Bad running

["Slack Alice" Simon]

No.1 is a greaser, you load it up with grease and turn the cap every now and again to lubricate the body of the distributor.

If you have an auto advance distributor,  it doesn't need lubricating, since the body only rotates when you are setting up the timing.   So there may be an oiler rather than a greaser.   Often missing.

If you have a bit of vertical movement, you should be able to rotate also.

[Reckless Rat]

Here's a picture of my distributor. The screw (or bolt) which locates the distributor in the dynamo housing is indicated by the yellow arrow. Remove this and you can remove the dizzy (providing you have also removed the control rod and the pinch plate holding down nut. On a saloon it's not easy to access it because the wing gets in the way.    

[Dave Wortley]

Try removing pinch plate bolt and gently prising the pinch plate apart.

[Hobbo]

Hi all, eureka have just got it free, undid the bolt and overnight sprayed with plusgas, it was still very tight but worked back on forth and have now got movement. Looking at the threads on the bolt shown on the picture, it may not have gone fully home in the first place, lesson learned examine everything carefully before undoing. Many thanks for all your valued help, back  into the garage to do some timing adjustments. Thanks all Mike p.s. have still got in place little oiler tube

[Tony Press]

"If you have an auto advance distributor,  it doesn't need lubricating, since the body only rotates when you are setting up the timing. "

Eerr! No !  The greaser or oiler lubricate the shaft in the body 

"providing you have also removed the control rod and the pinch plate holding down nut."

Eerr no! Not on the auto advance distributor : unless you have an early manual advance engine fitted with a later auti advance distributor 

[Reckless Rat]

Tony, err yes. Look at the picture... Bosch 009, manual control ( present but redundant).

[Tony Press]

Tony, err yes. Look at the picture... Bosch 009, manual control ( present but redundant).

But not to confuse others this instructiononly applies to an auto advance in an early car.