Rebuilding the distributor of your Volvo 700 and 900 four cylinder
Volvo 700, 900
11.09.2025The distributors on the cylinder head, driven by the end of the camshaft, tend to leak oil after 25+ years of service.
This can cause nasty oil leaks that are often mistaken as leaking rear main seals or leaking gearboxes since the oil works its way down through the bell housing, where it can finally drip off. Besides an oily distributor cap might cause misfires.
The main culprit for the oil leak is the seal inside the distributor that is hard to replace without a proper tool.
We made a special tool to replace the seal and show you how to use it.
Remove the old distributor cap and finger first, then it is easier to take out the distributor. Pull off the spark plug wires to get access to the top screw of the cap.
Before you take the cap off, pull off the ignition cable that connects to the ignition coil. The firing order is printed on the black plastic of OEM distributor caps.
If the cap is not burnt, clean off the oil and put it to the side.
Now you can pull the distributor out of the camshaft.
It might be necessary to pry a little with a screwdriver to get the distributor off the camshaft. Be careful and pry from both sides.
Our example shows where the oil leaks. The back of the distributor is dry...
...and the oil leaks into the inside and drips out of the cap.
Before you dismantle the distributor, clean it as good as possible.
Now take a picture of the position of the groove for the distributor finger and the position of the drive plate on the rear side. It is possible to put them back together 180 degress off, then the car will not start!
The groove normally faces the thinner side of the drive plate.
Now the thinner side of the drive plate should rest on the special tool and the distributor should be turned in a way you can screw it onto the tool with the included screw and spacer.
Tighten it in this position.
Before you tighten the screw make extra sure the drive plate of the distributor rests completely on the special tool with both teeth. Clamp the special tool in a vice.
Now drive the pin out of drive plate and shaft with a small punch. Some patience might be required since the pin can be hard to push out.
Use a 3mm punch. If you are afraid of losing the pin, you can put some tape over the slot in the tool to catch it.
Normally the pushed out pin just falls down and stands upright in the slot.
At this point you can remove the small O ring on the end of the distributor shaft and the larger one on the rear of the distributor.
Now unscrew the distributor from the special tool. Take the drive plate and the shaft out of the distributor. Put the distance washers aside, sometimes you might have to use one of them again.
Clean off oil deposits thoroughly. If you can not get them off with (brake) parts cleaner, you can use grinding fleece such as scotch brite.
Now the small protection plate has to be removed with a punch carefully.
- All notes serve only as an example and do not replace the workshop instructions of the automobile manufacturers! All information is supplied without guarantee!
