Distributor Rebuild DIY Possible Anymore?

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Don H Jr
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Distributor Rebuild DIY Possible Anymore?

Post by Don H Jr »

Can anyone encourage me to pursue a distributor rebuild? Mine is worn out and troublesome and I don't want a sandblasted, resanded down geared cheapo rebuild if I can help it. I know it must be a matter of some shimming washers and a couple brass bushings maybe. The counter guy at the dealership told me there were no bushings or bearings on the main dist shaft and was centered by the washers with the small tang that goes in the slot in the dist housing.
If that's true, then I know why mine wore out at such a young age and has been costing me rotors and caps for the past 10 years or more. Running off center and lots of up and down end play to play tricks on my timing I bet.
Anyone attempted this one? I don't want to pay the $325 dealer price for new ones and the rebuilds I've looked at were shabby looking work. I'm open for ideas from your experience. They don't seem to make the billet ones either for my 1994 4L HO.
Years ago, same problem but with my old Honda. Finally I took it apart, the distributor, drilled out a few rivets and gave a machinist a hundred dollar bill to rebush it over his objections. He was the last machinist in town that didn't say no to me on the job.
He got some timken bearings and made it like new. The bearings cost him $5 bucks. He's not there anymore. Everyone seems to get old on me, lol!

Thanks Don H. Jr
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SilverXJ
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Re: Distributor Rebuild DIY Possible Anymore?

Post by SilverXJ »

I haven't heard of anyone rebuilding them on their own. If it is some sort of washer with a tang its probably a specialty item. I don't have one handy to take apart except the one on the ZJ which I need for a 7 hour drive thursday, so no fooling around with that. I do know that the cam sensor on my 2000 has a bushing in it that the shaft rides on.... but I only know that because it froze up once, which appears to be a known issue. Best I can say is take it apart and see what you have to deal with.
Don H Jr
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Re: Distributor Rebuild DIY Possible Anymore?

Post by Don H Jr »

Thanks for the response Silver. I may get one out of a junkyard that's tighter than mine while I bang my head on the rocks till I figure a way to get it done somehow. I was surprized the dealership sold the tanged washers for the distributor. I need to get something in it to run, so I can take my time working this thing out.
Maybe if I get it done up just right, and improve it's stability if it needs it, I can then put it in my new stroker motor that's in my dreams.

Don Jr.
Don H Jr
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Re: Distributor Rebuild DIY Possible Anymore?

Post by Don H Jr »

Good idea, just what I was thinking. The tang washers are avalable at dealership, but on 4.0 dist nothing much else. On 2.5 the bushings are available, if I rememember right. I'll just get those if I can. Also thought maybe get it apart and if bushings do exist in there, they may be bronze and I might be able to run a tool thru them like we do valve guides and knurl em up abit to get less clearance and hold oil better, or get a machinst to put in bushings again like I did years ago with my Honda, saving 300 bucks or so. Many rebuild distributors DO NOT FIT INTO THE HOLE IN THE BLOCK for the DIST on a 94 like mine; other guys within two years newer than mine had no goes fitting another dist in their block, as I just did with the rebuild last month that would not fit in the hole.
So weird.

Don Jr
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Re: Distributor Rebuild DIY Possible Anymore?

Post by Don H Jr »

Silver: Tell me more about your froze up cam sensor issue that's, "a known issue." If you don't mind.

Don
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Re: Distributor Rebuild DIY Possible Anymore?

Post by SilverXJ »

When the went with the distributor less system they used the cam sensor. Shortly after mine failed I heard about two others failing and one guy mentioned a TSB regarding the issue. I don't recall the TSB now. I wouldn't say its that common of an issue, but it is a known issue that Jeep has a TSB on. There is also another problem of the transducer in the sensor coming lose, iirc.
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Re: Distributor Rebuild DIY Possible Anymore?

Post by 5-90 »

All you've got to do is find parts - and the hardest parts to find will be the bushings (you'll have to remove them and measure them, then check a bearing catalogue, methinks.)

Disassembly and reassembly of a distributor is really pretty simple - all the more so on electronic ignition setups, since they don't have the flyweights that the old points dizzy had (for RPM-based centrifugal advance.)
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Don H Jr
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Re: Distributor Rebuild DIY Possible Anymore?

Post by Don H Jr »

90 thanks for the input. What's your take on how to shim the end play? How about the idea of running a knurling valve guide tool thru the bushings if they are bronze then sizing after to get clearance right if in a pinch for bushing/bearings?

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Re: Distributor Rebuild DIY Possible Anymore?

Post by 5-90 »

Don H Jr wrote:90 thanks for the input. What's your take on how to shim the end play? How about the idea of running a knurling valve guide tool thru the bushings if they are bronze then sizing after to get clearance right if in a pinch for bushing/bearings?

Don Jr
Knurling and reaming should be doable - but you may have trouble finding a knurl that bit (you're looking at about a 1/2" shaft.) If you get a knurl, ream to about .501-.502" for oil clearance (you don't need much, and too much will make your timing wander anyhow.) The reamer will be easier to find - reamers up to 1" by tenths are fairly common. You probably need an MSCDirect catalogue anyhow... ;)

If you can't find a knurl, I'd consider the OD more critical on the busing than the ID, since you can always ream it out to the ID you need (just make sure you have the wall to work with.)

If endplay is excessive, I think you can look for a "peel washer" - akin to what was used to line up the birdcare flashhider on the M16A1 and later (the five-slot one.) In fact, that peel washer may itself be a 1/2" ID or thereabouts, and could be useful. I want to recall being able to use something similar on various Big 3 V8 dizzys. Either that, or play about slightly with bushing seating (don't seat it all the way, and you can pick up a few thousandths that way. Or get an overlength bushing, and trim to length.) Since the loading on the dizzy is not great, even Oilite should last a good while.
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Don H Jr
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Re: Distributor Rebuild DIY Possible Anymore?

Post by Don H Jr »

90: thanks for the ideas...M16 stuff I can get...lol!

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Don H Jr
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Re: Distributor Rebuild DIY Possible Anymore?

Post by Don H Jr »

90: Also the 2.5 engine, same year shows bushings available at Jeep Dealer, so I bet they are same as 4L dist bushings. For some reason, I may never understand, mid 90s 4.0s are left out of many dealership dist parts, and aftermarket distributors HP type. They got old Renix and not HO stuff. SO I'll make mine.

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Re: Distributor Rebuild DIY Possible Anymore?

Post by 5-90 »

Don H Jr wrote:90: Also the 2.5 engine, same year shows bushings available at Jeep Dealer, so I bet they are same as 4L dist bushings. For some reason, I may never understand, mid 90s 4.0s are left out of many dealership dist parts, and aftermarket distributors HP type. They got old Renix and not HO stuff. SO I'll make mine.

Don Jr
Bear in mind that Oilite bushings aren't just plain ol' bronze - you're best off finding a production bushing that is oversized in all respects, but has the material to be machined/modified down to the size you need (ID, OD, and length.)

Oilite is oil-impregnated sintered bronze. Sintering allows for greater material porosity, and then the bushing is impregnated with oil (usually by subjecting to a vacuum, then dropping it in and oil bath and allowing atmospheric pressure to return. Sometimes, the process is helped by going from a low-Torr vacuum to an atmosphere of 10-bar or so using an inert gas, like nitrogen.)

A regular cast bronze bushing won't be able to hold oil as well, and will wear faster. Bronze will still be softer than the steel shaft - so the shaft won't wear - but the bronze will wear faster if it's a cast or wrought part vice actual Oilite.

Most production bushings will be Oilite. You may want to start by checking clutch catalogues for dimensions on pilot bushings - they're going to be Oilite (since they're not lubricated any other way,) and you should find something that works for import or small domestic engines.

If you don't mind, let me know what you used, what you did, and what it was all for when you're done. I'm sure you're not going to be the last one who will want to know this, and I haven't had reason to look as of yet...
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Don H Jr
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Re: Distributor Rebuild DIY Possible Anymore?

Post by Don H Jr »

I'll keep you posted 90, you helped encourage me and that's what I needed.
Keeping in mind what you just said, I believe the shaft has longitudinal grooves, twisted top to bottom for oil, if I remember correctly, does that change anything in the universe of DIY rebuilding?

Don Jr
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Re: Distributor Rebuild DIY Possible Anymore?

Post by 5-90 »

Those grooves have been fairly common, as I recall. I'll usually clean them out with a small pick, just to make sure they're not crapped up (scrape out with a pick, then clean with an old toothbrush and solvent.)
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Re: Distributor Rebuild DIY Possible Anymore?

Post by Jeep4xb4u »

I rebuilt mine on the stroker. I Purchased almost every part the engine needed to run to limit my down time while i did the swap. One of those items happen to be a remanufactured Autolite distributor. Its a good thing i only paid around $100 from one of my local parts store. Although it may have worked just fine, its condition made me rethink putting it in my new stroker. I didn't replace the bushings as i though it might be overkill considering the purpose of my engine and they seemed to look just fine. I did however order a brand new gear, pin, and washer with the tang from my dealer. I then took the housing from my 88' and the shaft from the Autolite (which was next to flawless on the contact areas for the bushings and the flange that enters the oil pump) and let them sit in the solvent bath over night, hit both shaft and bushings with an SOS pad with warm water, piled on the cam oil, and installed it in the engine. So far so good, i pulled it out about a month back to check for wear and everything looked great.

I have all the leftover parts sitting around that can make up a complete distributer, plus a couple used gears if you want some spares.
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