Distributor Cap Won't Go Back On Need Help Urgently

[rizla123]

Hi All,

I cannot seem to get my new (or old) distributor cap back on. I took off the old rotor arm and tried to replace with a new one, but it crumbled. Some bits fell under the protective covering so i very carefull took it off and removed the shards. So I put the old rotor arm back on and tried to get the cap back on. IT WON'T GO ON. HELP I need to use the car in the morning. What am I missing? I've done this on loads of other cars and OK it does not go on first time, but certainly the second or thrid attempt it goes on. I'm concerned about messing anythig else up. If I take off the rotor arm then I can replace the cap (new and old) fine. So what is going on? Should the rotor arm snap on or just slide on.....HELP!!!! It seems as though the rotor cap is not down far enough, but I cannot push any harder!

If someone feels like being generous tomorrow and sparing aan hour, theres a drink in it for you! Also, to add insult to injury some of the spark plug leads came off and so in a fit of rage I took the others out too. So now I am stuffed. HEEEEELP

[Boosted LS1]

First off make sure the rotor arm's on the right way round otherwise it won't go all the way down. It has a flat section inside to match the shaft. If the arms pressed all the way down the cap should fit, so long as it's in the right position. It has a notch on the lower perimeter which aligns with a peg on the distributor body. It the peg isn't in the notch the cap can't seat.

Boosted.

[Wacky Racer]

Like Boosted said, the rotor arm should click down into a slot, sounds like you have not got it aligned correctly.....

[that daddy]

are you sure a piece of the old rotor isnt still stuck in the spindle,thus causing the new rotor not to sit in keyway of shaft.

[lwt]

Did you by any chance pull quite hard on the old rotor arm before it crumbled off? If you do this, it is possible to pull the shaft far enough up to dislodge the weights and/or springs in the centrigugal advance mechanism under the plate. If you have done this and you are not 100% sure of your abilities, then leave it alone and call someone to fix it. If you are confident in your skills, it will mean marking the distributor position AND noting the angle of the notch in the shaft, then removing the distributor. As you withdraw it, the shaft will turn about 30 degrees as the gears disengage - note the notch position again. Now you can dismantle the innards and put all the weights and springs back. While you are doing all this, do not under any circumstances operate the starter motor. Then line up the notch and dizzy as it came out and replace - the shaft should turn as you refit it so that it ends up where it was when you started the job. Tighten it down. If you don't, the gear forces will push the dizzy out when the engine is running and then you will really be stuffed! It would be best to use a timing light to check and fine tune, but this should get you going.

(I did this on my Range Rover V8, before finding out that RR dealers don't even try to prise off an old rotor arm, they just put a cloth under it and then crunch it with a pair of grips. Took me a couple of hours to get it running again. Boy, did I have a sense of humour failure).

Ian.

[rizla123]

I think you guys are right. I'll not touch it and get a man in. This is a bit past my comfort zone. I think you have described my problem perfectly. Thanks for your time.