Another question - SMTA with oil in distributor

Been asking about this off and on the past month. I will have to do it in the Spring but I want to get my head around exactly WHAT I will be doing now. I have saved the prior threads so that I have a reference to work from. Never having had this apart before, I am not 100% sure how it all works. I had removed the distributor cap and there was oil inside it. In prior posts we talked about a seal that may or may not have scored the distributor where it passes thru the seal.

Here is a picture of my distributor and hydraulic pump. Can someone give me an idea where the seal/gasket is that I am going to be replacing? I see a couple possible places. About even with the bottom of the coil is where the distributor bolts to the pump. Or on the other side of the pump. Whereabouts is it?

The seal is in the aluminum half of that split. The small plug to the left of the split is for grease. once a year a single pump of grease is to be put in the hole. Replace the plug with a zerk to do it, then take it out. The reason to take it out is to avoid putting too much grease in it every time the tractor is lubed. Jim

If your getting oil into the dist. then it is coming from the hyd . pump, NOW MAYBE you can get away with just a new seal on the Hyd pump , me i usually am not so lucky . Usually the bushing in the hyd . pump is woren and a new seal will not stop the leak due to out put shaft movement as this will case the seal to fail. Replacement of the hyd. pump maybe in order .

If you want to try the seal go to a case IH parts lookup site. Find search by model. Put 450 in for model and scroll down to 450 gas tractor. Reason to use 450 is because SMTA doesn't show break down of hydraulic pump. Click on hydraulics and go to # 373 since it looks like you have a thompson pump. Seal is number 17 and distributor drive coupling # 14 needs removed to remove seal. Coupling has a screw in center retaining it to shaft, also has a small key to keep it from spinning on shaft. Go back on lookup and click on electrical and go to 100. To remove distributor and housing # 10 in one piece, remove the bolt and nut at pump end from # 10. Gear 11 will fall out if you don't watch it. Go to electrical # 102. # 24 is a seal ring for distributor shaft but mostly to stop grease from # 10 going up into distributor. It or pump seal won't stop your problem if pump pressure is getting to them due to worn parts. Before removing anything you can remove distributor cap and place rotor pointer straight up or other before removal and if # 11 stays in, pump not removed from engine and engine not turned you will be back in the same time. Another way before starting is to find the notch in front crank pulley and line it up with pointer to left of center on front engine cover. When lined up look for rotor to point near post going to front spark plug, If not turn engine another round until it does. That way if you want to reset not running timing before startup its already at TDC # 1. If pumps removed mark how the drive slot lines up and put pump back in with slot the same. Or pump can be put in anyway and shaft # 11 can be pulled out and put back in teeth so distributor can still have rotor shaft lined up. Probably confused you by now.

Hydraulic pump prices have come down in the past couple of years. Used to be a pump was $900+ but now you can get them for under $600. So worst case scenario, that's what you're looking at.

Replacing the whole pump is a lot easier than just the seal. Last time we did it it was a whole day affair because the tiny screw that holds the distributor drive dog in the back of the pump snapped off, it got drilled out crooked, and it was just a general mess.

...and before you even ask, no, the pumps cannot be rebuilt once they have become worn. As far as I know, they always have been a throwaway item right from day one (circa 1950).

I'm thinking I will just throw some $$$ at it and replace the pump. Most likely only have to fix it once then. Maybe I have a halfway decent chance of keeping it in time when I put it back together. Appreciate the help.