Hello,

I am building up a 390 and looking to put the distributor and oil pump in place. My question is, what is the best / correct way to install the drive shaft using the retaining clip? Do I install the shaft in the distributor or in the oil pump first? And where is the retaining clip suppose to sit on the shaft, at the top or at the botton near the oil pump? I know a little RTV sealant will help hold the shaft in the distributor. I don't want the shaft to fall off the distributor and down into the pan if I should have to pull it out.

Thank You
OJ

 

Put the shaft in the pump w/ the retainer towards the distributor,then bolt the pump on.that way you wont pull the shaft out of the pump if it gets stuck in the distributor when you pull it out.I didn`t know that once and had to fish out the shaft from the pan drain with a magnetic flex rod.

 

Like stroker said, install the shaft with the clip near the dizzy and install the pump. The clip will then keep the shaft from coming out of the pump when you happen to pull the dizzy later.

Had a motor that someone had put shaft in backwards and everytime I pulled the dizzy, the shaft fell and I had to fish it out of pan!! Grrrr!

DON'T put any RTV on shaft to keep it in dizzy. You'll never get it apart if you need to pull the dizzy later. That little clip is pretty flimsy and if you get harsh with pulling dizzy, it will slip the clip off the shaft(or move it down) and then you'll the problem of it falling into pan later.

 

How much up and down play should there be in the oil pump shaft?

 

I would imagine just enough so the retainer wouldn`t be rubbing on the block,but not so much that it could come out of the pump.If I remember correctly the last time I did it I moved it down a little to get a bit more clearance.

 

Right-on. Thank You for your help everyone.

 

Prior posts are right about NO RTV on the oil pump shaft. The biggest reason is the silicon it puts in your oil system. Too much silicon results in oil foaming and that is the first step in premature failure due to lack of oil.

Any product with silicon in it should NEVER be introduced into the oil system. I deal with this as a living and have seen the effects of too much silicon in oil.