Distributor markings not linging up as last marked
 

Howdy,

So before I pulled my distributor I marked it in three spots... pulled it out and stored it.

Then I put it back in and it went right back and lined right up and went all the way down.
Then I pulled it out again to put the distributor seal on because I forgot.

But when I tried to put it in for the 2nd time, the distributor will not seat all the way down and the markings line up. In order to get the distributor to set all the way down into the engine, the markings have to be off by 1/4" to the left (1 prong off).

1) The first image shows how it should be
2) The second image shows how the markings end up when i try to put it back in.

NOTE: I DID NOT TURN OVER THE ENGINE.

Does the distributor only go in one way?! What could have moved on this thing to have it end up one prong off? If I try to move it back a prong it will not sit all the way.

Help would be great!

clarification
 

Sorry... clarification...

The distributor will only seat all the way down in the engine IF I am 1 prong off.

The more I'm thinking about this, the more I might have been wrong about how this lined up correctly the first time I placed it back in.

I took it out so I could easily remove the Oil Pressure Switch on a 4.3L V6. My guess is that while I was replacing the switch I moved the oil crank (correct name?) and now nothing is lined up to allow the distributor to go back in.

Follow up question
 

Ok so here's my question...

When I have everything positioned so that the distributor is on its way to the correct position, the distributor stops half-way and will not go in.

A mechanic told me its because the oil pump moved and so the distributor will not fit in the oil pump's notch. SOOOooooo... the mechanic told me to line up the distributor like it would go to the correct position then tap the ignition and it should fall right into the oil pump's notch.

Can anyone confirm this?

fixed
 

I did something else...

1) Found where the distributor slid all the way in.
2) Rotated the distributor 180 degrees
3) Inserted the distributor to make sure it slid all the way in
4) Pulled the distributor and moved it clockwise one prong at a time to get the oil pump to move until markings matched up.

My guess is that one could use a flat screwdriver to move the oil pump. My problem is that there wasn't enough room to get one long enough down the hole.

yeah i do it all the time, i swear it happens to me everytime i take a distributor out, but just put it in where you had it, keep a eye on it and have someone bump the key until it falls in

Mine did this when I replaced the intake gaskets. What I did was rotate the distributor to where the marks line up and pull it out. Then put it back in correctly. This usually will move the oil gear so that the teeth line up again.

If you get everything totally out of whack, here is the link if you have to start from scratch. https://blazerforum.com/forum/tech-a...-timing-24373/