Has anyone replaced their distributor shaft seal?

[burma]

1996 Previa LE S/C 2WD, 314k miles

I have a leak from the distributor shaft seal (not the o-ring, I replaced that). getting oil leaking into the distributor cap and down to the exhaust.

I found a seal kit online and am trying to get the distributor apart to inspect/replace that seal. I have replaced these before in my Hondas, where you just knock out the pin that holds in the doohickey that keys to the camshaft, then the shaft slides out and you can get to the seal. However, I've pushed that pin out on the Previa but it seems there is something else holding the distrib shaft in place. It has just a little play, almost like there is a snap ring somewhere, but I do not see one. I have the factory service manual but it does not detail how to get the distributor apart, only how to remove/replace it. Does anyone know the secret to getting these things apart? Would love to not have to replace the entire distributor, especially after getting the seal kit.

Thank you!

[John Kaufmann]

It has been over a decade since I replaced mine, so my memory may be hazy, but I don't recall needing anything more than my Harbor Freight mini-pick set to remove the old seal and place the new one.

[burma]

Thank you! Is that the o-ring on the back or the one that seals the rotating shaft? Because I did use that exact set for the o-ring, haha.

The one that is leaking for me seems to be the one more internal to the shaft. It's kind of like a mini-rear main seal.

[John Kaufmann]

. . . Is that the o-ring on the back or the one that seals the rotating shaft? . . .

The one on the shaft. I know it's thicker than the other one, but my recollection (assuming I can trust it) is that I used the picks to remove the old one and help set the new one.

[burma]

Turns out there is nothing else holding the distributor shaft in, it just needed a few gentle thwacks with a rubber mallet.

However, the job did turn out to be a bit more complicated than I expected. The shaft seal lives under the bearing, and because of the design of the distributor housing you can't access it without knocking the bearing out. Thankfully the kit came with a new bearing as well.

I wound up using a long thin screwdriver and a hammer to knock the bearing and seal out, and heavily damaged both in the process. So I'd definitely go into this job with the expectation of replacing both. It's also a little bit tricky to insure that the seal is going in 100% straight, I used a long 14MM socket and tapped it in slowly. Same with the bearing. I'm also in the middle of replacing the SADS couplers so I haven't had the chance to see if it was successful yet.

Finally, don't be me and forget to mark your distributor end piece's place on the shaft before you take the pin out! It is keyed to the camshaft but can go on the distributor either way. 90% sure I got it on the same way it came off but we shall see when it's all put back together.

Oh, one more note on that endpiece doohickey - be careful knocking the pin out as mine cracked on one side where the pin slides through. It seems sturdy so I'm not gonna worry too too much but will be something to scavenge from the junkyard the next time a Previa pops up.