Distributor vacuum advance hitting intake.......

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Yes, just make sure you are on compression stroke # 1 cylinder, dampener line up, rotate the distributor where you want it pull the cap check rotor position pick your tower and move spark plug wires accordingly.
 
I know I'm over thinking this. I'm on board with you dicer. If the rotar is pointing at #1 cylinder you can pull dist out of the block and spin the housing wherever then set it right back down with the rotar in the same spot. Then simply reconfigure the plug wires.
 
j par said:
You can have the number one spark plug wire on any one of the eight spots as long as the rotor is facing it at number one top dead center.... Just because the factory has it aiming towards the number one doesn't mean a damn thing..
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And that’s the difference between a real mechanic and a wanna be. Kim
 
67Dart273 said:
All my life I used the "then popular" 2- piece KD tools with the connector piece in the middle. 1/2 on one end, 9/16 on the other. When I had the part time job at the NAS Miramar auto hobby shop, I used that on every car you can think of. Fords, Poncho's, Olds, Chev, and Mopar. And a few more.

kd tools 2 piece distributor wrench - Google Search
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I have and still use the two piece dis. wrench. If it does not work for you, you are not using it correctly. I turn the Vac can away from the hold down bolt and snug down the bolt, but can still turn back the vac can where about it belongs. Start car and set timing. Now tighten the bolt the remainder way, like a quarter turn. DONE!!!!
 
gtgto said:
Tried to reset my timing over the weekend. Found the vacuum advance hose was split cause its binding on the intake where the timing was set. After removing the cap I turned engine by hand to get rotor pointing to 1 on distributor and engine to TDC. I figured I would rotate the drive gear for the distributor a tooth or two clockwise which would essentially created the space I need for the vaccum hose to not bind on the intake. After doing this and re inserting the distributor the rotor was not far off from where it originally was pointing. I only moved it a tooth clockwise. Should I now move the plug wires one post clockwise? The rotor seemed to be pointing similarly to where it was originally but I have much more clearance for the VA hose. The rotor seemed to be in between posts on the cap. This is so basic yet a problem for my brain to comprehend. The car seems to be running fine but the timing mark seems to not be where it should be. I started getting annoyed and had to stop but I am planning on getting under the hood when I get home today.
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This messes up a lot of people, whether the engine is designed with an intermediate shaft or not. Mopars and Chevys have a slot drive, so the oil pump and distributor can only engage in one of two positions, 180° from eachother. Fords use a hex drive that gives 6 positions. To change the distributor or Mopar intermediate shaft orientation one or two teeth requires turning the oil pump the same number of degrees. Remembering also that the shaft has to rotate as it is dropped in place against the camshaft drive gear. This can take a bit of monkeying around.
I start with #1 coming up on compression and stop at the initial timing mark position. Then with the distributor out, rotate the distributor or intermediate shaft to where the manual shows. To get the oil pump on Chevys and Mopars to line up use a long screw driver or 1/8" cold roll 1/2" wide. You may need to narrow it to fit down into the oil pump. Some oil pumps have a flat drive end like a screw driver. For these cut a slot in a 3/8" or 7/16" all thread long enough to drop in. Red Loctite a nut on the top or tack weld it to turn it.
When you can get the distributor dropped in place with the rotor pointed to the desired #1 location. Two ways to do this. First is using a circuit test light. Turn the distributor to retard the timing with the engine not running. Connect a circuit test light between ground and the negative coil terminal. With the ignition turned on the circuit test light will not be illuminated as the resistance in the bulb is higher than the closed points or electronic circuit. Make sure the coil wire is out! Slowly advance the distributor until the test light illuminates. Lock the distributor down. The other way is basically the same but the coil wire is pulled out of the distributor cap and held about 7/16" from a ground. When the points just open or the reluctor aligns it will spark.
Now you should be happy. Verify timing with a timing light.
 
Riff Raff said:
To piggyback on the discussion and because I'm a lil dense. I need to rotate my housing 90/100° in order to access my tach drive. So I can simply get the rotar pointing to # 1 cylinder, rotate the housing where I want, then simply reset the plug wires in the correct firing order on the cap, correct?

View attachment 1715950815
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Yup. You have a correct grasp on the situation.
 
Riff Raff said:
To piggyback on the discussion and because I'm a lil dense. I need to rotate my housing 90/100° in order to access my tach drive. So I can simply get the rotar pointing to # 1 cylinder, rotate the housing where I want, then simply reset the plug wires in the correct firing order on the cap, correct?

View attachment 1715950815
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How bout some pictures of the engine in your avatar?
 
I've seen 2 different sets of directions about the subject of the slot on the distributor drive on a small block in different year FSMs. I don't know if it was a year thing or or if it was a car/truck thing or a body style by body style thing.....
Some say that the slot needs to be pointed at the front intake manifold bolt on the driver side (#1 cyl) and somewhere I seen where they showed a pic of the slot going directly front to back, parallel to the line of intake manifold bolts on the driver side. About the difference of 1 tooth position on the distributor drive.
Each of these were referenced, with #1 being at TDC. At this point I won't get into "TDC on which stroke"
 
Rusty that was a BB stroker that was in my duster. I traded the duster for the demon I'm currently working on.
 
I appreciate all the help guys. It's embarrassing really to not have just assessed and executed the situation. Overanalyzing and lack of sleep is a bad mix
 
It might be worth while to pull #1 plug, rotate the crank to a point just before TDC on the compression stroke which would bring the timing mark up near the tab @ 0 back it off a little and check piston position with something you can hold in place as a piston stop. Then mark the damper wheel and rotate the engine around until the piston contacts the stop again, mark the damper again and see if the original timing mark lines up @ 0 while the pistion is at TDC on the comp stroke for sure. See if the damper outer ring has slipped. If so than you will never get the engine to time right by using the timing marks. In this case you need to replace the damper before it completely fails. If the engine is an internally balance engine it isn't such a big problem but an external balance is a problem. Once you are certain there is no problem with the damper alignment then set the rotor and housing in a place than allows you adequate movement to time the distributor correctly set the #1 tower usually pointing toward #1 but not always. It was said it doesn't matter as long as the towers and wires get the spark to the right cyl. at the right time. Next is the issue of rotor alignment to cap which is partly adjusted by the advance link in the diaphram. I have seen many distributors that would place the rotor part way between towers which causes a big loss in power if the rotor is pulling away from the correct tower as the timing is advanced by the diaphram. It causes the required voltage to fire the plug to increase excessively when under load the reserve voltage the coil is capable of making is having to jump longer gaps in the cap instead of being left to jump the plug gap under high pressure which always goes up. There are 2 ways to see this, one is on the screen of an engine scope and the other is to look at the burning on the rotor and tower conductors, you have to be able to relate rotation to direction of the movement of these 2 pieces. if there is a problem here you can bend the link arm to move the pickup coil or points plate to get a better alignment. The other thing is a jumped timing chain, I had a 318 that was only 1 tooth off and it ran OK but ran better when I advanced the distributor a little which put the timing mark way off. It ran Ok because the chain was so stretched it was not all that for off when it was running but when I tried to set the timing where it should have been it ran like crap, so when I got to run Ok at idle with the advance connected and reved up the engine it would backfire and stall out until the rpm dropped down a little then take off again and backfire at the high end. Quick fix was to disconnect the vacuum and advance static timing until I could afford a new chain and gear set and had time to fix it. Some wire sets are hard to get to fit up when you put #1 towards #1 cyl which is why factory puts #1 somewhere else and marks the cap for #1 where ever.
gtgto said:
Tried to reset my timing over the weekend. Found the vacuum advance hose was split cause its binding on the intake where the timing was set. After removing the cap I turned engine by hand to get rotor pointing to 1 on distributor and engine to TDC. I figured I would rotate the drive gear for the distributor a tooth or two clockwise which would essentially created the space I need for the vaccum hose to not bind on the intake. After doing this and re inserting the distributor the rotor was not far off from where it originally was pointing. I only moved it a tooth clockwise. Should I now move the plug wires one post clockwise? The rotor seemed to be pointing similarly to where it was originally but I have much more clearance for the VA hose. The rotor seemed to be in between posts on the cap. This is so basic yet a problem for my brain to comprehend. The car seems to be running fine but the timing mark seems to not be where it should be. I started getting annoyed and had to stop but I am planning on getting under the hood when I get home today.
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ght be
 
Riff Raff said:
I appreciate all the help guys. It's embarrassing really to not have just assessed and executed the situation. Overanalyzing and lack of sleep is a bad mix
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No one is perfect, I had a couple of issues over the years, once I wired a 440 after a restoration and forgot the BB's spun the other way from SB's, another time I had the 4 wires from the dual ballast resistor switched thereby supplying only 6 volts to the coil instead of 10 or more, this made the alternator act wild too. The 440 that was on would barely start and run, it would backfire under acceleration and catch fire in the carb. I scratched my head for days on that because it acted like a serious vacuum leak in the manifold or a very lean jetting in the Holley. That engine was one that had alignment issues with the rotor and cap and pickup plate too. By the time I got all the bugs worked out of that setup I gained well over a 100 hp. It was always there just sleeping.
 
RustyRatRod said:
It certainly does and this thread is proof. If you don't have the intermediate shaft and the distributor in the correct spot, the vacuum advance can make contact with something and limit its travel. That is the OP's original complaint. It's either correct, or it's not. I never argued that it wouldn't WORK stabbed in another location. I said it's not correct and it's not.
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Yep, seen it first hand. It will hit the firewall, coil. Or possibly an intake runner on a high rise...seen em 180° out as well....
 
lemondana said:
I agree. Over the years, I have picked up several distributor wrenches at swap meets. The good name brand are the best. One time on Ebay, the seller had a nice new wrench that was specifically for a small block Mopar. It is perfect, has the right bends in the right places. I never have looked at it that well for a brand name. I will check tomorrow.
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Wow, Mopar Specific Small Block Distributor wrench? Post it up!
 
67Dart273 said:
"Back in the day" I have bent quite a few wrenches for "special uses." Smaller wrenches, perhaps smaller than 11/16, you can bend with a decent propane torch and a vise.
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I've done some strange things, milling sockets on a bench grinder, grinding flats to put a wrench on em, modified wrench length and bends, ect... it's kinda fun sometimes.....
 
RustyRatRod said:
Mac Tools S90. You can find a distributor wrench that will work for just about every dang engine ever made with a distributor in it.
MAC Tools 1/2" S90 Distributor Wrench V8 Chrysler Dodge Ford Super Duty Truck | eBay
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Killer, Man! I've been doing the 6 pt and a swivel for a minute. Got a really old 2 pc that works I found in a Duster also. Thinking the longer one you posted will have more torque. Hope You and Kitty, along with Everyone else (including the cats/ kitten) are well!
 
I find it easiest to just reach in there with a standard combo wrench.
I have a distributor wrench like the MAC Tools one posted above but had to modify the end as it hit the oil pressure sender (gauge).


Alan
 
AJ/FormS said:
I can tell you this before you get anal about where to turn the slot in the Distributor drive gear; to the engine, it doesn't matter where it is.
The only thing that matters is that whatever tower is above the rotor when #1 cylinder is at TDC compression, gets the #1 wire.
You can spend all day moving that slot 15 times and it will not change this.
Now whether or not you care about having it in the factory location, is up to you.
Furthermore, as already stated, when you drop the D in, immediately push the Vcan towards the firewall. Rotate the crank backwards from #1 TDC compression to about 10/15* BTDC (still on #1 Compression), then advance the D per instructions in post #7. Then mark the Outside of the D as to where the rotor is. Install the cap. Find the mark you made. Whatever tower is closest to your mark, now has to have the #1 wire installed. Then install the rest following the firing order. With the Vcan now as far back as is possible, you will have plenty of room to advance the thing.
As rustycow said;
The factory installation ensures that all the custom-length wires actually reach their intended destinations, and it looks pretty clean when done. Also, if the cap has a factory cast-in "1" at a particular tower, then that will be for cylinder No.1, with the factory installation method. But those are the ONLY reasons to try to install it the factory way..... otherwise, to the engine it just does not matter.
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That must have something to do with why VW put the dist. drive on an offset key in their boxers
 
Bret Tschacher said:
That must have something to do with why VW put the dist. drive on an offset key in their boxers
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Bret Tschacher said:
That must have something to do with why VW put the dist. drive on an offset key in their boxers
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I spent 50 years stabbing distributors and injector pumps so I can tell all of you it makes a difference, more so with injector lines, they don't bend like wires and in the end, you better have your S*$t straight when you finish no matter which or what you're working on. Number 1 is going to be lined up with #1 from both ends of wire or line or it isn't going to work ! Crank and cam are going to have to be in time right along with what ever is part of the ignition system. DIS systems or not timing is everything and that goes for life too. It doesn't work to be standing in front of a car, truck/bus or train at the wrong time if it's moving either. Like it was said else where in this post, get a SM and put it where the tech specs tell you to put it and wire the way it shows to save yourself a lot of headache.
 
Bret Tschacher said:
I spent 50 years stabbing distributors and injector pumps so I can tell all of you it makes a difference, more so with injector lines, they don't bend like wires and in the end, you better have your S*$t straight when you finish no matter which or what you're working on. Number 1 is going to be lined up with #1 from both ends of wire or line or it isn't going to work ! Crank and cam are going to have to be in time right along with what ever is part of the ignition system. DIS systems or not timing is everything and that goes for life too. It doesn't work to be standing in front of a car, truck/bus or train at the wrong time if it's moving either. Like it was said else where in this post, get a SM and put it where the tech specs tell you to put it and wire the way it shows to save yourself a lot of headache.
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I just don't understand all the opposition here, really. Of course it makes a difference. Sure it'll run the same, but the exterior of the distributor will not be in the right place and could contact other objects, which is EXACTLY what this thread is about, yet there are people arguing against doing something the right way. The logic just escapes me.
 
RustyRatRod said:
I just don't understand all the opposition here, really. Of course it makes a difference. Sure it'll run the same, but the exterior of the distributor will not be in the right place and could contact other objects, which is EXACTLY what this thread is about, yet there are people arguing against doing something the right way. The logic just escapes me.
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Rob, most ppl here think u r a GOD. And don’t let them forget it! Kim
 
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