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Plug wire order

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vping

vping

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I want to make sure that my plug wires are in the proper order.

Can anyone post a marked up picture of the wire locations & numbers as they are in the cap and then onto which cylinder. I cannot locate this in Bentley or Haynes. If it is somewhere in those manuals, let me know and I will commit this to memory.

As I stand on the right side of the car and look at the dizzy cap I have it as

4321 into the head

4 being upper cap left
3 being lower cap left
2 being lower cap right
1 being upper cap right

Sounds confusing to describe this way which is why a diagram or pic will help.

Thanks
V
 
Where you put them on the cap relevant to rotation isn't important so long as they are 1-3-4-2....but, I usually try to put my #1 as close to the #1 spark plug as is possible....that then dictates the order.
 
Once you've got the order, I've found color coding them with different colored zip-ties helps save time (and brain cells) if you need to do it again. Here's a good pic of my wires. <font color="red">Red </font> <font color="orange">Orange </font> <font color="yellow">Yellow </font> <font color="green">Green </font> in order. No thinking, no mis-wiring.

JACK
 
I like the idea of colour coding.I've messed up the order more than once /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif.

Stuart. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif
 
But, where they should be color coded is at the distributor cap.
 
[ QUOTE ]
But, where they should be color coded is at the distributor cap.

[/ QUOTE ]
And thats where I'll do so.Thanks for the tip Tony. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Stuart. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif
 
Still not sure of what's what. Jack if you had a pic showing the cap and the wires leading to the plugs that would be helpful.

Tony I guess you saying that you can put the wires in the cap anywhere but which is the #1 hole in the cap #2, #3....

Then which goes where?
 
No #1 hole - its whichever one you want to make it...then the other holes just follow beased on rotation & order...but, did you see the correct order in my earlier post? 1-3-4-2
 
Sorry, I was just giving the tip but mine is a 1275 Midget so I don't think I can help much. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

JACK
 
Jack - I think its a great tip...I'd just do it down at the distributor also.
 
I drew a diagram in the repair manual(s) that I carry in each MG showing the orientation.

I did this after screwing up the firing order on the MGC on a road trip one time, and wasting 30 minutes trying to figure out what went where.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Herself has the digital camera... sorry Vince. The "conventional wisdom" is as Tony says: the rotor should be "aimed" at the #1 plug at #1 firing position (10°BTDC), the corresponding wire in the cap is then #1, the next in the rotation (counter-clockwise) is #3, then #4 and finally #2. I use those plastic "plugwire organizers" which clip over the wires and hold 2 or 4 wires at a time. That keeps the relationship fairly neat.
 
Can also get little slide on things from Moss that slip over the cables to mark em with the number.
 
Even without color coding... zip ties can be used to mark the wires. One zip tie on #1 wire, two on #2, 3 on #3... it's up to you if you want/need to put wires on #4. As others have said, 1-3-4-2 CCW around the cap with #1 on the dizzy pointing sort of toward #1 cylinder if you can make it work out. What's important is to line up the #1 plug wire with where the rotor is pointing with the engine near #1 cylinder TDC on it's firing stroke.
 
I like the wires on my toyota - number imprinted on each of them. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Another idea I liked - use a paint pen to put dots on the wires... 1 dot for #1, 2 dots for #2, etc.

Also, I think I've seen plug wire clips that have numbers on them at the local parts store before.

Just remember the distributor turns counter clockwise, and it should be wired 1, 3, 4, 2. Number 1 will be wherever the rotor cap points to when the engine is at TDC... usually toward the front of the car, but it could be anywhere if the engine has been opend up.
 
Would a Midget and a B have the same locations of plug wires from the dizzy & the same firing order? I think my 1275 might still be together enough to compare.
 
I have the numbered wire clips on all of my MGs and my tractor. Makes life a little simpler. Got them at Advance, Autozone, and O'Reilley's. Come in packs for 8-cylinder engines. One set I bought at O'Reilleys had enough to do two 8 cylinder cars.
 
yeah, Vince... IF the midget is a pre-1500, and put together as per factory.
 
I simply put a thin strip of tape on #1, two strips on #2, three strips on #3 and leave #4 blank. I also keep a maintenance log in the hooch box which includes figures for plug gap, valve clearances, distributor rotation etc. as well as oil changes and fuel usage.

Guinn
 
V - do it this way:

1. Leave all the wires on the plugs.
2. Remove all wires from the distributor cap (after setting the car on #1 TDC)
3. Then, put the wire from the #1 plug into the hole in the distributor cap that is directly above the rotor button (pointing to #1 plug).
4. The next wire that goes in a hole (counter clockwise) is the #3, then the #4, then last #2.
5. Put the cap back on & install the coil wire in the center hole.
6. DONE!

Now, you might have to play with wire lengths to get them to fit but basically what I described is the way to do it.
 
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