how to remove fuel distributor?

[timothymoore]

i purchased a fuel kit from specialT auto and is wanting the fuel distributor for a core. i have all the fuel lines removed from the distributor, but how do i remove the distributor from the air mixture unit?

[Ozzie]

Assuming you've got all the fuel lines disconnected, the FD is attached to the air mixture unit with 3 screws. Careful as you remove the FD, in that the plunger underneath does not fall out, or get scratched.

[timothymoore]

i must be blind because im not seeing any of these three screws lol. i guess i dont know where they are, but how many places are there to look lol. i will give it a try again

[timothymoore]

i found them . man there a pain to loosen up, they are not budging. squirted some liquid wrench in there to loosen them up

[Ozzie]

OK, good.
Good luck, a little love tap at the end of the screwdriver sometimes helps to loosen it up a bit. Not too much, though.

[timothymoore]

i got 2 of them out, but the last one i tried and the ends of the screw rounded off pretty much. wont budge. idk what to do now. jb weld the screwdriver to the screw?

[Ozzie]

i got 2 of them out, but the last one i tried and the ends of the screw rounded off pretty much. wont budge. idk what to do now. jb weld the screwdriver to the screw?

...vewwy, vewwy, cahfuwwy... you could drill out the remaining screw's head, till it is gone, then the FD can lift up over just the remaining thread body (remember to put hand under FD to keep plunger in place). I'd try w/a punch, then a small bit to make a pilot hole in the center of the head, then a few bit sizes up, until the head either chips or can be chipped away. Of course, you also need to be careful not to damage your core FD in this process.

Sometimes in the process of the drilling above, it loosens the screw, sometimes. Another alternative is one of those stripped screw removal kits, but that's a pretty small screw size so not sure if that'll work.

[timothymoore]

ok..... good news. i finally got the fuel distributor off thank god. i will definitely need new distributor screws lol. they were rusted.

[Ozzie]

:headbang:
Good going!

...make sure that you clean the threads on the A/F mixture, for when the new FD and threads go in.

[timothymoore]

sure thing. when i popped the fd off the mixture unit was pretty dirty. when i get the last three injectors pulled, i will get cleaned up and upload the pictures onto my facebook.

[Bitsyncmaster]

If anyone has to do this, the best tool is an impact driver. Many tool stores have them and I think Sears sells one. It's just a tool with a socket and usually has the large philips drivers. You hold it on the screw, twist is CCW and hit it with a hammer. Worked like a charm for me.

[timothymoore]

heres the pics from what i removed

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150368061063098.432457.744158097#!/media/set/?set=a.10150368061063098.432457.744158097

[timothymoore]

If anyone has to do this, the best tool is an impact driver. Many tool stores have them and I think Sears sells one. It's just a tool with a socket and usually has the large philips drivers. You hold it on the screw, twist is CCW and hit it with a hammer. Worked like a charm for me.

thats what i ended up using. saved my arse because nothing else worked

[Bitsyncmaster]

heres the pics from what i removed

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150368061063098.432457.744158097#!/media/set/?set=a.10150368061063098.432457.744158097

Pretty rusty. Now with that off, you should go into the valley and get that cleaned up.

[timothymoore]

i bet its pretty dirty if the fd was nasty like that. i wonder why it would rust like that if its sealed.

[Ozzie]

i bet its pretty dirty if the fd was nasty like that. i wonder why it would rust like that if its sealed.

There is suppose to be an o-ring between the FD and the A/F mixture.
Did you see one there?

[timothymoore]

did not pay attention. but i do not remember seeing one

[Bitsyncmaster]

i bet its pretty dirty if the fd was nasty like that. i wonder why it would rust like that if its sealed.

Your car must have been left outside a lot or parked in a humid area. Mine did not have that rust but the three screws were stuck pretty good.

[timothymoore]

my car sat in a barn for 20 years and sat in a salvage yard for 2 years before i bought it

[Nicholas R]

Yowza! Who knew aluminum could rust like that ;)

I agree; if thats what it looks like under the FD, just keep going down down down until you get to the valley. Clean everything else in the process.

After pulling the distributor, hoses, injectors, you're actually somewhat close already. Probably more than halfway there.

[WelmoedJ]

I may sound like a teacher: you mention injectors and cleaning in one line of a previous message.
Hopefully you are going to replace the injectors.
Cleaning is almost impossible because the injectors open on pressure, not electrically.
After 20-some years the seats in the injectors probably are very rusty and the "scars" left make them never seal properly again.
Do yourself a favour and install new injectors.

Welmoed.

[timothymoore]

well when i talked to john at specialT he said he was gonna check them, and if they are still good, he will clean them. if not , they will be replaced.

[WelmoedJ]

Do you perhaps know how he's gonna check if they're okay?
Open them up?

The only thing you probably can check is the spray pattern.
If that's like a genuine "shower" they might be good.

But why spend money on shipping old injectors for testing if you may have to replace them anyway?
Ultrasonic cleaning doesn't work (as I mentioned previously: the injectors can only be correctly cleaned if they are in "open" state.
Open state can only be achieved by pressure and there's no way you can get them open and put them in the ultrasonic tub).

I've seen people try and throw good money to bad. Agreed, injectors are not cheap, but once you've installed new ones you'll be good for many years of driving without problems (convert years into tens of k's of driving).