Ford Muscle Cars Tech Forum banner

dist/oil pump problem

1K views 9 replies 4 participants last post by  barnett468 
#1 ·
hey fellow lovers of wheels i have been watching the threads here for a while and have solved a few small problems using the info you have given to others. so today i registered and hope that i may only repay the community if i can. i bought a retired class 7 ranger with a 302/c4/9" set up. as for the block i know its from a mid 60s car stock as far as i can tell. i have alot of history with off road trucks and building suspension but not walking thru the valley of ford im alittle lost. i have run the truck several times and all seems good until a week ago, started the truck for a quick run around the block to test my new brakes and while the engine was warming it died(like a pulled coil wire) turned it over several times to rule out the basics and found fuel, crank, valves all working but the rotor in dist not turning. if i try to turn it by hand its locked in position but will not rotate with engine. i havent had time to dig in so i was hoping someone could let me know how deep the mud should be that im about to walk thru. i have a few tools thanks to snap on and know what the heart and lungs look like just dont have the knowledge under a ford hood.
 
#2 ·
Welcome, Steve. The mud will not be deep, but may be sticky. ;) Failure can be minimal (pump and gear pin) or include a trashed cam gear. I would begin with pulling the distributor. Inspecting that along with the cam gear and pump shaft in the block will help indicate how sticky the mud is.

As the dist shaft is locked, it is likely the pump is locked, the pump shaft is possibly good (holding the dist, but should be replaced), and the dist gear pin is sheared (allowing the engine to turn and valves work). That's your likely work list. The cam gear may be your sticky, and if bad, is a new cam and lifters. Hey - you wanted something healthier anyway, right?

David
 
#3 ·
.
ok fear not as thou walk thru the valley of ford, for thine rod and thine PSIG shall comfort thee.

a ford is nothing more than a much improved chevy with the distributor in the front.

number 1 cylinder is front left as you face the engine from the front of the car.

put the engine on number 1 compression/fire stroke and then remove the distributor.

if the gears look good, remove the rotor and clamp the top of the distributor shaft in the vice on the flat spot of the shaft

out a rag on the gear and with only moderate force, try to turn it with big vice grips etc.

if it does not turn you are good.

put a medium to long thin wall socket on an extension . . tape the socket to the extension with real us made masking tape.

put it on the oil pump drive and very little effort, try to turn it . . if it does not turn, your pump is bad.

it might have locked the pump and broke the pin on the distributor . . especially if you just changed your oil to a thicker oil.
 
#4 ·
older ford small & big blocks use rubber valve stem seals that disintegrate into little pieces when they get old. when your motor is cold & the oil is thick sometimes the sump screen will bypass & one of the little pieces gets into the pump gears jamming it. usually it twists the pump shaft until it breaks, but if it has a stronger aftermarket shaft it cleans the teeth off the dist. drive or cam. when you pull a valve cover sometimes you can see the pieces at the oil return hole. then again you could get lucky & it's just a dist. prob.
 
#5 ·
thanks for the info on my dist/oil pump problem i have some time this weekend so im going into fix it mode and no i know some common things to look for and feel like this could be a big help. so thank you and ill report back.
but.....one more question my previous race trucks had always msd ignitions on toyota 4 cyl 22r engine and ran most of their lives at 6 or 7 on the tach. this 302 makes good power about 4000 to 5500 so i think this is its life and is there a system that seems to run better than others with the ford or just pick my poison, looking for distributor coil package. i know just as ford and chevy guys share beers but not opinions i only know msd for imports works well. thanks
 
#6 ·
i would set my initial and total timing so it is near the maximum amount the engine can tolerate.

unless your cam has a lot of overlap, you will not get a big gain from a multi fire spark system but you will still gets some so any new digital msd is fine.

for a coil you can just run an msd epoxyc oil.

if you dont have points, bypass the factory ignition wire buy disconnecting it at the coil ans splicing in a jumper wire right at the switch.
 
#8 ·
barnett thanks for the info i have run the timing up a little and its good but i live at 7000 ft elevation and some of the roads i run go from 6000 to 8500 and i can ping submarines when i get up high and we are reving high with the timing advanced. i am looking at one of the in cab adjustable units for the timing so i can tweak it on the fly. psig yes this is a desert style class 7 with a low center of gravity suspension for a closed coarse or stadium style racing. we are going to change it to an open desert truck with better ground clearance for our terrain here in the mountains but the kids need to role it a few times to know the feeling then we are lifting it.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top