grinding-vibration from Distributor

*super32* · 07-24-2002, 02:24 PM

I have a '91SE that seems to have grinding noise that's vibrating the distributor.

This is how I can replicate the vibration:

At startup, cold or hot, I rev the engine at the throttle. I'm not sure what the tachometer is reading, but it seems that when I reach a certain RPM there is this griding noise and it seems to be coming from the distributor shaft. The reason I think it's coming from the distributor shaft is because when I place a finger on top of the cap, with the ECCS plastic cover off, I can feel a strong vibration.

I remember a friend back home said I'm going to have to replace the water pump soon, but I don't know if the water pump and the distributor shaft run off the same driver; driver... i don't know the right term for it, but what I mean is if the water pump and the distributor shaft run off the same gear or something.

The grinding/vibration will go away at higher RPM or at idle. I don't really hear it or feel it from the cabin area at idle and while driving. I do general inspections of my SE now and then to keep it as good as possible, and that's how I found this problem

Please help me?

*super32* · 07-31-2002, 11:25 PM

hey guys...

I just took my max to the mechanic today and they said it was in fact the distributor causing that rattling/grinding/vibration.

The mechanic specifically said that it was a busing in on the distributor shaft that is drying or is pretty much dried up. He said that if I do not change it soon... the bushing will seize up causing a lot of engine damage. I'm assuming damage comparable to a timing belt breaking or something because the distributor shaft runs off of the cam or crank gears or something.

There ya go... hope it helped somebody with similar problems.

By the way, it's going to cost like $600 to fix that! I did a search online for a distributor for my '91 SE, and it only costs about $200 to $250. Does anyone know how hard it is to change out a distributor?

Agamemnon · 08-01-2002, 10:01 AM

Ummm, I'm not exactly an expert on this, but your mechanic's explanation sounds rather fishy...

I would assume that if the distributor failed completely, nothing bad would happen to the engine. It would just died as it can't get any spark. It would not be the same as timing belk broke, as that would affect the cam which in turn drives the valves, which if stopped in the full open position while the piston is still moving, can be hit by the piston causing the damage.

It just sounds like a scare tactics to me. Then he quotes $600. I don't know if that's really how much it costs to replace a distributor, but it sounds kinda high too.

Shop around! Take it to another mechanic for a 2nd opinion.

spidermike9 · 08-01-2002, 10:56 AM

my car makes a loud noise all the time which I also was told was the distributor bushing. I bought a used dist. off of someone on this forum (Matt93SE I think) and replaced it myself. It only cost me $40. It was simple to replace. Just mark the rotor position, remove 1 bolt, unplug a wiring harness and it pulls right out. As long as you mark the position of the rotor and the distributor body, you don't have to worry about timing. The Haynes manual will tell you how to do this.
Anyways, this didn't fix the problem and the car still makes the loud knocking sound.
I actually may have my old distributor that you can have. Just send me money for shipping and I'll find a box to send it in. I will look for it when I get home.
email me...
spidermike9@yahoo.com

*super32* · 08-01-2002, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by super32
hey guys...

I just took my max to the mechanic today and they said it was in fact the distributor causing that rattling/grinding/vibration.

The mechanic specifically said that it was a busing in on the distributor shaft that is drying or is pretty much dried up. He said that if I do not change it soon... the bushing will seize up causing a lot of engine damage. I'm assuming damage comparable to a timing belt breaking or something because the distributor shaft runs off of the cam or crank gears or something.

There ya go... hope it helped somebody with similar problems.

By the way, it's going to cost like $600 to fix that! I did a search online for a distributor for my '91 SE, and it only costs about $200 to $250. Does anyone know how hard it is to change out a distributor?

Well, the mechanic said there is a bushing on the distributor shaft that is running dry. And when that bushing dries out completely, according to this mechanic, the bushing will seize the rotation of the shaft, causing it to lock up and possibly damage the gears that the shaft runs off of.
Another note... I'm in the southern east part of Washington state. I'm from California, so I don't have much of a choice to trust these mechanics or not.

Thanks for the help.

*super32* · 08-14-2002, 12:20 PM

OKAY...
I got this problem fixed...

I said before that I wanted to do a timing belt and all the stuff in between while down there.

After having the timing belt changes, and the drive belts, and the water pump (run on sentence.. go back to grammar class), the grinding/ vibration/ rattling distributor noise went away. I didn't do the distributor because it didn't make the sound after changing the belts and stuff out. But while changing the timing belt, there was and still is a freeze plug that seems to be leaking coolant... some coolant got onto the belt, so I'm thinking that the coolant is breaking down on the belt.

The belt was loose, so that allowed the camshaft to jiggle. Since the distributor shaft runs off of the camshaft, the camshaft-jiggle may have been the cause of the distributor grinding/ vibration/ rattling.. whatever you want to call it.

SO.. I have to change out the freeze plug when I get home... and have to change out the timing belt too since coolant got on there due to the leak.
The mechanic said that if the threads on the freeze plug and the cyliner head gets pulled... I'm in a world of hurt... $700 worth of hurt, because the cylinder heads would have to be pulled out to be re-threaded and re-machined if they're warped in anyway.

It's going to be a while before I spend money on performance stuff... which really really sucks...

spidermike9 · 08-14-2002, 12:41 PM

did you change the timing belt and water pump yourself? was this difficult for you? I am considering doing it myself. Its no big deal if I screw up or take too long - the max is a 2nd car.
I think this may be the source of my noise as well since I replaced the distributor and it didn't fix it.

*super32* · 08-14-2002, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by spidermike9
did you change the timing belt and water pump yourself? was this difficult for you? I am considering doing it myself. Its no big deal if I screw up or take too long - the max is a 2nd car.
I think this may be the source of my noise as well since I replaced the distributor and it didn't fix it.

I didn't do it, because I'm away from home right now, so I don't have the necessary tools and stuff to do it. I'm not trying to be a punk but there's a note about changing Timing belts here:
Timing Belts Poll...

But, I was told that it isn't too hard of a job. Maybe go out and get yourself a Chilton's Manual or something. It does a good job describing the work.

Good Luck... and get that thing changed before you hear your car go snap, crackle, and pop puh puh boooom!

forty · 08-19-2002, 10:05 PM

I didn't want to start a new thread for this simple realated question. Does the rotor just pull off once the screw is taken out? I don't want to screw anything up pulling it off.
Thanks
john

spidermike9 · 08-20-2002, 07:54 AM

yes, just pull it right off.

forty · 08-20-2002, 08:05 AM

Thats what I thought, but that sucker is really on there.
Thanks again