Distributor installation

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angeldust72

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How do you install the electronic ig. distributor so it woun't be 180 degress off? Where shoud the rotor be pointing if the engine is at TDC?
 
TDC beginning of the power stroke. Put your finger over the spark plug hole as you're turning the engine over with a socket on the end of the crank bolt. When you hear or feel air being pushed out of the cylinder the piston is coming up on the compression stroke then immediately put the crank dampener at TDC.

Terry
 
Before you install take distributor cap off your old one,see where rotor is pointing eg. 3 5 hopefully 1. pull the dist. putnew one in but turn rotor 1/4 back counter clock wise and turn in as you drop in.the rotor should be in the same position as the old one.Set your timing and tighten down.Hope this helps.Good Luck!
 
a couple of folks told me that the #1 cylindar cap tower should be at 6 o'clock looking at the firewall. But to me that is not possible since the oil drive slot is pointing at the 1 cylinder bolt when at TDC. The rotor when at TDC actually is something like at 10 o'clock, and aren't I right that rotor would be at the relocutor (contact )when firing at TDC?
 
But where is #1 on the rotor, someone told me that #1 is at 6 o'lock facing the firewall. But that's not possible is the oil drive slot is pointin to the #1 cylinder bole, right?
 
I'm installing a new distribuotr, that's wher I'm confused. Wher should the distributor rotor be facing. Wouldn't it be and the reloctor contact?
 
OK, if it points 10 o clock at TDC then it just stab the dist so it's pointing at 4 o clock instead.

Once the gear is correctly installed it can only be 180* off or right on the money.
 
demonseed was right except that when you feel air pressure on your finger as you are turning the crank damper the engine is coming up on the compression stroke, not exhaust. Which is where you need the number one cylinder to be at TDC with the crank damper on the zero degree mark. As stated, the distributor rotor should be pointing to the number 1 terminal on the cap which on a small block is "approx" 6 oclock as you face the firewall. If the distributor drive gear position hasn't been moved then your new distributor will drop into the slot in the drive gear. You are either right on or 180 degrees off on a small block Mopar. There is no one tooth off with the distributor like a Ford small block can be. You can only be a tooth off if the distributor drive has been moved a tooth one way or the other on the camshaft. I doubt that this would be the case here if all your doing is pulling out your old distributor. Don't use the reluctor in the distributor as a position locator for the rotor. Use the cap as your reference at the number one terminal.

Confused yet??
 
416stroker said:
demonseed was right except that when you feel air pressure on your finger as you are turning the crank damper the engine is coming up on the compression stroke, not exhaust. Which is where you need the number one cylinder to be at TDC with the crank damper on the zero degree mark. As stated, the distributor rotor should be pointing to the number 1 terminal on the cap which on a small block is "approx" 6 oclock as you face the firewall. If the distributor drive gear position hasn't been moved then your new distributor will drop into the slot in the drive gear. You are either right on or 180 degrees off on a small block Mopar. There is no one tooth off with the distributor like a Ford small block can be. You can only be a tooth off if the distributor drive has been moved a tooth one way or the other on the camshaft. I doubt that this would be the case here if all your doing is pulling out your old distributor. Don't use the reluctor in the distributor as a position locator for the rotor. Use the cap as your reference at the number one terminal.

Confused yet??
Click to expand...

Yes it was a miss print, a screw up, I meant the compression stoke opps.

Terry
 
angeldust72 said:
a couple of folks told me that the #1 cylindar cap tower should be at 6 o'clock looking at the firewall. But to me that is not possible since the oil drive slot is pointing at the 1 cylinder bolt when at TDC. The rotor when at TDC actually is something like at 10 o'clock, and aren't I right that rotor would be at the relocutor (contact )when firing at TDC?
Click to expand...

Lets back up the boat here angeldust that distibutor only rotates 1 revolution for every 2 revolutions of the crankshaft. If you haven't removed the oil pump drive gear and shaft assembly then you can only put the distibutor in the hole in 1 of 2 positions. Firstly make sure that No.1 cylinder is at Top Dead Center, at the end of its compression stroke (got it right this time) and beginning of the power stroke and the crank balancer should be at TDC. Now you've got a straight slot on the end of the drive gear which says that you can only put the distributor in one way or the other. You'll also notice on the inner shaft of the dizzy there are 8 tits, if this was a 6 cyl. engine there would be 6 tits, and also inside the dizzy one reluctor pickup. Drop the distributor into the block meshing the slot in the gear with the end of the dizzy shaft. Now turn the dizzy outer housing so that one of the tits is directly over the middle of the reluctor and check your gap then snug down the distributor lock plate to block. Watch that you've got clearance on both sides of the vacuum advance cuss you're going to have to turn the dizzy slightly with the engine running to fine tune the timing. Now lets say that when you drop the dissy into the engine the rotor tip is pointing towards the fire wall, that's fine, that just means that the No.1 plug wire goes to the fire wall side connector on the cap when the cap is snapped down. The rest of the wires are connected to the cap following the engine firing order starting at No.1.
Now lets say that you don't want the rotor tip (for No,1) pointing at the firewall, you want it pointing at the carb instead, for plug wire routing reasons. Fine, remove the dissy from the engine and rotate the dizzy shaft only 180 degrees so that now No.1 is now on the carb side of the distributor and drop it back into the slot and recheck that the tit is still over the center of the reluctor, if not turn the distributor housing till it is.

Terry
 
angeldust72

If you need to check the air gap on the reluctor, make it easy on yourself and check it with the distributor out of the engine. It's a whole lot easier to do at a work bench where you can really get at it and get a clear picture of what you're doing. Once it's set, it won't change after the distributor is installed back in the engine. If the distributor is new, it should be already set, but there's no harm in checking it to be sure. You 'll need a brass or non mettallic gauge to check it as the reluctor acts as a magnet and will grab a metal gauge.
 
demon seed said:
Heh, cut me some slack eh, besides I was just seeing if there was anybody awake out there.;

Terry
Click to expand...

You bet!!

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