Distributor drive arrangement

Claim 1

A distributor drive arrangement for an internal combustion engine having a cam shaft journaled in the cylinder head of the engine provided with a gear thereon, and a distributor having a journaled drive shaft with a gear thereon extending from one end thereof and positioned on the cylinder block with the gear on the drive shaft in mesh with the gear on the cam shaft, said distributor drive arrangement including bushing means in said cylinder head located concentric with said drive shaft, said bushing means having a partly closed end, said drive shaft having an extension shaft portion journaled in said bushing means, said extension shaft portion extending into said bushing to a position at which its free end is closely adjacent said partly closed end whereby said bushing means serves as a cylinder and said extension shaft portion serves as a piston therein, and passage means in said cylinder head in communication with said bushing means and adapted to be connected to a source of oil under pressure, said passage means opening into said bushing adjacent said partly closed end whereby said drive shaft is hydraulically loaded in one direction by oil under pressure acting on said free end of said extension shaft portion, the clearance between the inside diameter of said bushing means and the outer peripheral surface of said extension shaft portion being such that upon rotation of said extension shaft portion in said bushing means viscous shearing of oil will occur to provide a viscous drag on said drive shaft. 2. In an internal combustion engine having a cam shaft journaled in the cylinder head of the engine and the distributor drive shaft of a distributor connected with and driven by gear means on the cam shaft and on the distributor drive shaft, the improvement comprising bushing means in the cylinder head concentric with the distributor drive shaft and spaced therefrom, said bushing means being partly closed at one end, a shaft extension secured at one end to the distributor drive shaft for rotation therewith and journaled in said bushing means with its opposite end spaced from said partly closed one end of said bushing means, and passage means in said cylinder head in communication with said bushing means at said partly closed one end to supply oil under pressure to said bushing means against said opposite end of said shaft extension and between the inside diameter of said bushing means and the outside peripheral surface of said shaft extension journaled therein to hydraulically load said shaft extension in one direction and to provide a viscous drag on said shaft extension.