Thread: Swapped Distributor problems

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still waiting to see if buddychiefguy took his distributor back out and tried getting his number 1 position correct on reinstalation.

Originally posted by Thunderbucket
One more time,,,and i quote,,,,,, "The distributor dropped in and seated without a problem. Engine cranked fine, but the timing was WAY off. The timing mark was all the way on the other side from where the marks are. I rotated it back to 6 degrees and it idled fine, but runs like crap. Tried everything between 6 and 16 degrees and it does not run well. If it's low in gear and you go to accelarate it will pop and jump and it just has a knock to it like a plug is fouled (althought they are not).

he is on 6 degree with the light and lets say that is what its suppose to be, what are you telling him he should do now with the timing now?

it dont make no dif. where you put the dist. in at as long as you can turn it back around to #1 and set the timimg with a light. the rotor is not turning the cap is. if ihe light shows 10 degrees then that what it is. if there is nothing in the way you can turn the dist. around 100 times, come back to #1 and then set the timing with a light and it would be correct.

I am not saying this to be arguementative,,,,but he said:
"The timing mark was all the way on the other side from where the marks are"
I would take that to mean,,,the timing mark was near the opposite side of the pully,,,,,,and yes,,,,he could rotate his distributor enough to bring the mark closer,,,,but it still looks like he's 180 out,,,,,at least,,thats the way he is writing it,,,,,and i guess i'm interprating it that way.
I would suppose anything is possible,,like changing your wire rotation/placement,,,,and rotating the distributor enough to get it where you want it,,,but it still dont make it right.

Originally posted by Thunderbucket
still waiting to see if buddychiefguy took his distributor back out and tried getting his number 1 position correct on reinstalation.

so you belive he sat the timing on 6 degrees before with the light, but he can pull the dist out and find another 6 degrees. i got news for you, it ant but one true 6 degrees on that motor that its gonna run on at all and he was there. the way youre talking, sounds like you belive hes 180 off. it wont run 180 off.

If he was 180 off,,and was able to rotate his distributor all the way around, and also changed the position of his plug wires on the cap,,,it is concievable that he could indeed get his 6deg mark back again.(most GM distributors will not rotate a full 360deg either direction because of the vaccume advance unit running up against the motor.)
I could be misinterperating his words,,,,but when he say's the timing mark "on the pully" is way on the other side of the block then it would indicate he's got something wrong for sure.
And i'm still waiting like you,,,,,to find out the real story here.

Originally posted by Thunderbucket
I am not saying this to be arguementative,,,,but he said:
"The timing mark was all the way on the other side from where the marks are"
I would take that to mean,,,the timing mark was near the opposite side of the pully,,,,,,and yes,,,,he could rotate his distributor enough to bring the mark closer,,,,but it still looks like he's 180 out,,,,,at least,,thats the way he is writing it,,,,,and i guess i'm interprating it that way.
I would suppose anything is possible,,like changing your wire rotation/placement,,,,and rotating the distributor enough to get it where you want it,,,but it still dont make it right.

if you can see the timing mark on the pulley and can bring the dist back to the correct timing mark on the tab, thats all you can do, you are in time.

In any ordinary sense i would aggree with you,,,,but i have seen some weird in my time,,,,like a fully rebuilt 396 running backwards,,,idling completely happy until it ate it'self.

Here are the proper GM installation instructions, From a proffesional engine builder, so dont shoot the messenger, READ CAREFULLY.

How to Install Your Chevy Distributor
A distributor can actually be dropped into a block in virtually any orientation and made to function by re-arranging the
spark plug wires to match the installation. You will see this approach to distributor installation quite frequently, and it is a
sure-fire tip-off that the engine builder/distributor installer didn’t have a clue about how to do the job right.
GM always installed the distributor in a specific orientation, and always used the same distributor cap “tower” for the #1
spark plug. By following this procedure, your distributor will be installed in the correct factory position for a professional
appearance.
1. Bring the engine up to Top Dead Center on the Compression Stroke and align the timing mark on the harmonic
balancer with the 8-degree mark on the timing chain cover (or wherever you want the engine to fire. 8 Degrees is a
good starting point for an initial start-up, but you can set it anywhere from 6 to 12 degrees before top center).
To Find Top Dead Center on the Compression Stroke with the engine in the car:
a. Remove the #1 spark plug
b. Disconnect the coil wire from the distributor cap and ground it
c. Have a helper plug the #1 spark plug hole with a finger.
d. With the starter, slowly “bump” the engine over until the helper feels air being forced by his finger.
You are now coming up on the compression stroke. Align the timing marks as noted above.
To Find Top Dead Center on the Compression Stroke with the engine out of the car:
a. Remove the valve cover on the driver’s side of the engine to expose the valves for cylinder #1.
b. Rotate the crankshaft until the timing mark approaches top dead center. Observe the exhaust valve.
c. If the exhaust valve is moving as you are approaching top dead center, you are on the exhaust
stroke.
You need to rotate the crankshaft one more time.
d. If neither valve is moving as you approach top dead center, you are on the compression stroke.
Align the timing marks as noted above.
2. Install the rotor to the distributor.
3. Hold the distributor body in the orientation show in figure 1 relative to the engine/block and drop the distributor
straight down into the block. Pay no attention to rotor orientation at this time. If the rotor is aligned with the oil pump
driveshaft, the distributor will drop all the way down and seat. If the rotor does NOT line up, the distributor will not
drop all the way down.
4. If the distributor does NOT drop all the way down (chances are best that it won’t), pull the distributor up out of the
block just enough to disengage the rotor from the camshaft gear, and turn the rotor a little bit. Drop it down again.
Repeat this until the distributor drops all the way down and the rotor engages with the oil pump.
5. The distributor will now be all the way into the block, but the rotor will not be properly aligned. You can now pull the
distributor up until the cam gear disengages, turn the rotor JUST A HAIR (half a cam tooth), and drop it straight back
down again. The rotor will now move one tooth over, and the chamfer on the oil pump shaft will allow the oil pump to
line back up. The distributor will drop all the way back in again, with the rotor moved over one tooth. (If it doesn’t
work, try rotating the rotor the opposite direction.) Repeat this operation (I call it “walking the distributor”) by lifting
the distributor up, slightly moving the rotor, and dropping it back in until you’ve “walked” the rotor around to its
correct position as shown in the figure below. Once you get the technique down, you can do this very quickly – much
quicker than trying to align the oil pump driveshaft with a screwdriver while looking down the hole. The screwdriver
technique also requires that you pull the distributor ALL THE WAY OUT to fiddle around with the screwdriver
several times until you get it right. So try my “walking” technique: it’s quick and accurate.
6. Once you have “walked” the rotor into position, you should be able to obtain the orientation of the distributor body
and the rotor as shown in Figure 1. Install the distributor hold-down clamp and bolt. Snug it, but leave it loose enough
that you can rotate the distributor smoothly.
7. Attach an Ohm-Meter (continuity tester) between the distributor primary lead wire (the wire coming out of the bottom
of the distributor body) and ground (any point on the engine). Rotate the distributor body SLIGHTLY clockwise from
the orientation shown in Figure 1 until you read continuity (points are closed – giving continuity to ground). Now,
SLOWLY rotate the distributor body counter-clockwise until the points JUST break open (loss of continuity on the
ohm meter). The instant the points break open is the ignition firing point. Tighten your distributor hold-down bolt at
this point. Your distributor body and rotor should now be aligned like Figure 1 (or VERY close).
8. Slip your distributor cap onto the distributor. Notice which “tower” is the #1 plug wire. With a felt marker, place a
little mark on the distributor body at the #1 tower position. Pull the cap back off, and verify that the rotor is pointing
to this mark (or VERY close). If it’s not, you’re most likely off by a tooth. Repeat the installation steps.
9. If everything is aligned (and it will be if you followed these steps), install the cap and install the plug wires as shown
in figure 2.
10. Start the engine. It will fire and run immediately if the above steps have been followed.
11. Set the dwell to 30 – 31 degrees (always set dwell before setting timing. Changing the dwell changes the timing)

An old guy once told be about "UPDRAFT" carburators,,,i thought he was pulling my leg,,,until he showed me one.
I have seen too much in my life to doubt at face value.

Well i guess i'm a stickler for proper installation,,,when i do an install,,i do it the right way,,,the only way i know how,,,and when i fix something,,it stay's fixed.

We'll see i guess when he reports back on his progress.

thats a bunch of bull crap. how many motors do he time in a day 1 ? he would go hungary going by that. i did work at GM but i dont think i saw that in no manuel, but it still dont change the fact if it shows 6 degrees with a light then its 6 degrees, i dont care how you put the dist in. im gonna say it one more time it dont make no dif. where #1 wire is in the cap as long you can set the timing with a light. anybody that says dif. than that dont know what hes talking about, any body that has to follow those inst. to time a dist have no understanding of timing at all.

yes,,but wouldn't that proceedure affect his dwell?
Are the degree angles between each point on the cap the same as that of the reluctor points?

Originally posted by Thunderbucket
Well i guess i'm a stickler for proper installation,,,when i do an install,,i do it the right way,,,the only way i know how,,,and when i fix something,,it stay's fixed.

We'll see i guess when he reports back on his progress.

are you saying i didnt do it right? you got to get up early in the morning to do it any better than i did. the guy had his car running with the timing set with a light and you are telling him to pull his dist. back out and re time it. its no need to do that, its not gonna change nothing. he need to go on to something else.

Originally posted by Thunderbucket
yes,,but wouldn't that proceedure affect his dwell?
Are the degree angles between each point on the cap the same as that of the reluctor points?

no, all of them are the same. wouldnt make no dif. if they was dif. the timing would fix that.

Your point is well taken,,,i've just never had to do it that way before.