We have a 77 Ford F250 with a 460. We needed to time it correctly but the distributor is stuck. We loosened the holding bolt and tried to pry it in all directions to get it to turn without any luck. Any suggestions on breaking it loose would be appreciated. Before we started this procedure the coolant and engine temperature reached high levels because the thermo was sticking. That has been resolved.

Thanks.

 

spray some PB Blaster on it and let it sit for a while

 

What is PB Blaster?

 

PB Blaster is the pennitrating lubricant of choice for freeing up stuck things! Number two choice is water and number three would be WD-40.

 

I have had luck tapping with hammer. The jolting whacks seemed to work better than prying. Be careful not to crack it. PB blaster is good idea along with hammer.

 

you might want to remove the holding bolt and clamp, then spray with penetrating spray.....a strap type oil filter tool might be handy in getting it loose as well, only clamp on the base though not the cap.......

 

i heard of this happening to a guy with a 460,,seems to be a common problem,on the 460,,the only way he got it out was by drilling a bunch of1/8 holes around the aluminum shaft where it meets the block,carful not to drill the block,,,put grease on the bit to catch the shavings,,of coarse you will need another dist,,think you'll need a right angle drill or the guy did it with the whole cap assembly broken off or cut off,,,,,,try pb blaster first of coarse

let us know what worked i am worried my 92 460 dizzy might also be stuck,havn't tried to mess with it yet

 

My was also stuck when I first tried to time it. But, only when the engine was warm. I apply penetrating oils, but in the end had to remove the dist. and clean the corosion between the dist. and aluminum intake.

 

Had this happen before. Dissimilar metals, cast iron and alluminum with rubber O rings to seal. I finally took a CV joint removal "claw" and a slide hammer. Put the remover under the dizzy and jerked it straight up and out with the slide hammer. Oh yeah, put a little metallic anti-size on the dizzy before you put it back in, you won't have that problem again.

 

To really prevent this you are going to have to put a bead of RTV around the mating surfaces after you install the distributor. This will keep water and other liquids from filling in the air gap down to the o-ring. But what ever you do don't apply the RTV to the distributor base underside then install it. You'll seal the thing to the block and have a heck of a time getting it out or even turning it, but much worse then the corrosion.

 

This is a problem with 351C, 351M, 400 and the 429/460s. My last battle with one I soaked and tried working it loose for 3 or so months with out it budging a iota. Finally took pry bars, slide hammer, chisels, a kitchen sink and a BMFH. It came out in about 3 or 4 pieces. But after all that time with out any luck I knew the was something going to be sacrificed.

 

I'm not so sure I would put RTV or any type of silicone around the base. First of all, once it sets, it's going to "lock" the distributor in that position. Once you do break the distibutor free, then the seal is broke anyway. I would also be concerned with removing the distributor the "next time". With RTV around the base, there exists the potential for some pieces to break away and fall down the hole where they could potentially plug up an oil passage.

Personally, I would feel more comfortable with some heavy grease, silicone or otherwise around the bottom flange. It would provide the same "sealing" effect, plus it wouldn't harden like the RTV. Or, you could go the GM route and put a thin gasket between the distributor and engine to seal out water and dirt. From what I've noticed though, the place where the distributor likes to get stuck is below the O rings, not above. The problem seems to be sludge or oil build up on the very tightly machined surfaces below the O rings.

 

sludge is a culprit..helped rebuild 460 for buddy last year..took two apart ..used best pistons,crank,etc..it took taking the oil pan off and front timing cover and beating upwards with bar and hammer...not proud of this feat but thats what that one took on a running engine

 

I am talking about using it like caulking not to fill in the airgap. But then again you did fail to read the very next sentence. Yeah I take it personal when people try to correct me and don't bother reading the whole post.

 

Well then, EXCUSE ME! Actually, I did read your whole post, and it's still there for all to see. However, I only quoted part of your post since that's what I felt was the most relevant. I understand your not suggesting to put the silicone BETWEEN the distributor and the engine, but only as a "caulking" agent. I would still disagree with this practice. What I said in my previous post would still apply. It would still essentially "lock" the distributor into a set position and once it was moved (to adjust timing) the so called "seal" would be broke. Had you read my entire post, the point I was making was that the problem lies BELOW the O rings, not above. It is the sludge and solidified oil deposits on the lower part of the distributor that prevents it's removal or turning. No amount of sealant on the top is going to effect that. A few drops of water leaking down between the distributor and the engine mating surfaces (as if) are not going to cause any problems anyway, as the water will quickly evaporate before the water could even begain to create any "corrosion" issues. You should be more concerned with the water that has condensed in the oil and is then turned into steam as the engine heats up. Should the engine not be brought up to operating temperature, the condensation would then adhere to the coolest parts of the engine (the distributor) and THEN corrosion could become a factor. Again, however, this would all take place BELOW the O rings. Take it as "personally" as you wish, but I feel you would be hard pressed to find anyone with mechanical knowledge or experience who would advocate the practice of applying a semi-hardening agent to the distributor just to "seal" it from water intrusion.