Oil in distributor

87xj, 4.0l, aw4, 164000miles, is the distributor bad or is there a seal in there some where that can be replaced?

Yes, can be fixed, O rings....going to have to pull the distributor though, mark everything....and take pictures too

With that many miles just go buy a new/rebuilt distributor. You will have worn bushings and the rebuilt will help the engine run better. With worn bushings you get retarded tirming, with a rebuilt you should have a little more power.

Also with a rebuilt you get new seals, no since chasing it down since it is a pain to disassemble the distributor. Figure $65 for the rebuilt, install it and call it done.

Agree. It's cheaper and less hassle to just buy a new distributor since the distributor shaft will also have wear in it, not just the seal. You can find one cheap at http://www.tapcointernational.com/elec.htm

A common reason for oil in the distributor is lack of crank case ventalation due to plugged hoses or vents in the valve cover.

old_man said:

A common reason for oil in the distributor is lack of crank case ventilation due to plugged hoses or vents in the valve cover.

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I think that would also manifest itself with other signs of excessive crankcase pressure e.g. oil leaks past gaskets & seals, oil coming out of the dipstick tube, oil soaked air filter.
An easy way to find out if the crankcase ventilation system is working is to disconnect the front valve cover ventilation hose from the intake tube and put your finger over it while the engine's running. If there's a vacuum and your finger's getting sucked in, then all is well. If there's positive pressure and your finger's getting blown away, either the crankcase gases aren't being scavenged by vacuum from the intake manifold or you have excessive piston ring blowby.
To cure the scavenging problem, remove the rear valve cover ventilation hose together with the right angled round connector that's between the valve cover and the intake manifold as a unit. Clean them thoroughly with gasoline and blast them inside with compressed air. Reattach only the rubber end of the tubing to the intake manifold and start the engine. If you have a high idle initially, feel a vacuum when you put your finger in the connector hole, and the idle drops back to normal with your finger still there, you've cured the scavenging problem.
If after all that you still have positive pressure from the front hose (with rear connector plugged back into valve cover), your problem is excessive piston ring blowby and the only cure is to rebore the engine and install new pistons with rings.