First produced in 1963, the 289 shortly became one among Ford’s hottest small-block engines of the 1960s. The 289 was used extensively throughout Ford’s passenger vehicle line, together with the Mustang, the Cougar, the Fairlane and the Comet. The 289′s distributor relied on a vacuum-advance system and a single set of ignition points somewhat than an electronic ignition. Within the distributor are several springs and discs that, once worn out, will trigger severe ignition problems. Although the distributor may be rebuilt, it is normally more sensible to exchange it.
Ford 289 Engine Distributor Installation Instructions
1. Disengage the distributor cap’s two retaining clips by prying the clips off of the highest of the distributor with a screwdriver.
2. Lift the distributor cap off of the distributor, taking care to not disturb the eight spark-plug wires and the single coil wire hooked up to the top of the cap.
3. Pull the rubber vacuum hose off of the metallic canister positioned on the front of the distributor.
4. Trace the wire that protrudes from the facet of the distributor to the ignition coil, then remove the nut that secures the wire to the coil with a wrench and elevate the wire off of the coil.
5. Scribe a chalk mark throughout any identifiable portion of the base of the distributor and the highest of the engine. A standard portion is the vertical casting seam that runs along the size of the distributor shaft.
6. Observe the path that the metallic tip of the distributor’s rotor points toward.
7. Remove the distributor’s hold-down bolt located on the base of the distributor with a wrench.
8. Raise the distributor out of the engine.
9. Rotate the brand new distributor’s rotor till the steel tip factors to the direction famous in Step 6, then decrease the distributor into the engine.
10. Rotate the distributor till the portion of the bottom of the distributor identified in Step 5 aligns with the chalk mark on the engine. Install and tighten the distributor’s hold-down bolt with a wrench.
11. Place the distributor’s wire onto its publish on the ignition coil, then tighten the wire’s nut over the wire with a wrench until the wire is secure.
12. Press the distributor’s vacuum line onto the steel canister situated on the front of the distributor.
13. Decrease the distributor cap onto the distributor, then fold the cap’s two clips onto the edges of the cap.