the distributor gearing, replace the rotor & cap but the noise is still there.  I am thinking it is the bearings in the water pump? 

advice, experience, and wild ass guesses appreciated.

[enaberif]

partial update - grabbed a distributor from an extra engine in my garage and it works just fine, which is good.  however on the test drive the engine started squalling after about 10 miles really bad and loud, the squalling would increase with engine speed.  is makes the noise from the moment the engine is running from idle to drive speed.

I loosened the power steering belt and the alternator belt, lubed the distributor gearing, replace the rotor & cap but the noise is still there.  I am thinking it is the bearings in the water pump? 

advice, experience, and wild  guesses appreciated.

Random noises are always difficult since so many things are going. The alternator, power steering and water pump can make horrid noises.

Water pumps usually leak before making a  huge noise tho. Any water around the lower weep hole?

[bd]

On the old distributor, I suspect what happened is the "tee" at the top of the shaft that anchors the advance mechanism and rotor to the shaft is loose and spinning on the shaft.  On factory HEI distributors the tee is welded to the shaft and cannot rotate.  I'm supposing that the aftermarket distributor you have uses a pressed on tee rather than being welded.  In that case, replacement of the distributor is the most practical solution.  Chucking the shaft in a vise and attempting to rotate the tee as earlier suggested would verify whether this is the case.

Regarding the noise, in addition to what enaberif posted, with the engine off, grab the fan blade and wiggle it fore and aft.  If the w/p pulley wiggles too, the pump bearing is toast. 

Or, remove the belts one at a time and run the engine to see if/when the noise disappears.  Just don't let the engine overheat.

Or, use a 3' length of 1-1/4" rubber hose as a listening tube and move it around the engine to locate the source of the noise.  Be careful to avoid getting caught in the belts and pulleys.

[mrnda]

no obvious water leak and there has not been a rise in temperature however I parked it as soon as was possible. I already took the belts off one at a time and that did not reveal anything, will try to wiggle when I get home.  The part is extremely accessible and around 25-30 bucks may just change it and take that off the list of possibilities.

[mrnda]

water pump replaced noise is still there.
put old distributor back on the noise is still there.

any clue?

[bd]

Not to be mean, but quit throwing parts at it and diagnose where the noise is originating.

Did you try using a ~3' length of 1" or larger rubber hose as a listening tube as earlier suggested?  Or, use a long screwdriver and move it around the engine touching one major component at a time with the free end of the screwdriver next to your ear - noise will telescope up the shaft so you can hear it.  Do you have any means of posting a sound clip, so we can hear it?  Is the engine running rough or any different than it did before the noise began?  Any change in oil pressure?

[mrnda]

no offense taken, the only purchase was the water pump (25) the rest we had extra in the garage.  I have not tried the listening techniques but that is our next step.

I will try to post a recording of some sort.  performance has not been affected and I sincerely thank everyone for any input, no noticeable change in oil pressure but will look at that again.

[roundhouse]

Take all the belts off and run it
It will be fine to run it a few minutes with no water pump
3-4 minutes max

If you still have the noise with ALL the belts removed
It's potentially a crank or rod bearing


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[mrnda]

ssooooooo there were a couple of issues, I do appreciate all of the input about this going it alone is not very comforting.

Distributor was obviously broken, put in an extra one from the garage and magically the timing will hold.  The screeching wound up being the shield plate from the engine and transmission, it was dangling on by one bolt so that was firmly reattached.

after reattaching that there was another screeching, slightly different.  it would screech when running and for a second or two after the engine was cut off, made me think about the fan. WD-40 and it would take a couple of seconds to start screeching again after starting the engine, while running I sprayed the 40 behind the belt wheel on the fan and while I was spraying there was no screech.  took all of that off cleaned the crap out of it and reconnected firmly and VOILA it runs like a champ.

[bd]

Happy to hear you got it fixed. 

[Dr_Snooz]

What are the odds that the rotor is stripped out from careless installation?

[bd]

What are the odds that the rotor is stripped out from careless installation?

Zero.  It's a married coil HEI distributor.  The rotor installs only one way using two caged screws.