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Broke screw in Distributor Housing Mount...

J

J-Roc

NAXJA Forum User
Location
ontario
Title is pretty self explanatory....

How do I go about removing the busted screw? I have successfully changed my ignition components however I only have one screw holding on the distributor housing

If I drill it out, surely I will damage the threads on the mount for the distributor housing...

Is there a better way before I completely fubar myself?
 
can't edit anymore... just thought of one more thing


Can I run a nut and bolt through the cap mount? Seems like there is JUST enough room
 
not sure if there's room on a Jeep dist.-- but I had same dilema on a free car I was tryin' to put together "for cheap"

I pulled dist. and drilled through the threaded hole and JB Welded a like sized bolt from the bottom. This allowed me to remove the nut without needing to hold the bottom bolt head in an impossible spot. It worked like a champ-- just be sure to tell anyone working on your XJ the condition so they don't inadvertantly break the bolt and sell you a new dist. and cap to "fix" the problem.

--Shorty
 
had the same problem - why not just pick up a used distributor? I picked one up on ebay for $30.00 shipped to my house...i'm sure a boneyard doesn't get much more for a distributor either.

here's a temporary fix that lasted me a year or more: use xtra strong zip ties....put a few of them in a criss-cross pattern over the distributor cap...
 
I have a new distributor... thats not the issue lol, the new one is "attached" but... one of the screws that held the old cap on is snapped off in the metal mount...

Do you guys want me to take a pic so this is more clear? And for reference this is on a 96'

The third post has the right idea, I just want to try and avoid doing that lol...
 
ahhh. now i get it. i also have a '96 - i thought you meant that the little housing for the screw itself had cracked off. (this was my problem).

as i remember, those are tiny little screws.i would think drilling out the broken one would be the only way...yes, the threads would get messed up - could you find a self-tapping screw that's a little larger than the original broken one?
 
that is also a possibility...

however I just realized another issue... the cap is slightly different then my original (larger, mounts are slightly off). So I have the factory one back on there for now... I'll need to go to work and exchange it for the "right" one then fix this tiny busted screw problem...
 
Last edited:
J-Roc said:
that is also a possibility...

however I just realized another issue... the cap is slightly different then my original (larger, mounts are slightly off). So I have the factory one back on there for now... I'll need to go to work and exchange it for the "right" one then fix this tiny busted screw problem...
Click to expand...
The cap screws often poke out the bottom a little, there may be enough of the tip showing out the bottom to get a pair of vice grip pliers on. And screw it out the bottom.
 
You can get a reverse drill bit thats a little smaller than the screw so when it bites it pulls the screw right out without damaging the threads
 
i've had to take two caps from autzone or wherever each time i've replaced it - for some reason there are two listed - only one fits perfectly.

i would go the self-tapping screw route, or try to drill out the broken one. those screws are tiny and i cant imagine they are that strong. just starting to drill it might break the screw into little pieces.
 
8Mud said:
The cap screws often poke out the bottom a little, there may be enough of the tip showing out the bottom to get a pair of vice grip pliers on. And screw it out the bottom.
Click to expand...

Yes, I had to do this on my Mazda. Just barely enough poking out to get vise grips on.

Feel underneath to see of the bottom of the screw is sticking out.
 
yea it doesn't seem like a HUGE deal... I just need to borrow my friends drill (dad has mine up in the sticks) I am going to try and drill it out with the smallest bit I have on hand, to see if I can salvage the threads, if not, looks like a self tapper...

p.s. it doesn't look like I'll be able to get it from underneath... I will go and have a look though. Napa is having my part shipped (heater valve) in @ 1:30pm EST today so I have an hour before I start working again

Edit: screws are not long enough to get them from the bottom of the mount... drilling is my only option

Woot: problem #2
Closet011.jpg
 
Last edited:
bacelaw said:
i've had to take two caps from autzone or wherever each time i've replaced it - for some reason there are two listed - only one fits perfectly.

i would go the self-tapping screw route, or try to drill out the broken one. those screws are tiny and i cant imagine they are that strong. just starting to drill it might break the screw into little pieces.
Click to expand...
The housing is aluminum and the screws have to be hardened somewhat. It's doable but will take some talent and patience.
A drill bit that small is also gonna want to snap off fairly easy.
Junkyard distributors are fairly common and shouldn't be more than $30. Just check to see that there is very little side play in the distributor shaft, a little up and down play doesn't seem to hurt much.
If you pull the distributor, don't turn the motor over and be careful that it goes in the same way it came out. The rotor ends up pointing in the same direction, make some marks and draw a picture of where the rotor is pointing. You may have a little trouble getting the oil pump drive (bottom of the shaft) to go in the slot, you can turn the slot (down in the bottom of the distributor shaft hole in the block) a *little* with a long screwdriver if necessary. The distributor goes back in with a slight right hand twist (corkscrew) as the two sets of angled gears (distributor and cam) mesh.
 
5-90 said:
Looks like a heater control valve to me. What's wrong with it? Looks fine from here...
Click to expand...

hehe I took a really good picture by mistake... *hint* look at the two upper inlet and outlets. The ones that would normally run from the tstat housing and back to the water pump :roflmao:
 
J-Roc said:
hehe I took a really good picture by mistake... *hint* look at the two upper inlet and outlets. The ones that would normally run from the tstat housing and back to the water pump :roflmao:
Click to expand...

OK...

The spring clamp is missing from the hose still stuck on it. No worries there - I usually remove the things and toss them anyhow (too much of a pain to deal with.)

The vacuum actuator seems to be missing. What happened to it?

And, you've got no hoses on the other two nipples (centre and lower in the pic.) For all I know, you removed them before you snapped, so I didn't comment on those.

Am I still missing something?
 
lol, well I was changing out the last spark plug wire, reefed on her and slipped... SNAP busted the top inlet for the valve (it looks like it's attached in the picture but it is really about a foot away from the actual heater hose)

I couldn't get the bottom one off, and seeing how I already timmy'd the top inlet I crushed it then got a new one :gee:
 
missing 2 ports there :D mine did the same thing, the same fking ones snapped off. i cant believe how brittle they are.
 
5-90 said:
Am I still missing something?
Click to expand...

In the photo, it looks like the hose is connected to the valve at the top. It's not...it's the angle of the shot. That nipple is broken.

And the nipple directly beneath that one is broken. See the jagged plastic?
 
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