Distributor Spark Plug Wire Orientation

[jpikaart]

Yesterday I verified the firing order and spark plug wiring.

I noticed something strange.

The normal orientation of the #1 spark plug wire is at 12 oc'clock with the 12 o'clock pointing to the front of the vehicle.

My distributor was set up by the previous owner by having the #1 wire at the 9 o'clock position; so all wires are in the right order, but shifted by 90 degrees. The engine starts and runs fine. I think it could have a little more power on acceleration. That was the resaon that I started to check the spark plug wire orientation.

Can any one gives me ideas as to what is going on?

The vacumn advance is in the proper 2 o'clock position.

 

[oldkimmer]

................this a big block??????then u would have to move the intermediate shaft

 

[70aarcuda]

Does not matter...as long as went the engine is at TDC no. 1 firing...the rotor is pointed no. 1 on the cap....you can move them like the "factory" but the engine will run the same....

to get it like the factory you will need to move the intermediate shaft


have you check the timing?

 

[jpikaart]

The engine is a small block 340.

I have not checked the timing, I will do that next.

 

[67Dart273]

If the engine runs, nothing you can do to "change orientation" is going to change anything.

Someone on here likes to say that "the distributor can point to China," LOL

There ARE engines where "this matters." The Odd / even fire V6s, and some industrial 4 whangers have cylinders "paired" so that every other pair of cylinders fires closer together

This is not an issue on any straight 6 or V8 that I'm aware of.

The only reason that there is a "specified way" is so that..........

The assembly line folks can "wrench, repeat."

the spark plug wires "lay" like they should

and tune up mechanics "see" what they expect.

 

[70aarcuda]

yes...I thought I said it can point at the moon....lol

 

[70aarcuda]

pictures...of factory setting...

this is with a Mopar Distributor where the slot at the bottom of the distributor points the same direction as the rotor....

some after market distributors are not like the mopar distributor

 

[70aarcuda]

aftermarket distributor with the intermediate shaft pointing as in the 1st photo..

 

[jpikaart]

Thanks for the photos, that will help.

I'm not so informed on these Mopars.

I used to work for GM and when I was young, these Dusters used to take me in my 1962 327cid Chev; so I spent some of my children's inheritence and bought one.

I believe the distributor is stock, so I will look at it and set it up the proper way and also verify the timing.

 

[pishta]

It rides in a hex so it can be dropped in 6 ways to Sunday (literally) and still be TDC. But the shot of the slot pointing toward the #1/#2 intake corners is the way the manual says to put it so the stock distributor vacuum pot can be oriented "correctly" or so it can be adjusted and not have the hose point into the intake.

 

[70aarcuda]

the intermediate shaft can be moved with a large flat tip screw driver...turn it clockwise...it will move up the gear..and then just move it around until you get it lined up the front intake manifold bolt on the driver side......you will need to move the plug wires around....do this with the engine sitting on # 1 TDC firing...

 

[67Dart273]

Heck, my first car, "I didn't know the difference," a 57 Chev 265

One day I drove into a service station, and the guy seemed to think "it could not possibly run" because "the spark plug wires are all wrong."