801shaft under Distributor

[Jim 777]

801 the, shaft under distributor fell into engine can some one help?
Thanks Jim

 

[JMOR]

I believe the silence means that you have a real problem.

Unless the gods are with you and the < 1/2 of 1% odds are also with you, I would say it is pan removal time. About those tiny percentages: depending on visibility thru the hole, maybe a magnet. If all the way to bottom of pan, the oil pick-up tube end is scalloped, so on a really, really long shot, you might fish thru the oil drain.

 

[john_Bud]

(quoted from post at 16:54:46 04/24/10) 801 the, shaft under distributor fell into engine can some one help?
Thanks Jim

You have no choice. Drop the oil pan.

Also, go to NAPA or maybe the ford dealer and get the slip on star washer that goes on the oil drive shaft. It goes on it and the oil pump / shaft gets put on such that the oil drive shaft can't be removed from the engine with the oil pump in place. AKA - what happened to you should be difficult to impossible if that deal is in place. However --> if someone in the past replaced the oil pump they may have left off that deal or put the drive shaft in upside down.

 

[john in la]

The (shaft under distributor) oil pump drive shaft cost about $8 per what I see on the web.

For $8 I would be tempted to get a new shaft; temporally glue it into the bottom of the distributor with some heavy grease and try to install without dropping the shaft.
You might get lucky.

Beats pulling the oil pan.
Just remember you can NEVER take the distributor back out so make sure it is right before you put it in.