replacing the distributor on a small block
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Make sure everything lines up exactly like it came apart. Especially the rotor. Bumping the engine over to tdc on the balancer will get you to #1 OR #6. Lucky for you it only goes in 2 ways.
CCHHAARRGGER!
Well-Known Member
As long as you made sure the timing marks were lined up (prior to removing the old distributor) and you are putting the distributor pointing in the same direction that it was prior to removing the old one,you should be fine
mechanicmark
Well-Known Member
remove # one spark plug,driver side front, turn or bump engine over until compression stroke can be felt with finger loosely in hole, align timing mark on zero. Dist. rotor should point at towards # one spark plug (cyl.). Then advance 10* or so. Light her up!
pishta
I know I'm right....
"bump not the motor, eh? Your new one will go in correctly, or not, there is no almost"...Yoda.
Demonic
Well-Known Member
All you have to do is make sure the rotor on the new distributor is pointing at the same spot as the old one. Don't move the crank if you can help it. Otherwise, you'll have to find TDC #1 firing - NOT #1 exhaust - and start from scratch.
EVERY SINGLE MOPAR GUY who does any wrenching ever should learn to remove, install a distributor and time and engine. And.......you SHOULD be able to do this without guessing and without the "dreaded" "180 out" nonsense
Some ranting:
1.....As pointed out many times, "the gear/ distributor/ rotor can point to China..............."
2......The "guy before you" may NOT have installed the drive gear "by the book."
3.....Some distributors do NOT have the distributor drive tang indexed to the rotor in the same way as the "original."
So you can "start" by dropping in the new one same as the old. If the rotor does not point at the same angle............what do you do?
A.........Either move the drive gear, or
B.........Move the plug wires to compensate
THE FACTORY MANUAL has a drawing showing the index for the factory setup on the drive gear. IT DOES NOT MATTER
The distributors/ drive gears were originally installed "so" so that the assembly line folks could rinse/ repeat, so that the plug wires "lay nice" and so that tune up guys "see what they expect."
HOW I INSTALL AND TIME AN ENGINE
There is only two ways practically to determine "no 1 ready to fire" also known as "compression stroke:"
1: If either valve cover is off, bring the marks to TDC, and look at no1 and or no6 valves, and determine if they are both closed, or about equally open. Which ever set is closed is ready to fire
2: Otherwise remove no1 plug, "stick your finger in" and bump the engine around checking for compression. When you START to feel it, stop and watch for the marks
DO NOT set the marks on TDC, but rather "where you want" the timing, say, 15BTC or whatever
Drop in the dist with the rotor as close to "where you want" for no1 and you only have two positions of course, 1/2 turn off
Move the dist. body so it has "swing" for clearance and adjustment. RETARD the dist. body, and bring it back "advance" until the pickup/ reluctor are aligned. Set the cap on/off/on/off until you determine which tower the rotor is just approaching (NOT!! leaving!!!) Bear in mind SB rotate CW, B/RB rotate CCW
Now set the "static" timing. IF YOU have points, you can move the dist from retard to advance until the points "just open." Use a 12V light, or just "rig" a wire/ plug to the coil and listen/ watch for a spark "snap." Slowly go from retard/ closed to advanced/ open and stop!! at the spark
Or...........You can use a timing light and set it "on the starter"
With breakerless dist. you can also move the dist back and forth while producing a spark snap as you move past the pickup. Move slower and slower, and less and less until you "center" where this is and that is close enough to .....
START IT UP
You should not have to screw with timing to get it to fire and run.
MORE advance is almost always "somewhat better" because if you can get it to "kick" the starter then you can easily retard it some. Retarded usually produces backfire and is annoying.
This is an injected engine I recently fired up with a carb:
LMFAO Anybody figure out what this is?
Used my "emergency" ignition, which is a GM HEI in a box
Stick your finger in the hole..........
Bring marks to "where you want timing"
In this case you can NOT put dist in "where you want" because of interference from EFI manifold, so you drop the no1 wire in where the rotor points
Yeh. It's a mess, but it runs. Lakewood engine plate to mount the starter and a flywheel. Blocks under the pan to stabilize. The HEI emergency ignition, and a "Saturday morning" carb adapter on top of the manifold. Beat up old jumper cables and a couple of clip leads and we are on the air!!
Some ranting:
1.....As pointed out many times, "the gear/ distributor/ rotor can point to China..............."
2......The "guy before you" may NOT have installed the drive gear "by the book."
3.....Some distributors do NOT have the distributor drive tang indexed to the rotor in the same way as the "original."
So you can "start" by dropping in the new one same as the old. If the rotor does not point at the same angle............what do you do?
A.........Either move the drive gear, or
B.........Move the plug wires to compensate
THE FACTORY MANUAL has a drawing showing the index for the factory setup on the drive gear. IT DOES NOT MATTER
The distributors/ drive gears were originally installed "so" so that the assembly line folks could rinse/ repeat, so that the plug wires "lay nice" and so that tune up guys "see what they expect."
HOW I INSTALL AND TIME AN ENGINE
There is only two ways practically to determine "no 1 ready to fire" also known as "compression stroke:"
1: If either valve cover is off, bring the marks to TDC, and look at no1 and or no6 valves, and determine if they are both closed, or about equally open. Which ever set is closed is ready to fire
2: Otherwise remove no1 plug, "stick your finger in" and bump the engine around checking for compression. When you START to feel it, stop and watch for the marks
DO NOT set the marks on TDC, but rather "where you want" the timing, say, 15BTC or whatever
Drop in the dist with the rotor as close to "where you want" for no1 and you only have two positions of course, 1/2 turn off
Move the dist. body so it has "swing" for clearance and adjustment. RETARD the dist. body, and bring it back "advance" until the pickup/ reluctor are aligned. Set the cap on/off/on/off until you determine which tower the rotor is just approaching (NOT!! leaving!!!) Bear in mind SB rotate CW, B/RB rotate CCW
Now set the "static" timing. IF YOU have points, you can move the dist from retard to advance until the points "just open." Use a 12V light, or just "rig" a wire/ plug to the coil and listen/ watch for a spark "snap." Slowly go from retard/ closed to advanced/ open and stop!! at the spark
Or...........You can use a timing light and set it "on the starter"
With breakerless dist. you can also move the dist back and forth while producing a spark snap as you move past the pickup. Move slower and slower, and less and less until you "center" where this is and that is close enough to .....
START IT UP
You should not have to screw with timing to get it to fire and run.
MORE advance is almost always "somewhat better" because if you can get it to "kick" the starter then you can easily retard it some. Retarded usually produces backfire and is annoying.
This is an injected engine I recently fired up with a carb:
LMFAO Anybody figure out what this is?
Used my "emergency" ignition, which is a GM HEI in a box
Stick your finger in the hole..........
Bring marks to "where you want timing"
In this case you can NOT put dist in "where you want" because of interference from EFI manifold, so you drop the no1 wire in where the rotor points
Yeh. It's a mess, but it runs. Lakewood engine plate to mount the starter and a flywheel. Blocks under the pan to stabilize. The HEI emergency ignition, and a "Saturday morning" carb adapter on top of the manifold. Beat up old jumper cables and a couple of clip leads and we are on the air!!
Hi ok it should it should fire right up , by not moveing the crank .
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