Front mount distributor

Ruger556 · Nov 27, 2017

I have a Ford 2n with the front mount distributor that has been changed to 12 volt. After changing the condenser in the distributor along with the gaskets because it died one day and I coudn't get any spark. I can no longer get the distributor cap to fit So I took the distributor back off and it looks like the shaft with the two teeth in the distributor aren't reaching all the way to the shaft in the tractor that its supposed to meet up with. Also if you have the distributor off of the tractor should you be able to spin it freely?? Is it possible that if the bushing went bad in the distributor the shaft may have moved onward enough to not meet up with the slotted shaft in the tractor?

old · Nov 27, 2017

I'll bet you put the distributor back on 180 out of time and in doing so you have forced the distributor shaft forward and may have damaged the bushings etc. Yes one should be able to turn the distributor shaft by hand when it is off the tractor

Leroy · Nov 27, 2017

They are designed so they cannot be put on out of time, If out and bolts tightened something will break. And that id front of camshaft it fits into. Having trouble with my 2N as of now.

Ruger556 · Nov 27, 2017

The distributor bolted flush to face of the tractor just fine, I don't think it would do that if the teeth didn't go into the key way on the front of the shaft inside the tractor. I spoke to a guy today from my area that works almost exclusively on old tractors and he said that the shaft through the distributor should turn pretty freely by hand when off the tractor which mine does not. There is also some fresh scrapes on the shaft in the tractor where the teeth were basically just grazing the end of the shaft. The guy I talked to said if the bushings went bad in the distributor its possible the distributor shaft sllid forward enough so that you would still be able to bolt it back on without thinking there is a problem but the teeth aren't lined up with the key way. It would still be able to be bolted on because of the gap created when the bushings failed and the shaft shifted forward slightly which would also explain why the distributor cap couldn't be clipped on. Kind of hard to explain what I have going on without some pictures to show you.

old · Nov 28, 2017

You had it on wrong so the shaft is now pushed in and you will need to disassemble it to repair it or maybe have to replace it.

JMOR · Nov 28, 2017

"The guy I talked to said if the bushings went bad in the distributor its possible the distributor shaft sllid forward enough so that you would still be able to bolt it back on without thinking there is a problem but the teeth aren't lined up with the key way. It would still be able to be bolted on because of the gap created when the bushings failed and the shaft shifted forward slightly which would also explain why the distributor cap couldn't be clipped on. Kind of hard to explain what I have going on without some pictures to show you." Hard to explain, because it is probably (likely) not the case. Slipped or worn bushings won't have that result. The way that the shaft can move forward is that the upper bushing mount (metal loop) has been bent or the entire breaker plate is not in proper position, as held by large wire clip.

fred goodrich · Dec 21, 2017

Should be able to turn it freely off the tractor.

Front mount distributor

Ruger556

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old

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Leroy

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Ruger556

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old

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JMOR

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fred goodrich

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