I'm replacing the distributor shaft and housing o-rings on my 95 Sidekick.  The new o-ring from Hawk really doesn't want to go into the bore of the housing.  I've tried lubing it up with both engine oil and silicone.  The old one has a smaller outside diameter.  Are there slight differences in distributors or distributor shaft o-rings across years?

i have found that a nice thin bead of silicone on the distributor works quite well also. when i fixed mine i had to reuse the o ring as we did not have anything that matched it exactly. it's not leaking yet............

derek

yep siliconed up my samurai year ago, no leaks yet.

i got mine from hawk too and had exactly the same problem.  I actually created a hairline crack in the distributor shaft from trying so hard. 

I verified the part number and it was correct.  I just reinstalled the original anyway, as it wasn't leaking, it was the housing o-ring that was causing a leak on mine.

It definitely seemed a little too thick to me also...  they recommended grease to me to get it to go in.

just use high temp on it and call it a day, i never replace those orings just high temp it.

Thanks for the replies.  I think I am going to try a smaller o-ring for a start.