why does it matter if a distributor is off a tooth when the whole distributor body can be rotated ? I read all the threads i could find about it and how you can set no 1 anywhere on the distributor, but why would it matter if it's off a tooth?
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why does it matter if a distributor is off a tooth when the whole distributor body can be rotated ? I read all the threads i could find about it and how you can set no 1 anywhere on the distributor, but why would it matter if it's off a tooth?
if it's off a tooth you can compensate by moving the plug wires but its just not right :whacked:
It doesn't matter if you have room to rotate the housing anywhere you want it.
if I disconnected the distributor primary and secondary wires I could spin my dizzy all day long
thats the problem, you have to disconect the wires, doesn't work to good then :LOL:
but it's fun to spin my dizzy
HEY, spin your dizzy to and fro, see how fast you can make it go, grab a wire and you will glow, to and fro, to and fro. Somebody needs to set this to music. :LOL:
put it where ever you wont #1 to be and set the timing, it dont make no dif. :HMMM:Quote:
Originally posted by firebird45331
why does it matter if a distributor is off a tooth when the whole distributor body can be rotated ? I read all the threads i could find about it and how you can set no 1 anywhere on the distributor, but why would it matter if it's off a tooth?
Agreed, agreed, but it sure makes the hard core purists go nuts. :DQuote:
Originally posted by lt1s10
put it where ever you wont #1 to be and set the timing, it dont make no dif. :HMMM:
not if you check #1 compression stroke ea. time you put the dist. in. I never took for granted #1 was where it was suppose to be. :cool:Quote:
Originally posted by NTFDAY
Agreed, agreed, but it sure makes the hard core purists go nuts. :D
ps- i dont belive there was a #1 stamped on the first hei dist. caps. i'd been working on them about 10 yrs before i ever saw a #1 and it was to late to change then.
What I meant Mike is that I have run into some folks that just go crazy if things aren't exactly where they are supposed to be.
Quote:
Originally posted by NTFDAY
What I meant Mike is that I have run into some folks that just go crazy if things aren't exactly where they are supposed to be.
i sorry i thought you was talking about yourself. like i said before it was a long time before i knew there was a #1 stamped on the cap. **)
talking about things you didnt know, but worked on the stuff everyday, was the GM dist. gear. i bet i had put on 50 of them before i knew it was a right or wrong way to do it. either it didnt make no dif. or i was lucky. i dont know for sure, but i dont know of any problems i caused on any of them. :whacked:
Know what you mean. Years ago I had an early Corvette dual point dist in my '36 coupe and some guy got all over me because I had #1 sitting in #4 or so. I didn't care, it worked and I knew where everything was. :DQuote:
Originally posted by lt1s10
i sorry i thought you was talking about yourself. like i said before it was a long time before i knew there was a #1 stamped on the cap. **)
I think I did it to be mean. at one time most mechanics didn't know you could do that. they would pull the wires out of the cap for whatever reason and then put them back by the book and then the motor wouldn't fire, boy they would get mad. that's the reason I got in the habit of checking for TDC, because I might have been the last one to work on it. :LOL:Quote:
Originally posted by NTFDAY
Know what you mean. Years ago I had an early Corvette dual point dist in my '36 coupe and some guy got all over me because I had #1 sitting in #4 or so. I didn't care, it worked and I knew where everything was. :D
ok when I installed my distributor. I set the timing at tdc 0 degrees, set the distributor at the number one position and dropped it down. I was reading the instructions and sheets for the cam I got and it said to set it at tdc then move the timing pointer to 10 degrees or whatever was stock and then set the distributor at the number one firing position. Did I do it right or did I do it wrong?
to get it closer...
you can set the timing tab at the spec's 8deg's or what ever...
Drop the dist. and either line up the cam (points closed) for points or... line up the timer core....point to point... this will usually get you within 2 degrees of where it should be...
I do not know how true this is but I have been told that on the last v-8's to get a distributor that it DOES make a difference where the dist. is.... it has to be spot on... I was told the there was one dimple in the dist and 2 on the cam gear and that the dist. had to be correctly phased with cam or the computer would pop a trouble code??? some one can correct me if I am wrong...
you can put the dist. in upside down if you want to, if when you shut the hood the timing is set where you want it. what degree you put the dist. in the block makes no dif. you got to set the timing anyway. :rolleyes:
set the dist. gear dimple in line with the rotor button pointer.
You can put the wires any where if you have EVEN firing crankshafts. Some GM V6's have a 108-132 ground cranks instead of 120 degees. 360 times 2 divided by 6. if you put the wire in the wrong holes and set the timing with a lite, 3 cylinders will be dead on and the other three will be firing 24 degrees off. they run terrible when you do that,
as far as i know the latest gm dist's have correct cap wiring meaning the plug wires line up in order for neatness underhood and have the firing order built into cap sooooooo on those engines it does make a difference on how you drop the dist in
It sounds like you did good bird, and most of what's being said is correct in it's own right. Technically, in your instance, you can pretty much drop a distributor in on TDC #1 (on compression, not exhaust) and where ever the rotor is at will determine where #1 wire is at on the cap. I'd have to look 'cause it's late and I don't remember, but I usually put # 1 up front on the right if I'm not mistaken, maybe the left, but either way I only have so much play on my dizzy because of the vacuum advance. It will only allow me to move certain amount in a limited space. Not because of timing, but because of space on the top of my motor. So this being said, there is a sweet spot where the dizzy will drop in so you have enough to advance it right, or retard it a bit, and the wires look nice and fit under the air cleaner properly. Even my fancy edelbrock air cleaner has a dimple for my dizzy. But if your a tooth to the right or a tooth to the left your timing curve will be off accordingly, so you won't hit that sweet spot.Quote:
Originally posted by firebird45331
ok when I installed my distributor. I set the timing at tdc 0 degrees, set the distributor at the number one position and dropped it down. I was reading the instructions and sheets for the cam I got and it said to set it at tdc then move the timing pointer to 10 degrees or whatever was stock and then set the distributor at the number one firing position. Did I do it right or did I do it wrong?
I hope that helps and doesn't just make it seem harder. Timing is a very complicated simple thing.
:cool: You got a pic of one of those critters Dawg ?:3dSMILE:Quote:
Originally posted by COONDAWG
as far as i know the latest gm dist's have correct cap wiring meaning the plug wires line up in order for neatness underhood and have the firing order built into cap sooooooo on those engines it does make a difference on how you drop the dist in
im trying to get a pic into the message having trouble be there shortly
hope this works-------- hey it works
you are saying that cap came on a 350 chev. from the factory? what yr.?Quote:
Originally posted by COONDAWG
hope this works-------- hey it works
I should know from bein' a parts jockey, it's like late '90's. They also did one that had wires attatched about the same time. Only for a year or two before they went distributorless. I would say that cap was earlier than the built in wires, '97, '98.Quote:
Originally posted by lt1s10
you are saying that cap came on a 350 chev. from the factory? what yr.?
like 97-99 vortec