Replacing the Distributor O'ring Gasket

Words by Andy Toms, Pictures by Mark Tanner Why? This o'ring, over time becomes hard and less efficient at keeping the oil contained within the distributor. This oil then leaks out and drips onto the top that goes into the radiator, severley shortening it's life by making it soft. The top pipe will eventually bulge and split leading to a loss of engine coolant which can lead to the engine over-heating. Instructions 1 ­ Make a scratch over the joint between distributor & cylinder head. This is very important in order to replace the distributor in exactly the same place so as not to disturb the timing ! 2 ­ Remove the distributor cap and note the position of the rotor so as to have it pointing in the same direction upon replacement. At this point you can clean the cap if required so it will be dry by the time you've finished. It's also worthwhile checking the contact point in the middle of the rotor, the bit it connects with in the centre of the cap and the rotor tip. These can be cleaned up nicely with a bit of extra fine wet-n-dry abrasive paper. 3 ­ Undo the 2 X 12mm bolts holding the distributor to the head and wiggle 'til it comes out. 4 ­ Remove the old oil 0-Ring which will probably be horrible and brittle, so don't even try to get it out without breaking it. Clean anything that looks dirty while you've got the chance, including the hole the distributor goes into and the part of the distributor that goes in the hole. 5 ­ Apply a little clean oil to the O-Ring, check the direction of the rotor and wiggle the dizzy back into the head. Replace the 12mm bolts, check the alignment of your scratch mark and tighten up the bolts. The end of the distributor has a tab which fits into a slot in the end of the camshaft, so it isn't very easy to get it wrong. I suspect you could get it 180 degrees out, which is why you should note the direction of the rotor before dis-assembly.