Hi Guys, Helping my son get a 1996 Cherokee SE roadworthy again. I noticed a lot of run out in the distributor meaning the bushings are shot. That said his has a traditional bolt with a hold down clamp but all of the replacement units I'm seeing online (new or rebuilt) seem to have a "fork" built into the housing for the bolt which would preclude the use of the clamp. I even saw a used one on eBay with the same part number (Sagem 56027028) and the fork style. Whats the deal, is his an oddball or do we just toss the hold down clamp? Please advise.

Thanks!
ALR

 

Try a parts store like O'Reilly's. If your year looks different than try an older.year. perhaps, your engine isn't of the same model as the body. Can you verify that the engine hasn't been replaced?

 

What you are seeing is correct.

The fork aligns with the bolt hole in the block once the distributor is properly indexed. The clamp is a seperate piece. It goes over the fork and grips the distributor. The bolt goes thru the clamp and thru the fork on the distributor shaft. Do not lose that clamp, and do not run the distributor without it, or you will snap the fork right off. New distributors do not include that clamp.

Get a new distributor gasket while youre at it. I used a Felpro. Some here use an o-ring, but i dont have the part #.

 

I was thinking I should have taken things apart before posting! I have seen on eBay 2 different types though, with & without the "fork" Thanks for the info. I will go ahead and remove it. I see mixed reviews on the new & rebuilts (sadly theyre all Chinese from what I can tell). Any suggestions on a good one? The auto wreckers here says he has one from a running engine, not sure how worn it is yet without going there first.

 

If yours has the fork, buy one with the fork. I never seen one without the fork, unless it was broken. What is the part number for the ones you see without the fork? The 4.0L and 2.5L both use the fork from what i have seen. Rockauto shows the same. The only no fork i see is for the V8 in the ZJ. As for the mixed reviews, you can find that with anything aftermarket. The distrubutor i bought for my 97 was a Cardone. Only issue was it came with an old used cam sensor, not new. Didnt matter as i had the old one still working, and a new Mopar already on hand. Sometimes the gear can be installed incorrectly when rebuilt. There was a thread here somewhere covering it. Ill see if i can find it.

Here it is. https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/do-...ibutor-225891/

 

Thanks man, I went back to the eBay one that I thought had no fork and when blowing up the dark pictures I see a couple slightly shiny spots that appear to be the fork ends. It seems they do all have the fork as you state. Probably going to end up buying the new "Spectra Premium" branded unit and use that.