Oil pump/Distributor drive spindle won't insert all the way.

[jwilliams905]

Hi guys, So I had to change out my timing chain and tensioner. The tensioner went bad and the chain stretched. I've gotten it all installed and am now to the point of installing the Oil Pump and Distributor, along with the Drive Spindle. The problem is, I can't seem to get the spindle to go in all the way, not even far enough to run the oil pump bolts. Shouldn't be that hard, I would think. The engine is in TDC, and I'm installing the spindle short side out, 5 degrees clockwise from the distributor bolt holes. It wasn't this hard to pull it, I know for sure. Any help could be greatly appreciated!

[Diseazd]

Did you possibly install the oil slinger in backwards?

[jwilliams905]

Hmm. . . I thought that was just a washer. . . What exactly does that do?

[jwilliams905]

Nevermind. Looked it up, found out the purpose, and that would seem to be the issue, haha. I appreciate your reply. =D

[Diseazd]

It works with the damper and seal to keep oil from leaking. You can get to it rather easily if you think you may have put it on backwards. Pull the damper, pop out the seal and remove the slinger. If backwards, simply reinstall correctly, tap in a new seal and replace the damper. You should then be able to install the spindle easily.

[jwilliams905]

Thanks a lot. Is it possible to remove the seal without damaging it? I replaced the old one in the process, so I don't want to wait another 2 days for again for yet another new one.

[jwilliams905]

I think I'll just pull the cover back off. I didn't use any gasket cement to begin with, and it's starting to sound like a necessary precaution.

[Diseazd]

Pull the front cover and you risk futzing up the head gasket, the oil pan gasket and the front cover gasket. If you pry out the seal carefully, you can probably reuse it. I recommend my method.