distributor drive gear in the wrong position

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Jkirk

Jkirk

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1965 273 The distributor drive gear in the wrong position slot is pointing to cylinder #6 not in a straight line with the front left bolt of the intake I have replaced the timing chain verified #1 tdc with a mechanical stop made and marked a new timing pointer. How do I change the position of this gear?
 
Rotate the gear backwards with a screwdriver. A light touch and the gear will pop up. You just need to rotate the gear, let it drop down. Do this until it lines up right.
Rod
 
You actually don't HAVE to, but usually, can just take a large screwdriver and "walk" the gear up. That is, turn the gear (I forget which direction) and the gear will walk right up out of the helix of the gears

But you don't HAVE to you can simply drop the no1 wire in whatever plug wire tower the rotor ends up pointing to and go from there.
 
Clockwise worked for me!

67Dart273 said:
You actually don't HAVE to, but usually, can just take a large screwdriver and "walk" the gear up. That is, turn the gear (I forget which direction) and the gear will walk right up out of the helix of the gears

But you don't HAVE to you can simply drop the no1 wire in whatever plug wire tower the rotor ends up pointing to and go from there.
Click to expand...
 
67Dart273 said:
But you don't HAVE to you can simply drop the no1 wire in whatever plug wire tower the rotor ends up pointing to and go from there.
Click to expand...

X2... the only time its necessary to make sure that the rotor is still in the right location is if the cam position for a computer car is in the dist like on some fuel injected cars. but ill admit that i put the gear in the right position because of this situation so that people that are unfamiliar with this can do there own work with out confusion. like whats already been said take a big screw drive pull up while twisting and you'll get it. you might have to work it a couple times but you will get it
 
I like to do things right. My cap has a 1 and a rotation arrow on it so thats where I want my number 1 wire.
 
daredevil said:
Its much simpler to rotate the dist. drive gear than it sounds.
Click to expand...

I guess when I say these things I think of all the 90K + milers I've run into where --oh like--fer instance--ever worked on an Olds where you had to use a damn slide hammer to get the distributor OUT of the engine?

Or it's so crudded up you had to use a backhow to dig a nest for the dist. to seat back down IN?

Ever seen one so bad the LIFTERS would not come out?

This kind of thing, b'lieve me, puts a whole new slant on "walking the drive gear."

THIS IS A TRUE STORY (I digress) One time a Lt JG came into the auto shop with a late 60s Ferd 390 barely running. New cap, rotor, points, plugs, wires.

First thing I see is that the points are BARELY opening, in fact they aren't opening on all cylinders.

Second thing is that someone previously had dropped a points screw down inside, and destroyed the mechanical advance, so no mechanical advance.

Third thing is the vacuum advance can was popped, so no VACUUM advance

AND he'd installed the plug wires THE WRONG ROTATION around the cap, so it was fireing on TWO cylinders plus crossfiring on I don't know what else

1. points barely opening
2. no mechanical advance
3. no vacuum advance
4. plug wires all wrong except two

HOW DID THIS THING GET HERE? I asked him.

And speakin' of Ford FE's, I used to find a fair number of 'em on which the balancer had slipped. Quite often, you'd find me rocking the crank to feel for cam drive wear, or using a piston stop to check the timing marks. I HATE phenolic top sprockets.
 
67Dart273 said:
And speakin' of Ford FE's, I used to find a fair number of 'em on which the balancer had slipped. Quite often, you'd find me rocking the crank to feel for cam drive wear, or using a piston stop to check the timing marks. I HATE phenolic top sprockets.
Click to expand...

i have seen balancer on all three makes slipped. i hate those timing gears also had an old mechanic friend of mine told me it was done for engine noise reduction. hard to believe.
 
System up and running. vss installed, three wire O2, timing correct, now just need to reprogram the chip. Who has a mopar small block bin file for a gm ecu?
 

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daredevil said:
I like to do things right. My cap has a 1 and a rotation arrow on it so thats where I want my number 1 wire.
Click to expand...

Its not "Wrong" to have your number 1 wire start from any position, your motor doesnt know or care where it is. As long as at top dead center(firing) the distributor rotor is a hair past contact on cap for #1 wire (advanced). It will fire and run, then dial in with a light.
 
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