My distributor is stuck to the block, so being the idiot that I am, I used too much force, and ended up breaking the housing. Now how am I supposed to get the rest of the distributor out?! Any suggestions are appreciated

 

yES.....

POST SOME PICTURES OF ITS CURRENT STATE.

 

Keep digging and buy a new distributor is all i can say. They usually come out in pieces, myself ive been lucky and have always soaked them in penetrating oil several times before i attempt it. Did you try to turn it or pull it out? Another thing, when going in with the new one be sure to use plenty of antisieze!!

 

Suggestion?
When you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging!

So don't make it worse. Soak it with PB blaster. Only PB blaster. Depending on how much is left, use pipe wrench or hammer/chisel to get it rotating.

 

Can you get vice grips on what's left? Pb blaster for days. Spray it on there so it's soaking in it.

When it comes time to get it out, some torch heat. Pull while twisting, maybe get someone else to twist with a second set of pliers while you pull.

Hammer and chisel might work or might break off pieces. If you're in over your head stop now and seek professional help. If you break the gear off or drop pieces in the motor, you'll have to pull it.

 

Yes, I can lock onto it with vice grips. I need to buy some pb blaster. How do you use a torch? Thank you.

 

The heat supplied by a handheld propane flame isn't ideal, but it will work and its easy to use....buy or borrow one. Soaking in a mix of 50/50 acetone/trans fluid has worked well for me. It helped me remove exhaust manifold bolts...while PB blaster did nada....

 

I used a propane torch with wax to remove all 48 studs from a flathead once.

 

Oh boy. Where are you located? Maybe one of us who can help are close enough to you to jump in.

 

Unfortunately there are times when vehicle problems need to be solved by a"higher authority" meaning someone better equipped with tools,more experience in severe problems,a track record of working on this stuff. This MIGHT be one of those cases. Without actually seeing the distributor broken off I can only surmise what is left in the block but my thoughts are this. If it was in my shop and it is frozen into the block that hard,probably vise grips etc. won't pull/turn it. I would either weld a big ol' nut or washer( or a chain or a whatever) to the shaft for a pulling/prying advantage and use a slide hammer for the shock value(or a "come along" up to a lift arm on the car lift, or again, maybe engine hoist). Other than that ,a very careful breaking/drilling/chipping/penetrating oiling, until it is relieved. At this point it might not be a process for the inexperienced. When things go bad, out the box remedies are needed at times.Good luck! gary

 

Welding a lifting lug to it won't be an option for most people since it is aluminum. Soak it, heat (CAREFULLY) it and put a pipe wrench on it and work it out. The propane/map gas torches don't work all that well for anything that is really stuck. You have to keep the heat on them so long that you heat up everything else around the item your trying to free. I us a brazing head on my oxy acetylene torch. You can direct the heat more precisely and make the expansion more effective.

 

Welding to the SHAFT was suggested not the aluminum housing.

 

If you weld to the shaft, preheat, it's hardend. Use good filler metal. Then hope that it's the teeth on the distributor gear that shear and not the ones on the cam.

 

Bad idea all around IMO. Just get the housing loose. It can't be THAT stuck. Penetrant, twist, heat if necessary.

 

Absolutely