sounds like it is not seating properly - are you using stock bolts in the main cap? are they studs or new bolts? i've seen some get bound up from incorrect length bolts causing them to sit uneven and bind up.
I don't know where these bolts came from (from the pump to the cap) but they are two different sizes and are within a couple of tenths from bottoming out in the cap. Yes this thing is going on 8 ways of crooked it looks like even when I snug it up. I'll try different hardware.
tell me, what kind of resistance is normal for this drive? I can get it to turn ok but it isn't turning as easy when it's out of the cap.
The bushing is up under the distributor (or intermediate gear) right??? I don't think it's in play here.
I don't want to have to buy another pan gasket! grrrr