I started hearing this nasty squeal from under the hood only when it's real cold out (it's been mostly in the single digits and teens but if we get a balmy 30+ degree day it doesn't do it) and to my surprise the sound is coming from the distributor. I've never had the pleasure of replacing one before so I'm sure it'll be a blast.

1. I'm guessing I'll need to redo my timing and won't be able to just swap the distributors out. I found a video on how to do this on youtube but any tips would be appreciated
2. I think there's only gasket that needs to be replaced and it's located where the distributor mounts on the engine
3. Do I need to drain my oil to do this?
4. Any recommendations on what brand to get? I found this guy on Amazon but it's not highly reviewed (even though it just has 3 reviews):
I looked at Pepboys and they also carry this brand. I could get an Omix Ada one but that's more than double the price and is it really any better? I know, I know, you guys are probably going to tell me to get Mopar. Does anyone know of a reputable site to get Mopar parts online if I decide to go that route?

Thanks

 

1. I'm guessing I'll need to redo my timing and won't be able to just swap the distributors out. I found a video on how to do this on youtube but any tips would be appreciated
Not difficult at all. Follow the steps and make sure you get it clocked correctly. IIRC, the new distributor is indexed and will only go in one way. There is a TDC marking on the harmonic balancer that you will need to align in the process, but shouldn't need to mess with the timing.
2. I think there's only gasket that needs to be replaced and it's located where the distributor mounts on the engine
Correct
3. Do I need to drain my oil to do this?
No
4. Any recommendations on what brand to get?
Any with a lifetime warranty is nice. No need to get anything fancy. The stock replacement is fine.

 

See if you find one at the junkyard. Look for a '94 built after November '94 up to 1999 XJ.

I've had hard luck with Cardone parts, new or rebuilt.

 

Maybe it just needs to be lubed (?) Everything runs dry eventually....

 

Yep, ours started howling around Xmas '13 at about 80k miles. Got a re-man at AutoZone......so far, so good.

IIRC, we rotated the crank to TDC compression, marked the rotor position before pulling the old dizzy, dropped new dizzy in with rotor aligned to the mark and all was good. It may take several tries but the new dizzy will drop in and line up. Old dizzy was really tight.

 

do you know if greasing it is possible? i'm guessing the bearings in a location i would not be able to access without disassembling the distributor if that's even possible. i'll all for trying to fix it but my understanding has always been once bearings start to go it's done.


so I looked at autozone online and they do offer a duralast branded new distributor. the price isn't bad either ($60 I think?). is that the one you went with?

looks like everyone else sells a reman or new cardone (including napa) which seems to not be a good one to go with. I need to find a good pick n pull in my area because the one I used to go to closed some years back.

I'll look into the TDC marking on the HB. Sounds like I may need to manually move the HB to get it to that position. Is it possible to simply loosen the belt and spin it?

 

I'll look into the TDC marking on the HB. Sounds like I may need to manually move the HB to get it to that position. Is it possible to simply loosen the belt and spin it?

You'll just need a wrench or socket to rotate it to the correct position. Once you get your hand wedged in there, it's a lot easier than you would think.

 

We were on a short fuse and the only dizzy we could find at the time was a re-man at Autozone for $100, iirc.

U need to put a socket/ratchet on the balancer/crank bolt, turn the crank clockwise until the mark on the balancer aligns with the zero mark (TDC) on the motor and on the #1 cylinder compression stroke, not the exhaust stroke. Takes 2 people....one to turn the crank, one to feel compression on #1 cylinder, spark plug removed.

 

hey everyone,

i bought a used mopar distributor on ebay (it comes with a guarantee and wasn't too pricey). my question is, can i simply set the rotor position on the ebay distributor to be the same as the position on the distributor i'm about to remove therefore hopefully not screwing up the timing at all? something tells me it doesn't work like that but i figured since this distributor won't come set in any particular way maybe i can cheat...

if that's not the case, how can i set the new distributor so all is well when i drop it in? i'm guessing it has to be in a particular position just like the motor.

 

Here's some FSM instructions on how to replace the distributor, followed by some photos.

















Pic of the timing marks on the crankshaft damper and the timing chain cover. I found it easier to see the timing marks by removing the radiator electric fan. Your damper won't have the notch highlighted like mine so you'll have to find it then highlight it.


Rotate the damper with a 3/4" socket until the timing marks align (pic).





Next, remove the distributor cap, rotor, and camshaft position sensor. Replace the rotor. See if the rotor is pointing just past #1 cap terminal (pic). If not, you are at #6 cylinder TDC. Rotate the damper again to align the timing marks at zero, you should now be at #1 cylinder TDC.


Next, insert a 3/16" pin punch or drill bit through the plastic ring and down through the distributor housing alignment hole. If you can, the distributor and engine are in time. Remove the distributor but don't move the damper.





Modified cap shown in the pic.





When getting ready to install the replacement distributor, insert the pin punch through the alignment holes.


Align the oil pump drive at the 11:00 position using a screwdriver. As reference, mark the 11:00 and 1:00 positions on the engine as shown.





Insert the distributor (with new gasket) in the hole with the hold down fork aligned with the 1:00 mark on the engine. The distributor should turn into place with the distributor hold down fork aligned with the hold down bolt hole. Secure in place.

 

awesome instructions, thanks. i'll give everything a good read through.

 

Just to follow up, I went to follow your instructions, Ken, and I could not find a way to look at the TDC marker that's above the crankshaft pulley without ripping the front end apart. plan b was to get a helper and do the visual inspection on cylinder 1 to tell when the engine was TDC. My helper was unavailable so I resorted to plan c, make note of the current position of the distributor and set the new distributor to the same position. It was just a little past 12 o'clock prior to removal and moved to about 10 o'clock after I took it out. I set the replacement to 10 o'clock, put it in, and it moved to just a little after 12 o'clock. All this was done on the first try. Reattached the rotor, cap, and wires, fired her up, and she ran great. I've been driving it for about a week now and have had no problems. I just wanted to let you guys know it is possible to replace a distributor this way unless I just got really lucky.

On a related note, Mopar is no longer selling the distributor and the aftermarket ones have mediocre reviews at best, so I grabbed a used one off eBay (SAGEM branded, same one that shipped with my XJ), and got it pretty cheap $45 + $12 shipping. It doesn't have any sort of lifetime warranty like the aftermarket stuff does but I figured it was worth the gamble. The person I bought it from has a ton of Jeep parts, all of which appear to be Mopar or AMC, so I thought I'd plug their store: http://www.ebay.com/usr/namaha69. They had a few more SAGEM distributors for sale for anyone else looking.

Thanks everyone for all your help.