Thread: Do I need sealant on an SBC Distributor Gasket?

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I am getting my SBC back together and I am not sure if I should use sealant (RTV) on one, both, or no sides of the distributor gasket.

I should have her started up tomorrow night - finally!

Originally Posted by DennyW

No sealant. Just have a new gasket there, and you will be set.

Thanks! I'm going over to your fix-it site to see if there is anything else I can learn before I ask more stupid questions.

Funny you should ask... when I replaced my distributor with an MSD with new gasket, clean surfaces, and all. I've got a pesky oil leak around the disty that I've learned to live with. I have the hold down tight but there's always oil there. Granted this is a BBC any ideas how to stop this leak or do I have to continue living with it?

Sorry to hijack,

Chris

Originally Posted by skids72

Funny you should ask... when I replaced my distributor with an MSD with new gasket, clean surfaces, and all. I've got a pesky oil leak around the disty that I've learned to live with. I have the hold down tight but there's always oil there. Granted this is a BBC any ideas how to stop this leak or do I have to continue living with it?

Sorry to hijack,

Chris

Did you leave the o-rings off the dist. housing?
I will bet you are asking what the heck is he asking?
On many after-market distributor's there one or two o-rings at the bottom of the shaft next to the gear.
If it is a stock H.E.I. there won't be any of the o-rings.
You may have a height problem with you distributor or intake.
In other words your intake is to tall,or your dist housing is.
It may not be flat either.
The intake or dist. housing.

yes, flat as in no ridges, etc. I'll likely swap intakes this winter at which point I can try the thicker gasket. As for lube, do you use a thin film of motor oil or something else?

Thanks....

Should I oil mine?

Originally Posted by DennyW

Once you get the thicker one, yes, a (lite, light), coat.

I am using a regular distributor - no think gauge (this is Saxman again from the beginning of this thread).

I will go ahead and use just the gasket unless I hear different.

Thanks!

Andrew

OK - this seemed really wierd. When I tried putting the distributor back on, the gears lined up fine and everything was right on the marks I left. When I took it off to put the gasket on, it would only line up in a different place than I had marked (or 180 degrees in the other direction) - that being just a little to far clockwise.

When I looked down in the hole, I could see the piece sticking up with the slot (looked like it was made for a standard screwdriver head) running from left to right. After putting the shaft in again a few time, I noticed that the slot have rotated clockwise. After putting the distro shaft in a few more times, it had moved again. After doing it enough, the rotor now points to the right marks I originally made, but I am afraid that something inside has turned 180 degrees now and it will be all wrong.

Anyone know what is going on? It seems to be in the right place, but I don't want to start it until I know it is OK. I am sure the engine could not have turned from just putting the distro shaft in so many times, but something doesn't seem right.

Thanks, Denny. But why did the slotted part down in the engine rotate? The distributor would only seat properly when the slot was lined up - but the point at which it lined up kept rotating clockwise. If I had the teeth lined up to fall on the marks correctly, it would not seat all the way down flush.

The point where it would seat all the way down kept changing, and that has me wondering...

That slotted part down the dist. hole is the oil pump drive. Because the dist. gear is helical cut, it turns the pump a bit when you pull it out. Put the dist. back in the same way as you took it out, allowing for it to turn as it goes down. If the pump drive doesn't line up, "bump" the starter and it will drop in.

Originally Posted by R Pope

That slotted part down the dist. hole is the oil pump drive. Because the dist. gear is helical cut, it turns the pump a bit when you pull it out. Put the dist. back in the same way as you took it out, allowing for it to turn as it goes down. If the pump drive doesn't line up, "bump" the starter and it will drop in.

Thanks for the help, too, R-

Great! I looks like all I did was rotate the oil pump - so everything is fine.

Thanks for the lesson, Denny. I owe you big time.

I should have her started tonight!

Erik,

Thanks... regarding the disty I did not use the o-rings that came with the dist as the ledges they mate with in the block were not chamfered, I checked with MSD about this as their instruction manual was confusing on this point and they said not to use the o-rings and everything will be fine. As for height, I think the dist is just a hair taller and a slightly thicker gasket would solve my problem. I'll probably hold off on all this until I decide whether I'm replacing the intake (likely).

Saxman, the slot you are seeing in the dist hole is the drive shaft for the oil pump... I ran into the same problem you did dropping a new disty where that slot didn't align with the bottom of the dist gear. You can rotate the shaft with long fat screwdriver (I think they recommend spinning it clockwise only) or if you want to get fancy, you can use an oil pump primer which is, in essence a glorified long fat screwdriver

whoops... I guess everyone beat me to it