Hi all,

I have a strange issue I've never seen before.

This is with the $50 engine I swapped in last year. It runs fine, and has for a few thousand miles so far, but I can see the whole body of the distributor wobbling in a circle.

If I loosen the hold down bolt to set the timing, the circle the distributor wobbles in will increase and increase until it's probably a good 1/4" rock from center. It's tough to time it because the wobbling makes it rotate on it's own, so I have to hold it pretty still until I can tighten it back down again.
Even then, when it's fully tightened, I can still see it wobbling slightly.

I pulled the distributor out and it, as well as the pin, look completely straight as far as I can tell. The teeth look to be in good shape aside from some a little shine where I can tell they've been making contact with the cam.

Any ideas on this?

 

My first thought is a bent shaft, but if you are sure the shaft is straight, the maybe something is out of balance. Maybe the PO pulled one of the advance weights out or something really odd like that. In any event, I would just put another distributor in. It can't be good for it to be wobbling around.

 

It's a new distributor, as of a few months ago. I honestly don't remember if the previous one wobbled or not. Either way, the previous one was mine, and didn't come with the engine.

However, it's not weight related, or the spinning of the distributor out of balance (ie. washing machine with too much load on one side). It's physically oscillating in it's spot.

 

Mine does the same thing. Old distributor and new distributor. Never did figure it out.

 

Just had a brainstorm. Possible that the oil pump wasn't put on straight? The hole the oil pump shaft goes into is off center?

 

Unlikely. If the pump was off-center, the shaft would also be off-center, and remain that way continually.
On the other hand, the drive hole in the pump (or dist) could be off-center (or at an angle), or the drive shaft could be bent slightly.

 

Bushing for the shaft in the dizzy wore out?

 

The center shaft of the distributor is solid and tight. I've checked it. (Plus it's new).

I'll get a video as soon as I can to better help illustrate it.



But Rogue Wulff, I'm wondering if it's something like the drive hole in the distributor being off-center. Like it was rebuilt incorrectly.
It's something very solid that's doing it (aka, not a worn out, loose part). I can't physically hold it centered.