Hi All, I'm removing the distributor to replace the O ring seal and the distributor is so hard to remove, I'm twisting it back and forth and its slowly coming, is this normal for it to be so hard to remove? cheers

Yes, it's a bitch. Nothing you can do other than keep wriggling it. Once you have a bit of a gap you can use a lever (screwdriver etc.) to gently draw it out, but do it evenly and gently to avoid damaging or bending anything.

Mine was difficult to remove as well.
I replaced the o-ring and reinstalling it was a pain too.
In the end I must have done something wrong as the tiny leak I had before became a big leak with the new o-ring, so be gentle.
From what I understand I must have pinched the o-ring. Another thing people do is use RTV sealant at the end so if there is any leakage from the o-ring, it is stopped by the second seal. This is what I plan to do when I install another new o-ring

Thanks so much for everyone's reply's, much appreciated

Couple of points on re-installation: Clean up the body of the distributor where it goes into the block with a scouring pad or a bit of light emery to remove the varnish, and do the same inside the block. Coat this surface with a thin film of engine oil prior to running it back in, it'll make the process a lot easier. Re-install with the dist. cap off so you can wiggle the button, to ensure the shaft is correctly located in the slot. If the slot's a bit worn it is possible to get it 180 degrees out (if you didn't mark the button position prior to removal), wiggling the button allows you to feel if it's properly located since if it isn't there'll be no wiggle room well before the dist. is fully back in place.

Couple of points on re-installation: Clean up the body of the distributor where it goes into the block with a scouring pad or a bit of light emery to remove the varnish, and do the same inside the block. Coat this surface with a thin film of engine oil prior to running it back in, it'll make the process a lot easier. Re-install with the dist. cap off so you can wiggle the button, to ensure the shaft is correctly located in the slot. If the slot's a bit worn it is possible to get it 180 degrees out (if you didn't mark the button position prior to removal), wiggling the button allows you to feel if it's properly located since if it isn't there'll be no wiggle room well before the dist. is fully back in place.

Thanks Ensoniq5, I used some very fine emery paper and motor oil and it went back in a lot easier then it came out, now just hope its fixed the leak, guess I will soon know, thanks for your help, much appreciated, cheers

Based on your pain to get it out, I'd say the leak might be fixed as I thought I'd never get my dizzy out - but the new O ring has finally made an oil leak free engine.

I think the dizzy was so "welded" in position due to so much toasted oil creating a varnish on the shaft.

Based on your pain to get it out, I'd say the leak might be fixed as I thought I'd never get my dizzy out - but the new O ring has finally made an oil leak free engine.

I think the dizzy was so "welded" in position due to so much toasted oil creating a varnish on the shaft.

Yes mine was the same, I was looking for another bolt to undo as it just didn't want to budge, giving the shaft a very light rub with very fine emery paper and coating the shaft in oil made refitting a breeze, my car uses 1 litre of oil every 2000 ks but its more the valve stem seals to blame, maybe this might help reduce the consumption a little bit plus stop the oil burning smell from coming in the car.

Ditto, oil varnish seized mine is good as well. I used some solvents to clean off the varnish

I wonder how long it takes to burn off any oil that has leaked before the new seal was fitted, just took my car for a good drive, pulled over with the motor running and smoke still coming out from under the bonnet with the headlights on and oil burning smell coming through the vents with the heater on.

I wonder how long it takes to burn off any oil that has leaked before the new seal was fitted, just took my car for a good drive, pulled over with the motor running and smoke still coming out from under the bonnet with the headlights on and oil burning smell coming through the vents with the heater on.

I love degreaser. use it before i start and when i finish if oil has leaked. Does not take a lot of oil on a red hot exhaust to get some smoke up.

Not that I have a need to remove my distributor yet, but has anyone attempted to place said distributor with new "o" ring in the freezer for a couple of hours to let the cold shrink the unit?

Hairdryer aimed at distributor shaft hole for a few minutes?

Only tiny fractions of a centimeter would be involved, but possibly just enough to allow easier install.

Assuming a cold engine, the hairdryer might even help with removal, as long as it is aimed at the surrounding area, and not the distributor itself.

Not that I have a need to remove my distributor yet, but has anyone attempted to place said distributor with new "o" ring in the freezer for a couple of hours to let the cold shrink the unit?

Hairdryer aimed at distributor shaft hole for a few minutes?

Only tiny fractions of a centimeter would be involved, but possibly just enough to allow easier install.

Assuming a cold engine, the hairdryer might even help with removal, as long as it is aimed at the surrounding area, and not the distributor itself.

The thought of condensation filling up the insides of the dissy when it hit warm moist air may be an issue. Given the engine heat cycles not sure how a hair dryer would do anything. I had no issue in re-install once it was all cleaned up. But the oli varnish was like a cement getting it out when i did mine, bordering on rediculous, never struck a dissy stuck like that before on a car.

Not that I have a need to remove my distributor yet, but has anyone attempted to place said distributor with new "o" ring in the freezer for a couple of hours to let the cold shrink the unit?

Hairdryer aimed at distributor shaft hole for a few minutes?

Only tiny fractions of a centimeter would be involved, but possibly just enough to allow easier install.

Assuming a cold engine, the hairdryer might even help with removal, as long as it is aimed at the surrounding area, and not the distributor itself.

Dizzy in the freezer might (stress "might") measurably reduce the outside diameter of the dizzy body but a hairdryer on the hole would do bugger all as the block would be a very effective heat sink. You'd need to heat the whole block significantly to get any sort of expansion, your hairdryer would be cactus long before there'd be any expansion at the hole. Even if you could get some expansion, metal conducts heat really, really well, so as soon as you pushed the dizzy in the hole it would rapidly warm up to the same temperature.

A clean unit and hole and a smear of engine oil makes installation easy, no need for anything else in my experience. Extraction is the difficult bit, no real alternative to patience on that one.

Refit was easy for me too once the shaft was cleaned up with solvent. It's getting it out that was next to impossible. and there will be smoke for quite awhile if you don't degrease as there are plenty of places it can pool around the bottom of the motor and chassis

What solvents get rid of varnish?
And, are these safe to run in the engine or is it just for parts that have been removed?

What solvents get rid of varnish?
And, are these safe to run in the engine or is it just for parts that have been removed?

Never ran solvent In It, cleaned the Dissy once removed, rag , brush and paint thinner I think I had at the time, maybe acetone.

What solvents get rid of varnish?
And, are these safe to run in the engine or is it just for parts that have been removed?

No solvent is safe to run in an engine. There are engine cleanup products that can be added to the engine oil which would be a solvent of some sort, but these should only be run for a short time before draining and refilling with straight oil. The solvents mentioned in this thread relate to cleaning removed parts. I found a 'Brillo' pad (without the soap) or light emery paper wetted with a bit of engine oil cleaned the varnish off easily.

Even though engine varnish is harmless, it is annoying.

I haven't found anything that can clean it (ie, in terms of a flush).
I am using high detergent oil (Shell Ultra) however it doesn't seem to be making much of a difference