As I had said, replacing the seal & gasket did nothing to
slow down the distributor leak on my 308.
I suspected it was the o-ring on the cam extension. IT WAS!
I removed the dist cap, rotor, then the backing plate (2 6mm nuts, 1 bolt),
tapped the backing plate off with a block of wood & hammer
(put a rag under it, it will leak some oil).
I then clicked the starter a few times until I had clear access to the roll pin that holds the extension in, using a small drift punch, I removed the roll pin. The cam extension then slid out with the help of some smooth jaw vice grips. NOTE THE POSITION OF THE FLAT SPOT for reassembly.
The o-ring was hard, like plastic, and had shrunk so much it was actually smaller than the OD of the extension and broke when removed.
I replaced the o-ring with a generic one that was slightly larger than extension OD(so it would have some pre-load). I applied some non-hardening sealer putty used for sealing motorcycle crankcases in the groove and on the o-ring (don't over do it).
I then reinstalled the extension (positioning the flat like it was), I had a little trouble keeping it square to the cam and had to tap it loose and retry a few times, finally I drove it home, then used a small drift punch to align the roll pin hole while turning the extension (it turns pretty easy).
(see the putty/sealer barely oozing out)
I then tapped the roll pin in flush, reinstalled the backing plate, rotor & cap. The first time I removed the plate it came off completely clean and I reused the gasket with some contact cement type sealer (gasga-cinch), but when I removed it the next time the gasket tore. The roll pin can be reused with no problem.
Because you have to remove the backing plate to remove the cam extension, you should probably just replace the seal, gasket & o-ring all at the same time. The seal knocks out with a drift and a new one is easily installed with a socket & vice.
Now I just have to do the front distributor......
Larry Shultz
Fremont, California
Hey Guys,
How hard is it t
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