pro billet distributor
 

Has anyone here put a MSD pro billet distributor in a small block chevy.I'm having problems with my truck,this might be long,stick with me.I have a 88 chevy pick up.A few years ago,5 or 6,I put a vortec 5.7l engine in with the Edelbrock port fuel injection kit in it.A while ago one of the cam retaining plate bolts backed out causing the timing chain to bind and break.After a new timing set I found out it also bent some valves.The distributor was old so I put in a msd replacement.Now i'm not getting any oil up to the top of the motor,the hydrualic roller lifters won't pump up.The distributor came with some o rings but the instructions said don't use them unless the block has been modified.I dont have my old distributor anymore so I cant swap them out to see if oil is bypassing a gallery with the new one.Also oil pressure seems slow to build.I primed the system before initial firing but just cranking the engine it takes about 8 to 10 seconds for pressure to build.You can watch the oil travel the clear plastic line up to a mech gauge.Any suggestions,I've been working on this truck for months now and its one problem after another.I bought a new truck but need to get this going to sell it.

Re: pro billet distributor
 

put the o rings back on the dist.

Re: pro billet distributor
 

I'm gonna try that today.

Re: pro billet distributor
 

You don't want to use those orings on a stock block! Have you changed camshafts since the problems happened?

Re: pro billet distributor
 

No,its still the stock cam.do you think its possible a cam bearing spun?

Re: pro billet distributor
 

Is the OD of the new distrib body too small?

Re: pro billet distributor
 

I don't have the original distributor anymore to compare it with.

Re: pro billet distributor
 

You may have hurt a cam bearing. Did you prime it by cranking, or using a priming tool?

Re: pro billet distributor
 

I used a priming tool but this motor has had oil pressure issues since the chain broke.after replacing the timing set the motor would not start,no fuel pressure.Computer won't energize fuel pump with less than 4lbs oil pressure and I had none.Dropped the pan and everythig looked ok but I put a new pump,pickup.driveand at this point I also bought the MSD dist.Now I had oil and fuel pressure but no spark!After lots of cussing,swearing and throwing tools around I bought a new truck.Was going to next year anyway.Found out the MSD dist would not fire the crane HI-6 ignition box I had on the truck.After eleminating the crane box now I have oil pressure,fuel pressure,spark,motor fires and runs but no oil up top.I can't find the o rings for the msd dist. so I'll buy some tommorow but I'm begining to think I may have wiped out a cam bearing or journal.The only other thing is that this is a 97 vortec motor and the Distributor is a relacement for 87-95.maybe 96 and later motors are machined different but I drove this combination 75000 miles with the stock distributor.Maybe a new short block is in order!

Re: pro billet distributor
 

Did you take the engine apart or just change the chain? It would sound like you've got some oil galley's plugged up.

Re: pro billet distributor
 

I just dropped the pan and changed the chain and gears but you may be right.That why I think a cam bearing may have spun.I worked with a guy who had a 80 something malibu with a pretty hot smallblock that always had low oil pressure.he rebuilt the motor and found the machine shop installed the cam bearings wrong.they were actually restricting oil to the top of the motor,I'm gonna call the MSD tech line tommorow.Their web site says this distributor has an extra groove machined into it to improve oiling the drive gear .Maybe this is not compatable with later model blocks.

Re: pro billet distributor
 

I called the msd tech line today and their response was that they don't make a distributor for the vortec 5.7.They didn't even want to hear about my situation.very nice customer service...

Re: pro billet distributor
 

MSD are a bunch of JERKS! Bad history with mine. No customer service ever. :mad:

Re: pro billet distributor
 

Magnum,

Sounds like there was some miscomunication going on that they may have thought you were dealing with a Vortec Fuel Injected engine. A SBC with Vortec heads uses the exact same distributor. I've got multiple engines here both with, and without Vortec heads that we've used the same distributor. Do you know who you spoke to at MSD?

Re: pro billet distributor
 

I don't know who it was but he didn't want to listen to my question.He just kept saying "we don't make a distributor for the vortec engine".Until just a few months ago I was a body man at a chevy dealer for the last 15 years.Besides the vortec motor in my truck both motors in my boat are based on vortec blocks.I used to be able to buy core motors for 100 bucks but their getting harder to come by.I've got training classes for the next 2 nights so I'll get back on it this weekend.Gonna put the priming tool bagk in and let it run as long as the drill holds up to see if I can get oil up top.

Re: pro billet distributor
 

Sounds to me like there may be a difference in the dist housing diameter if you had oil pressure with the stock dist but don't have now with the MSD. Perhaps someone on the board has a stock dist laying around they could measure for you so you could compare the demension to the MSD housing?

You also said the oil pressure seemed slow to build. Don't think a cam bearing would affect that reading. I suspect oil leakage somewhere. Since the dist is he only thing that you changed to affect oil pressure that's where I'd be focusing first. Breaking a timing chain really shouldn't spin a cam bearing.

Re: pro billet distributor
 

You sure one of the oil galley plugs behind the timing gear didn't come out?

I'll save it for another thread to explain why those msd efi replacement distributors will cause you to lose power.

Re: pro billet distributor
 

I'm not ruling anythhing out right now.If I was going to keep this truck I'd be building a 383 short block for it but i just want to get rid of it.



Go ahead any way,Enlighten me to the down side of the msd distributor.I'm not very impressed with it right now anyway.

Re: pro billet distributor
 

Magnum,
Is it possible that the oil relief passage in the distributor housing is not lining up with the oil passage in the block due to the height of your aftermarket intake manifold? You may need an adjustable collar type distributor housing. :cool:

Re: pro billet distributor
 

Sounds as though when the cam walked it chewed the cam bearings.

Re: pro billet distributor
 

Fever,Its possible but I didn't have any problems withthe stock dist.This msd one is supposed to be a direct replacement but the area of the housing that lines up with the gallery has a much bigger groove machined in it.I'm trying to find a stock dist to check if that's the problem.If not than I'll build a new short block.Thanks for the input.

Re: pro billet distributor
 

Magnum,

Did you run the engine with your stock distributor after this happened?

Re: pro billet distributor
 

No,I don't have it anymore.I'm going to some junkyards tommorow to try and find one.