I have a "T" with a distributor and read a post recently that said you should fill the housing 2/3 with grease. Should this be checked and lubed on a regular basis or only on initial installation?
Thanks, Steve
I have had this distributor on my 23 depot hack for 8 years. It has a modern seal on the cam shaft. I removed the radiator 2 years ago and took the distributor off at the at time for the first time. There was still about the same amount of grease I put in it originally so I guess I will check it in another 3 years or so. The car gets about 1,000 miles a year on it.
I hope this helps.
I used red, high temperature Mystic grease I bought at Tractor Supply.
I have an Atwater Kent distributor housing with a VW distributor in it. The bottom is open to the air and I dab some grease on it every once in a while. I was also advised to use a dropper to put some oil in the opening where the distributor enters the housing. I was informed that there is a bushing in there that needs to be lubricated on a regular basis.
It all depends on whether or not your distributor is lubed by the oil in the engine.
"I have a "T" with a distributor and read a post recently that said you should fill the housing 2/3 with grease."
Which housing?
Steve - If it's a Texas T Parts dizzy, they recommend that the drive gears should be repacked every 10,000 miles. They also say that the shaft bearings are sealed and permanently lubricated, and require no maintenance. Finally, The distributor head should be oiled every 1,000 miles. This is from their instructions that come with their new dizzys.
Are we confusing Timers/Commutators with Distributors?
Hal,
No. The distributor has a set of bevel gears that must be greased, otherwise they fail.
Thanks for the info, Steve.
Royce,
The 2/3 with grease threw me off. I wondered if he was talking about your timer lube method.
A long time ago I had a 27 Touring with a distributor. The cam seal was left out and the outside oil line fed into the distributor base. Of course the base was sealed with a gasket and sealer. I always thought that was a good idea. YMMV