I know the feeling

 

Glad to hear you got it fixed!![8D]

 

To do it right you need to drop the pan, pull the oil pump, and reinstall the pump with the retainer clip properly set so that it doesn't fall out again. The only way to do that is to take thr pump off, since the driveshaft is between the pump and the boss in the block that the bottom of the distributor sits in(which also prevents the clips from passing to hold the shaft in).

 

Hmmm. Maybe someone should make a new clip that will "open up" like one of these"toggles" that pass throughdrywall....

This is not the first time on this forum thatI have heardof issues with the missing clip on the driveshaft causing problems.

I think that the clip being missing might be a result of the clip not being pushed far enough down upon initial assembly.

I think thedrive shaftneeds to be test fit to find the initial clip placement, removed, and the clip pushed down a little bit more so that the clip does not drag on the engine block in operationthus destroying the clip.

 

Yeah, you're supposed to set the clip's placement during assembly, too high and it rubs the block, too low and it doesn't work. But a folding clip like the drywall ones would be nice for situations like this.

 

If it were my design, I would put some sort of attachment screw like the window handles have so that it can be replaced easily without having to drop the oil pan and cross member. It should go in with the dizzy to make it easy for car owners. Seems like the clip idea is weak, literally.

 

The clip works, when used correctly. It sounds like whoever was in your engine before didn't put it in right, or the shaft was stuck in the dizzy and you pulled the clip off...which is unlikely, cuz the shaft would have come out with it.