Distributor thrust washer

Steve, I'm in middle of 62 model rebuild. Checked dist and sprocket 'bags' and to my horror the 21097 thrust washer for sprocket is missing! Can't remember removing one during dismantling though...burt I did find a washer at some stage and wonder where it came from....put it somewhere 'safe' and now can't find the damn thing.

I'll keep looking and post details if its 'the' one.

JMB

I think the collar is actually quite important. My dommi, with an 18D2 distributor, had lost the collar too at some point before I bought it. I remember there being quite a bit of movement in the distributor shaft, in that if you held the distributor vertically, you could move the shaft up and down by about a quarter of an inch - as I say, it was a while ago so forgive any unintentional exageration. Anyway, to my thinking the collar - which is perhaps better described as a spacer - prevents this movement and maintains the correct alignment between the distributor sprocket and the intermediate sprocket. Conceivably, without it if you were unlucky enough to lose your distributor cap whilst riding this alignment could be lost, causing some significant damage I would imagine. Of course, I stand to be corrected, but I was sufficiently concerned to have one made up.

I have had an 18d2 explode when the advance/retard escaped,also the cap can get smashed by the rotor arm, All good fun.

If you don't fit the thrust washer the chances are that the ad/ret mechanism will hit the points back plate wrecking the whole unit - I speak from experience - I discarded the seemingly home made copper washer on mine and everything seemed fine until the distributor self destructed many miles later. It's always worth checking the clearanceas these bits seem to be getting rare and expensive these days.

Regards.

Ian.

Previously steve_marshall wrote:

Solved the problem - one of these with 25 thou filed off/lapped - sorted!....... + £6.75 on PayPal

I just found this thread today when searching another question about the 18D2 distributor. For anyone who is interested I took my distributor off the bike today and found that the thrust washer is 1" O.D., .5" I. D. and .040 thick. The collar/spacer is .75" O.D. .5" I.D. and .45" in height.

Attachments
18d2-washer-collar-jpg

After checking the end float on my 18D2 distributor, I thought I would change the advance/retard springs as I had a spare set in the workshop. I had to drift rhe shaft out of the drive sprocket and a nylon washer about20mm od14mmid and4mm thick, fell out of the housing onto the bench. The center hole of the washer is champhered on one side. Does anyone know whethr this champhered face goes towards the sprocket or away from if?

I can find pictures of it on the internet but no fitting instructions.

Previously charles_bovington wrote:

After checking the end float on my 18D2 distributor, I thought I would change the advance/retard springs as I had a spare set in the workshop. I had to drift rhe shaft out of the drive sprocket and a nylon washer about20mm od14mmid and4mm thick, fell out of the housing onto the bench. The center hole of the washer is champhered on one side. Does anyone know whethr this champhered face goes towards the sprocket or away from if?

I can find pictures of it on the internet but no fitting instructions.

Charles, are you sure that isn't the oil seal? If it is, just take it to your local bearing supplier, they should be able to match it up for you.

Hi.

The 'flat' side of the nylon spacer goes against the oil seal, the chamfer sitsunderthe base of the A/R unit.

Regards,

Ian.

Sorry Charles, shouldn't judge everyone's eyesight by my own!

Previously ian_allen wrote:

Hi.

The 'flat' side of the nylon spacer goes against the oil seal, the chamfer sitsunderthe base of the A/R unit.

Regards,

Ian.

Many thanks for that helpful information.

Charles