Distributor Seized in Place
 

So I went to check my ignition timing on my truck today. 1989 F-250 with 460 and ZF 5 speed manual. Engine was warmed up and spout connector removed, Timing was reading about 9 degrees. Seems a little low to me. Not sure what the stock setting for the '89 is, but the stock setting on my '73 460 is 12 degrees, and I currently have it set to 14 without any problems. I'd like to up the timing on the truck to get a little more power and economy, especially since I have ignition upgrades: MSD cap, rotor, coil, and wires installed.

Problem is, the distributor is totally seized in place! I completely removed the hold down bolt and clamp and it still won't budge OR come up and out of the engine. I tried liberal amounts of PB blaster, wapping it pretty hard with a sledgehammer, prying it upwards, etc. and it still won't budge! I have it soaking overnight with more PB blaster, but I'm not too confident it will come out. Any suggestions?

My 87 F250 460 has the same issue.

It's not running right now due to multiple fuel pump failures. But, when I had it running I was tinkering with the carb and decided to check the timing. It was set correctly but I wanted to bump it up a degree or 2. I had to bend and weld a couple of wrenches together just to get some leverage on the hold down bolt. The hold down bolt was actually finger tight. I tried with all I had to turn the distributor by hand, but it wouldnt budge. I soaked it for a week with WD40, PB Blaster ect. I then put a strap wrench on it and still nothing.

Here is the strap wrench I used:

http://buyngt.com/aimg/41kfJBbWGEL.jpg

I hope somebody here has some advise on how to help :-huh

Isn't there a spot you can put a big wrench on it? You could try heating the base with a propane torch. Big channel locks or a pipe wrench may work also.

Plan on almost destroying the distributor . I had to wedge mine out . I stacked cold chisels on the intake and in between the distributor and slammed in another chisel . The dizzy popped out but took some work . The new dizzy I applied a ton of antiseize to it ... Applying heat also helps too .

I had the exact same problem with my '88 F-250 460. I had an MSD distributor that just wouldn't move no matter what I did. I had finally almost given up when I decided to try one more thing. I removed the hold down bolt and let the truck sit about three days and continued to spray Liquid Wrench on it; morning, noon, and night. On the fourth day, I went out with a pair of channel locks and prepared to give it hell when I gave it the slightest of turns and it broke free. I was able to turn it by hand from there. I hear PB Blaster is even better, you may try that, it may help and may prevent you from destroying your distributor.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I've applied PB blaster a few times and will continue to apply several times a day and let it soak for a few days. Will let you all know how it turns out.

Add a few minutes of heat to that recipe......... :-drink

Stock is 10* advance. Many people run 12* without issue.

The distributor on my 88 F-250 with a 351W has similarly frozen in place, the distributor had a hex section for you put use a large (it's like 32mm or so) wrench on it. Once I did this I was able to free mine up enough to where it would finally pull out. Once I had it out I cleaned the corrosion between the aluminum distributor and the iron block, now I can easily spin mine by hand once the hold down bolt is loose.

Well my distributor is still stuck. I've been applying a pretty heavy dose of PB blaster 3-4 times a day for the last four days. I've tried a rubber strap wrench, and also a pretty big crescent wrench, but can't get a decent grip on it with either. I don't have a box end wrench even close to that big. I've tried banging on it pretty hard with a sledgehammer and pickle fork. That thing is just not coming out! I don't have a torch to heat it up, but I drove the truck and got it up to operating temperature to get it nice and hot, but still no luck. :-arrgh Any other suggestions?

Go to walmart or home depot and buy a propane torch. The one with the yellow tank gets a little hotter than the blue.

Use Kano-Kroil on it instead of PB. Its on Amazon.com. PB isn't up to task on this kind of job. You've got dissimilar metal corrosion/bonding going on and it is very difficult to break. KK has NEVER failed me.
Roger

I want to second and third that. Kroil is some awesome stuff. And they have a special offer going on right now too; Google Deal

I searched and found one that includes shipping. MSN Deal

Leinieman

I had the exact same problem. Do as stated above. I tried a slide hammer too, but was really afraid that I was going to break the casting so I gave up on that idea.

I used a large adjustable wrench on the hex portion of the casting, along with a 2lb. hammer, rapping on the wrench handle back and forth. It took a week of doing this, after repeated applications of the Kroil, and one day it finally came loose.

My truck was in running condition throughout the process, and I really didn't want to break the distributor housing.