45D4 distributor help

[BKRTEE]

I'd like to know which post on the distributor cap is No.1. Is it the one that corresponds to the feather on the arrow stamped on the side of distributor? I have an inkling I may be off one post after an engine rebuild, but Ican't find any documentation to corroborate my suspicion. Haynes manual says to set my timing at 4 degrees after top dead center. I have to set it to 10 degrees before top center to get car to run wellenough. It does run very rich,though. Have76Midget.

 

[ValveFloatLimted]

OK i can give you the long answer it really isnt a very hard. first you have to find TDC on number 1 cyl easy enough on a midget its the first one,ive had ppl try time a mini of number 4 thinking left to right they run funny that way, any way find number on my pulling the plugs and placing your finger of the sparkplug hole for number 1 turn the engine over, i prefer to do this by putting it in gear and rocking the whole car easy with a midget or mini and you will feel a pulse of air go past your finger there will be a softer pulse then a strong pulse the strong one is compression thats what your looking for now if your not sure that the piston is all the way up you can insert a screwdriver into the sparkplug hole and SLOWLY rocking the car till the screwdriver comes up and then stops. At this point pull the cap of the Dissy and where ever the rotor is pointing is number one. doing it this way means that it doesnt matter how the distributor was sent in it will be number one. now you have number one set then just follow the firing order i belive its 1-3-4-2 and if your not sure witch way the rotor turns just roll the car FORWARD a little with it still in FORWARD gear and see with way the rotor moves. after that just make sure the points are set and time the car, and almost everycar in the world likes the timing a few degrees BTDC the factory may have set it the 4 deg after for emissions reasons. if you do all of this and it still isnt running right the dwell is probly not set correct and youll either have to take it to a shop or go to sears and but a dwell meter. It really isnt that hard and if you have any problems just remeber that its sometimes tricky to get a british car to run right but it almost difficult to get them not to run at all.

 

[Biff]

Set the number one cylinder at TDC on it's compression stroke, then look at the rotor and that will be your number one wire position on the cap. Install the other wires 3 - 4- 2 counter clockwise from it. Sounds like you are correct in that you are one position off not 180 which is a common mistake.

 

[jcatnite]

You must have the whole thing timed off by 90 degrees then. I don't see that it matters which post you call number 1 unless you are a lot pickier about things than I am. You would have to pull the dizzy and the timing gear out to change it right? I run my 76 at about 14 to 16 degrees before TDC but that is because I have a burnt exhaust valve and need the hotter timing to give me a little more manifold vacuum. Plus the PO converted my electronic ignition to a 25D points type distributor (old OPUS unit probably died long ago). I guess what I am saying is that 10 degrees BTC doesn't sound out of the ordinary and probably wouldn't change the distributor 90 degrees unless there were other symptoms. My 1500 will run with the dizzy 180 degrees out (no way it would make enough power to move the car though) but I doubt it would run if you were 90 degrees out..?? Am I off-base from what you are asking?
JC

 

[sparkydave]

Hi Jim, I'd have to agree with JC, I run mine at 12 degrees before, and I'd be surprised if things were running as well as they are if they are off by 90 degrees. For what it's worth, I found a picture showing the wire routing on my car. If the picture doesn't make it, I can describe it. Standing at the left side of the car looking down on the distributor, #1 is at the 8:00 post, the firing order is 1-3-4-2, and the rotor is turning counter clockwise.

Another way you could determine when #1 is at the firing position would be to take off the oil filler cap, look at the valves for the #4 cylinder, and when the 8th valve (#4 exhaust valve) is open, then #1 should be at the firing position. Look for the notch on the crank pulley to line up to establish TDC.

 

[sparkydave]

Here's the picture. Had to make it a little smaller first.
-Dave

 

[BradHollister]

Why not just look on the harmonic dampener for the TDC timing mark, take a peek and the #1 intake and exhaust valves and make sure they're closed?

The reason I say that, is that its very easy to turn the engine over enough to wear the screwdriver wedges against the top of the piston and the edge of the spark plug hole.

Brad

Ok..I just noticed..what Sparkydave said. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif