Renew Dizzy and Static Timing

[mrstinson]

I just got my tune up parts from Moss and going to pull the dizzy to replace several parts. I have been reading some posts and my manual to do this right. I found that I need to turn the engine to 4 BTDC.

My book suggests lifting the rear and turn the wheels, while in first gear, until the timing mark is 4 BTDC. Is this the best way to set the engine before pulling the dizzy?

I am replacing the Terminal & Lead, Points, Condensor, Ground Wire, Rotor and Cap. What are the dangers of this and should I replace anything else?

Please let me know, I do not what my dizzy 180 off because I am not that familiar and did not understand the answers to fix it.

 

[Trevor Jessie]

I put the car in gear and rock it until I get the mark where I need it (be sure to pull the coil wire first). Be sure to mark the dizzy orientation before you pull it. Of course, you can do all this with the dizzy in place.

 

[sparkydave]

You don't need to worry about getting the dizzy off 180 degrees. The drive gear stays in the engine, and the distributor only mates one way with the drive dog. If you want to make especially sure, find the #1 spark plug wire on the cap (that's the front cylinder), take the cap off, and rotate the engine until the rotor is pointing to that position, and have the timing mark at 4 degrees BTDC. That way, when you put the dizzy back in, have the rotor pointing the same way when you put it back in. I agree with Trevor, if you make a mark between the distributor body and the pedestal, then you have a better chance of not having to re-time it.

 

[DrEntropy]

Yup. I'd recommend you "bench" the diz. Too many little fiddly bits to drop or lose if you try this for the first time in the car. Do the proceedure Dave & Trev suggest for lining up the #1 rotor positon then the mark for the timing.

You'll get so good at this it'll scare ya! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[sparkydave]

By the way, you'll want it in fourth gear, not first gear, if you rotate the engine using the rear wheel, and the other rear wheel needs to stay on the ground.

 

[Trevor Jessie]

Good point about keeping one wheel on the ground (didn't occur to me since I've always just grabbed the bumper bar and tugged to turn the engine.) Take the plugs out for easier engine rotation.

 

[DrEntropy]

and I'll second Dave's fourth.

huh? Mebbe I need a fifth...

 

[mrstinson]

[ QUOTE ]
By the way, you'll want it in fourth gear, not first gear, if you rotate the engine using the rear wheel, and the other rear wheel needs to stay on the ground.

[/ QUOTE ]

Does it matter which wheel I am turning and which is on the ground?

This will be the first task I am undertaking that I have not done before. So feet first, jump in and swim.

After this is done, back to what I have done, change radiator hoses and flush the system. Ooooo good times.

 

[sparkydave]

[quote
Does it matter which wheel I am turning and which is on the ground?

This will be the first task I am undertaking that I have not done before. So feet first, jump in and swim.

After this is done, back to what I have done, change radiator hoses and flush the system. Ooooo good times.

[/ QUOTE ]

No, either wheel is fine. If you raise both wheels, then the engine won't turn thanks to the differential. Good luck with both jobs; flushing the cooling system is especially fun. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

 

[DrEntropy]

Dave, you've a warped sense of "fun". /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jester.gif

...you may wanna have that "looked at."

 

[dklawson]

I've never rolled a car or turned a drive wheel to rotate the engine. Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment but I mark and pull the spark plugs, put the gearbox in neutral and rotate the engine (in the normal direction of rotation) by pulling on the fan belt. That way I'm right there looking at the timing marks as they come up. With proper tension the fan blades make good handles for doing this.

 

[Trevor Jessie]

I've used a wrench on the crank pulley before, but on a spridget the timing marks must be viewed while laying in front of the car. So I grab the bumper bar and rock the car while laying down. But I've since moved the mark to the top and installed a SC kit. So, I can rotate the engine using the nut on the SC pulley and see my timing marks.

 

[DrEntropy]

With my own cars' engines I've made pointers and scribed lines in the crank pulleys to make it easy to do all from the top. And as Doug, I use the fan blade as a handle to turn the engine to TDC. "Bumping" it in fourth works too, used that for most customer's cars.

 

[mrstinson]

[ QUOTE ]
Be sure to mark the dizzy orientation before you pull it.

[/ QUOTE ]

BTW: What should I mark? Is it where the rotor is pointing? If the rotor is pointing to any other cylender other that one, should I just reinstall it as is or change it to one?

 

[dklawson]

The base of the dizzy should have a clamp that holds the assembly to the block. You can leave the dizzy clamp attached to the base of the dizzy and use a Sharpie or paint stick to make a crisp mark on the dizzy clamp and the adjacent spot on the block. If you plan on removing the clamp from the base of the dizzy, make another mark at that joint as well.

Make these marks narrow and clear. When you put the dizzy back in place and line up all the paint marks you'll have minimal or no change in your ignition timing. Don't focus on the rotor position when making the marks. The rotor is too far away from another surface to use as anything but a general visual reference.

 

[DesertSprite]

uh...how do you see the timing marks? I still have to do this on my own Sprite...