Welcome to Deves Technet.com Forums. I encourage everyone to register so we can get a better idea of the traffic and its usefulness. Please leave a word or two describing your stay and what we can do to make it more enjoyable. Thanks!
Tweet
I got an email from a fellow who has a 216 engine. He took his Distributor out but did not check its orientation first. Then he turned the engine, so he was wondering what to do to get it back to where the Distributor is installed correctly. The following is how to get yourself out of this dilemma. When you think about it, it really gives you peace of mind knowing how to do this. If you don't already know, maybe this will help you someday....
1) Remove the Distributor by unscrewing the bolt that goes sideways through the vac advance. Leave the vac advance on the engine. To ensure the vac advance is where it is supposed to be, loosen the hold-down bolt and twist it until the octane measure meets with the hash mark on the block. Re-tighten the hold-down bolt. No need to remove or loosen the vac tubing.
2) Remove all of the spark plugs. This is to get the compression off of the motor so you can turn the motor by hand. You will be going through several revolutions, so this is an important step. No need to remember where the plug wires go.
3) Remove the Valve Cover. Now for the fun part. Since we do not know where the engine is right now, we need to look very carefully at the number one and number six rockers. Rotate the engine CW until you see the lifters (both of them) start rocking on #6. Cylinder numbers are 1 for the cylinder closest to the fan and 6 near the firewall in sequential order. Once they start to rock, keep moving it until they stop rocking. This 20 degree or so sweet spot is approximately the #1 Cylinders firing position. Rotate it back CCW to the MIDDLE of that sweet spot. With a flashlight, take a look through that hole in the flywheel housing above the starter. The pointer should be pointing to either a BB that is embedded in the flywheel, or a triangle that is stamped on the flywheel. Go to the trouble to confirm you see these things. Once you have located the BB, slightly move the engine so that the pointer and the BB line up. That is 3 degrees BTDC, the place that you need to be.
4) Hard part will be cleaning the flywheel enough to see the BB and/or the triangle stamp. The BB is 3 degrees BTDC, The Triangle is Top Dead Center. If for some reason you have no BB, you WILL have a triangle so put it there.
---------------
SIDE NOTE: STOP HERE and get your electric drill and chuck up a large screwdriver (remove the handle). Stick the screwdriver shaft down the Distributor Hole until the screwdriver tip engages the slot then run the drill at full speed. Be steady!! Keep the shaft in the center of the hole. With someone in the drivers seat, ask them to tell you what the oil pressure gauge reads while running the drill. You will be glad you did this to confirm your oil pressure. What number? I do not know without knowing the year model, but it doesn't matter as long as when you run that drill, Oil will spurt up through the holes in the rockers. Each rocker has a hole that should be clear and oil should be lazily going up there to oil the top end. It is not pressured very much, so expect very little but noticeable oil flow.
------------
5) Drop the distributor in the hole with the clamps that hold down the Distributor Cap parallel with the engine block. (One front, one back). In the bottom of that Distributor hole is a rotating slot. With a very large screwdriver, move that slot so that it corresponds with the male slot on your Distributor. It will be annoying and you will have to try this a bunch of times. The reason is the Cam Gear is twisting the gear at the bottom before it hits the slot. Play with this until you have anticipated the distance it moves, and do that until it drops clear down to the bottom of the hole. You will feel it. It is imperative you get it to ker-thunk down into the very bottom of the hole.
6) Don't tighten it yet. Put the rotor on and observe where it is pointing. Is it pointing to about 10 or 11 o'clock or is it pointing to about 4 or 5 o'clock? If it is not pointing to 4-5 o'clock, take it out and try again by turning the shaft exactly 180 degrees. You want it somewhere in the 4-6 o'clock range. This is with the cap clamps parallel exactly with the block, and the grease cup pointing at about 8 o'clock. (approximate) and the wire to connect it to the coil is almost straight out of the from the block.
7) Once you have it dropped down ALL the way, tighten that screw that goes sideways to clamp it down. But, on starting it, you will want to watch your oil pressure VERY closely. This is because it is possible to THINK you have it down far enough to make the oil pump work, but you don't! Follow the order 1-5-3-6-2-4 for the plug wires on the cap. The #1 cylinder on the engine goes to the location the rotor is pointed to on the cap. Then go around the order from there.
8) After you have it running, it wont run very good because its not tuned yet, loosen that sideways screw enough to allow the Distributor to rotate but rather hard. Then with both hands (do NOT lift up) rotate the distributor a little while it's running and notice how it runs. Find the sweet spot and you are done!
To get it fine tuned, go to the 2nd link listed below. The 1st link is where I got the above information many years ago. Seeya next week!
http://devestechnet.com/Figures/enginetiming.pdf
http://devestechnet.com/Home/TuneUpGuide
1) Remove the Distributor by unscrewing the bolt that goes sideways through the vac advance. Leave the vac advance on the engine. To ensure the vac advance is where it is supposed to be, loosen the hold-down bolt and twist it until the octane measure meets with the hash mark on the block. Re-tighten the hold-down bolt. No need to remove or loosen the vac tubing.
2) Remove all of the spark plugs. This is to get the compression off of the motor so you can turn the motor by hand. You will be going through several revolutions, so this is an important step. No need to remember where the plug wires go.
3) Remove the Valve Cover. Now for the fun part. Since we do not know where the engine is right now, we need to look very carefully at the number one and number six rockers. Rotate the engine CW until you see the lifters (both of them) start rocking on #6. Cylinder numbers are 1 for the cylinder closest to the fan and 6 near the firewall in sequential order. Once they start to rock, keep moving it until they stop rocking. This 20 degree or so sweet spot is approximately the #1 Cylinders firing position. Rotate it back CCW to the MIDDLE of that sweet spot. With a flashlight, take a look through that hole in the flywheel housing above the starter. The pointer should be pointing to either a BB that is embedded in the flywheel, or a triangle that is stamped on the flywheel. Go to the trouble to confirm you see these things. Once you have located the BB, slightly move the engine so that the pointer and the BB line up. That is 3 degrees BTDC, the place that you need to be.
4) Hard part will be cleaning the flywheel enough to see the BB and/or the triangle stamp. The BB is 3 degrees BTDC, The Triangle is Top Dead Center. If for some reason you have no BB, you WILL have a triangle so put it there.
---------------
SIDE NOTE: STOP HERE and get your electric drill and chuck up a large screwdriver (remove the handle). Stick the screwdriver shaft down the Distributor Hole until the screwdriver tip engages the slot then run the drill at full speed. Be steady!! Keep the shaft in the center of the hole. With someone in the drivers seat, ask them to tell you what the oil pressure gauge reads while running the drill. You will be glad you did this to confirm your oil pressure. What number? I do not know without knowing the year model, but it doesn't matter as long as when you run that drill, Oil will spurt up through the holes in the rockers. Each rocker has a hole that should be clear and oil should be lazily going up there to oil the top end. It is not pressured very much, so expect very little but noticeable oil flow.
------------
5) Drop the distributor in the hole with the clamps that hold down the Distributor Cap parallel with the engine block. (One front, one back). In the bottom of that Distributor hole is a rotating slot. With a very large screwdriver, move that slot so that it corresponds with the male slot on your Distributor. It will be annoying and you will have to try this a bunch of times. The reason is the Cam Gear is twisting the gear at the bottom before it hits the slot. Play with this until you have anticipated the distance it moves, and do that until it drops clear down to the bottom of the hole. You will feel it. It is imperative you get it to ker-thunk down into the very bottom of the hole.
6) Don't tighten it yet. Put the rotor on and observe where it is pointing. Is it pointing to about 10 or 11 o'clock or is it pointing to about 4 or 5 o'clock? If it is not pointing to 4-5 o'clock, take it out and try again by turning the shaft exactly 180 degrees. You want it somewhere in the 4-6 o'clock range. This is with the cap clamps parallel exactly with the block, and the grease cup pointing at about 8 o'clock. (approximate) and the wire to connect it to the coil is almost straight out of the from the block.
7) Once you have it dropped down ALL the way, tighten that screw that goes sideways to clamp it down. But, on starting it, you will want to watch your oil pressure VERY closely. This is because it is possible to THINK you have it down far enough to make the oil pump work, but you don't! Follow the order 1-5-3-6-2-4 for the plug wires on the cap. The #1 cylinder on the engine goes to the location the rotor is pointed to on the cap. Then go around the order from there.
8) After you have it running, it wont run very good because its not tuned yet, loosen that sideways screw enough to allow the Distributor to rotate but rather hard. Then with both hands (do NOT lift up) rotate the distributor a little while it's running and notice how it runs. Find the sweet spot and you are done!
To get it fine tuned, go to the 2nd link listed below. The 1st link is where I got the above information many years ago. Seeya next week!
http://devestechnet.com/Figures/enginetiming.pdf
http://devestechnet.com/Home/TuneUpGuide