I've finally gotten the retainer bolt off, and when I attempt to pull the distributor up, it won't budge. Should I be having someone turn the crankshaft? Should I just pull harder? Is there more than just the retainer bolt and bracket holding it down? The outer part of the distributor spins freely, but the center rod doesn't seem to want to budge. Maybe putting it in neutral? Any help would be appreciated.
-Ben
The center shaft, has a gear mounted on the bottom. This gear called the distributor drive gear, is meshing with a matching gear on the cam. You could try lightly prying on the distributor housing with a small pry bar or screw driver. If that doesn't work you could attempt to turn the motor over with a breaker bar. It will probably require two people if the gear is in bad shape. One turning the motor over very slowly, one prying or pulling.
Remember when putting the distributor back in to have motor at Top Dead Center on number one cylinder. Align the distributor so it would be firing the number one spark plug.
Charles
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