Distributor install

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Captain M

Captain M

10 Year
Joined
Sep 26, 2012
Threads
97
Messages
352
Location
F.E Warren AFB, Wyoming
I am having some issues installing my new dizzy, and was wondering what everyone though. I believe I installed it correctly following other threads, but there is still a space between the block and the top of the shaft that I don't like. I turned the starter over, and no oil pressure. (Bad sending unit?) I even sent the dizzy back to Marks offroad, and he indeed verified that there was nothing wrong with it as I expected.

Question...If I drop the oil pan, will I be able to verify that it is engaged properly in the oil pump? Then perhaps order a new sending unit? Thanks all!
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You are a tooth or two off. I just installed a large cap FJ60 dizzy in mine a few weeks ago:

1. Rotate your engine to the timing mark indicating 7* BTDC
2. Pull #1 plug and use a small screw driver to verify that the piston is at the top of that cylinder, if not rotate the engine back to the same timing mark and re-verify compression stroke
3. Use a sharpie to mark on the rim of the dizzy the location of the #1 plug wire
4. Using a long screw driver make sure the oil pump slot is aligned just past the #4 spark plug toward the rear of the engine
5. Start to insert the dizzy and rotate the dizzy body so that the mark you just made (indicating the #1 firing position) is pointed at the same spot just past the #4 spark plug
6. Before engaging the gear rotate the rotor clockwise of the #1 mark on the rim of the dizzy (it should point closer to the #3 plug than #4)
6. Now seat the dizzy, the rotor should rotate back counter clockwise and line back up with the #1 timing mark. When done correctly you will see and feel the dizzy drop all the way down into the oil slot and that gap in your first pic will be gone.
7. Rotate dizzy body slightly left or right to acheive static timing to fire #1 (points closed or magnetic pickup closed). You should find oil pressure when you crank and you should be very close on your timing when you start it up.

Good luck, also you may want to peek at Coolerman's writeup, its well done:beer:

http://www.globalsoftware-inc.com/coolerman/fj40/5F.htm
 
77mustard40 said:
You are a tooth or two off. I just installed a large cap FJ60 dizzy in mine a few weeks ago:

1. Rotate your engine to the timing mark indicating 7* BTDC
2. Pull #1 plug and use a small screw driver to verify that the piston is at the top of that cylinder, if not rotate the engine back to the same timing mark and re-verify compression stroke
3. Use a sharpie to mark on the rim of the dizzy the location of the #1 plug wire
4. Using a long screw driver make sure the oil pump slot is aligned just past the #4 spark plug toward the rear of the engine
5. Start to insert the dizzy and rotate the dizzy body so that the mark you just made (indicating the #1 firing position) is pointed at the same spot just past the #4 spark plug
6. Before engaging the gear rotate the rotor clockwise of the #1 mark on the rim of the dizzy (it should point closer to the #3 plug than #4)
6. Now seat the dizzy, the rotor should rotate back counter clockwise and line back up with the #1 timing mark. When done correctly you will see and feel the dizzy drop all the way down into the oil slot and that gap in your first pic will be gone.
7. Rotate dizzy body slightly left or right to acheive static timing to fire #1 (points closed or magnetic pickup closed). You should find oil pressure when you crank and you should be very close on your timing when you start it up.

Good luck, also you may want to peek at Coolerman's writeup, its well done:beer:

http://www.globalsoftware-inc.com/coolerman/fj40/5F.htm
Click to expand...

Follow these steps and Verify you have engine oil pressure once it fires.
 
Location of the #1 plug wire

Thanks for the help everyone! According to step three above, how can I determine the location of the #1 plug wire on the dizzy? There are no numerical markings.
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My finger is pointing to #1 plug wire which is also the direction the rotor should end up . You may end up a tooth off but it will get you close. Stabbing the distributor into the oil pump is easiest either using a remote starter button or just jumping a wire to the battery. Press the distributor down as you spin the engine and you should feel and hear it bottom.
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77mustard40 said:
You are a tooth or two off.
Click to expand...

That's not why it's not seating.

Captain M said:
how can I determine the location of the #1 plug wire on the dizzy?
Click to expand...

Actually, on an OEM dizzy cap there are numbers...BUT, the location of the #1 plug wire on the dizzy is wherever you want it to be, as long as the other end of the plug wire goes to sparkplug #1.
Traditionally, the rotor points in the general area of sparkplug #4 when the engine is at TDC #1. Sparkplug wire #1 goes right above the rotor. The rest of the sparkplug wires follow the firing order in a clockwise fashion.
I would have seated your dizzy the way I usually do...stand on the passenger front tire, lean in over the fender and push down on the dizzy cap while rotating the engine. You'll feel and hear it as it seats.
 
Once again the old adage is proven... a picture is worth a thousand words! Your distributor clamp is deformed. The upper and lower bands are supposed to be parallel and approximately a sixteenth of an inch between them. Your upper band is too far away, and is holding the distributor further away than it should be.

Remove the clamp, put a quarter between the upper and lower bands and sandwich the whole thing in a vice. That should straighten out most of the deformation. Then remove the quarter and repeat to obtain the proper clearance.

Best

Mark
 
Mark,
I will try doing that with the clamp and give it another shot. If not... do you think my old cluged HEI unit messed up my oil pump up in some way, not allowing the new unit to seat properly? see pic- again, thanks for all the above help.
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Took a pic of my big cap for you this morning after seeing your PM. #1 is pointing at my #4 plug (its the first wire clockwise from the labeled 4 on the cap)

Try seating the dizzy without the clamp just so you know it will sit all the way down and engage the oil slot (just in case Mark's catch on the clamp condition was causing a problem). It's a feel thing that takes a couple of stabs to get it down. Once you do it once you will get the feel for proper dizzy orientation and rotor placement.

You should be able to use a light to see the slot, I would be surprised it the slot is damaged and won't take the distributor. Others with more experience than i have may disagree.
 
Helps to attach the pic before hitting send, sorry

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So Im at a loss...I know this sounds ridiculous, but I have been trying to get this dizzy installed for several months with no luck. I took some measurements and want to know what you think...

1. Bottom of oil pump shaft to engine block: 127 mm

2. Bottom of dizzy shaft to dizzy base where
it is "supposed" to seat on the engine block: 124 mm

(thats 3 mm that the shaft is out of the oil pump)

3. Space between block to dizzy base once installed: 3 mm

(Now its up to 6 mm that it is out of the oil pump)

4. Tip of dizzy shaft: 10 mm

Theoretically, shouldn't the dizzy shaft be seated in the oil pump about 4 mm??

I think I may just have to take this to a 40 mechanic. Any Northern Colorado recommendations? :bang:

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What can you tell us about this new dizzy, Toyota or aftermarket? Source? Do you still have the old dizzy to compare to while you are taking these measurements, just to see if there is a significant difference somewhere between the two.
 
Perhaps the “O” ring is too thick or you didn’t put some oil on it to help it slide into the hole.


You’re missing setting by 3mm, that’s the distance from the “O” ring to the clamp shoulder. Why not take off the “O” ring and try to set the dizzy? Or just put a good smear of oil on the “O” ring and inside the hole on the block and try again.

Jerry D.
 
I have installed several of those now. There shoudnt be anything tricky about getting it to seat properly. Sometimes the new o-ring is a bit tight to get pushed into the hole but once the dizzy shaft is lined up with the slot in the pump it will fall into place.

You can get a long flat screw driver to rotate oil pump to align it with the dizzy shaft at #1 TDC.
 
solution?

So after several more hours trying to seat this thing, I decided to drop the oil pan, and see what was going on with the oil pump. Dropped the oil pan and the oil pump/oil pump shaft, and put the dizzy in. It seated perfectly flush on the block....

Next, I reinstalled the oil pump/shaft and snugged it down. Next, I go inspect the dizzy, and the gap appears again. :bang: Finally, I loosen the oil pump shaft, re-tighten the dizzy so it is flush with the block and snug up the oil pump shaft as much as I could without disturbing the dizzy.

Questions: 1. Am I missing a gasket on the oil pump shaft? 2. Could I make a gasket?
Something is approx 3mm out of tolorance. Would a gasket/3 mm spacer on the oil pump shaft solve all problems? Thanks
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I ended up using the original clamp on mine and got it installed with no issues . The disty did stick out of the block just a hair but no issues with the oil pump or timing for that matter . It's a nice unit , timing is good and stable now and it actually works very well with THC's carb , great package .
Sarge
 
Again thanks for all of the help!

So I found out that I have an Asco oil pump installed which I understand is the older version of Aisin. Perhaps this is what has been giving me trouble??

Thinking about getting a newer Aisin oil pump. Maybe the new dizzy and new oil pump will come together better then.

I cannot seem to find any specifications (length) to compare the two.
Thoughts?
 
Don't give up. It still sounds to me like the bottom of the distributor shaft has not "found" the slot in the oil pump. You really need not try to eyeball the oil pump slot and try to get it to line up to catch the distributor shaft because the distributor shaft is rotating as it meshes with the cam gear.
If you hold slight downward pressure on the distributor and spin the engine a couple of revolutions using the starter you should feel it drop and engage the oil pump. It is going to drop 3-4mm.
If it doesn't drop try bumping the starter while holding down on the distributor. When you feel it you will KNOW and you should actually hear it bottom.
 
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