distributer won't turn

[89hatchbackGT]

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I was gonna try bumping the timing on my car today but when i loosened the hold down bolt on my distributer the thing wouldn't turn. It isn't supposed to have much resistance is it?

[DRASTiK]

no, it's not supposed to have much resistance at all if you loosened the bolt enough. You should only have to loosen the bolt about 1 turn MAX. I'd put a big ratched or breaker bar on the crank bolt and nudge the motor a little bit and see if it comes loose.

[Maroon 5.0 LX]

Moisture seems to gather there, causing corrosion. Try spraying some Press Blaster or other penetrating oil around distributor base. Let it work for a while, jiggle distributor back and forth, it should eventually loosen up.

[89hatchbackGT]

Ok thanks, i sprayed some wd-40 on the base and i'm letting it set untill monday. What should i try to set the timing to and how much do you think it will help my E.T. I'm only running mid to low 9's in the 1/8 right now with stock timing and nothing more than a few bolt ons. And its an AOD. best mph was around 74.xx. Thats all with kelly tires though so i'm not that slow. lol

[Mr 5 0]

Start with 12 degrees initial advance and if no pinging, try 14 which is usual optimal on near-stock 5.0's. Some can go higher. You should see at least a 1/10 et drop, sometime as much as 3/10 - depends on the car - but you'll see some difference and best of all, it's free.

Don't forget to fill up with 92 octane (or better) gas before advancing the timing or you'll probably ping for certain.

A reminder: don't forget to remove the spout connector (hangs off the front of the distributor) before advancing the timing and keep it in your pocket so it doesn't get lost (happens more than you would think as it's small). Remember to replace the spout connector after tightening down the distributor.