intermediate shaft

[spottter57]

on my ford 2.3l, i took my distributor off and the intermediate shaft came with it. the locking washer is still in the block, can i put the shaft back in, secondly, which way does the washer go, and thirdly, is the washer needed, i believe on the 2.0l there is no washer?????

[engineczar]

The locking washer is still there because it can't go anywhere. It's trapped between the oil pump and the block so that's good news as it's not floating around in the oil pan. It's tricky but you can put the shaft back in. Right now the washer is oriented in the direction that allows the shaft to more easily pull out from the top. Forcing it back in in the opposite direction while not desirable doesn't involve anything more than getting it lined up and giving it a tap from above. It will bend itself in the opposite direction allowing the shaft to drop into place.

Your other option is of course to pull the pan.

It's there solely so that it doesn't fall out while installing the oil pump with the engine upside down.

[spottter57]

thanks, just for my own knowledge, which way does the washer go????When i installed it, the beveled side was facing up when the engine was upside down.

[engineczar]

It's tough to describe which way is up but with the engine upside down the outer diameter of the washer touches first. The shaft is setup with more of it sticking through to the distributor side. This is so that it doesn't bind the oil pump gears. Then when the distributor is inserted it can move the shaft towards the oil pump finding it's correct location.

You can leave the washer out but then you risk it dropping out, or maybe even into the engine when you remove the distributor.