Distributor refurb

[Stevex]

I've been toying with fitting EI to my LM2, but finally decided to stick with points; to be honest, the old girl runs really well on them.
I'm wondering if my distributor needs a refurb after 40 years. Looking at the photos of a stripped item on this old tractor it appears easy enough.
For those that have stripped the dizzy, what state did you find the bearings and shaft in?
How is the pin holding the gear on the end removed and refitted?
Any other pointers?

[Tom]

The biggest refurbishment part would be the springs and lube. IMHO

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

I find it's about 50/50 good bearings/bad bearings. Never found any damage to the shaft. To remove the pin securing the gear, I grind the head off the pin on one side and then use a 1/8" punch to drive it out. I did make a little jig to hold the gear while I drill and punch. I replace the solid pin with a roll pin of the proper dimensions.

[Tom]

I forgot to add that I have a number of low mileage spares too.   

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Here's a photo of the crude little jig I whittled out.

[moto-uno]

  My Le Mans 2 now has over 1/4 million kilometers on it and still the original distributor . The shaft is original
as is almost all of the rest of it. Except I've replaced the advance weight springs once and the drive gear once
also . It's a pretty tough unit . And I like the jig "Antietam " has made for the job . . Peter

[Stevex]

Thanks for the info and good call on the roll pin.
I found the head (or tail) of the oem pin in the sump, last filter change, so it'll need to come
off for that anyway. I did replace springs a couple of years back.

[Stevex]

I find it's about 50/50 good bearings/bad bearings. Never found any damage to the shaft. To remove the pin securing the gear, I grind the head off the pin on one side and then use a 1/8" punch to drive it out. I did make a little jig to hold the gear while I drill and punch. I replace the solid pin with a roll pin of the proper dimensions.

Charlie, can you remember the diameter and length roll pin required?
I'd like to have one ready for when I take out the original pin.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Charlie, can you remember the diameter and length roll pin required?
I'd like to have one ready for when I take out the original pin.

Greg Bender sent me a bunch years ago and I've been using them. From his website:
Nearly all of the distributor drive gear pins I've seen were for holes 3 mm in diameter. I replace the 3 mm originals with 3 mm roll pins, 16 mm in length (McMaster-Carr part number 91611A157).


Edit: Checked what I've been using and they are the above. 3 mm x 16 mm. 

[blackcat]

Charlie, can you remember the diameter and length roll pin required?
I'd like to have one ready for when I take out the original pin.

When I was installing the distributor in the recent Lemans rebuild, the original pin came out and I was lucky to retrieve the shaft before it dropped into the engine. I just went to Advance Auto and purchased a package of roll pins and found one that fit.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

I removed my previous post because it was Loop related and this thread is for the twin point but will add what I had said before which might apply to that shaft and gear. (Or not)

I got both 3 mm and 1/8" (3.175 mm) roll pins (pennies cost) when I went through the single point distributor on my Eldorado, the 1/8" pin was a secure fit, the 3 mm not so (80% ok) in my case.
I flared the ends a little also after installation.

The roll pins I have from Greg measure 3.3 mm o.d. actual diameter and fit very securely in the gear of every distributor and dual point timer I've used them in.

[Stevex]

Thanks chaps 

[John A]

I’ve used  1/8 welding rod with the flux taken off when I was not happy with the fit of a roll pin. I upset both ends to hold it in. End float is usually excessive so I shim that to about .004”