Re: It fired up today!!! Almost *really* fired up...
 

You do have it figured right.

The only reason to put the rotor in any one spot is just to fit the
stock wires nicely.

I have left 'lots' of them 'off one tooth' because it was too much pain
to go back in and turn the oil pump, etc. Being off one notch doesn't
mess the wires up too much.

My 'ouch' was the thought of what the fire was doing to the new carb.
Soot city...

Using a timing light isn't rocket science, I am sure you will figure it
out.

Well, off to finish packing, I am going mud running for a couple
days.... :-)

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

Shaggie wrote:
>
> On Sat, 17 Apr 2004 07:13:28 -0400, Shaggie <me@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> >On Fri, 16 Apr 2004 23:57:18 -0400, Mike Romain
> ><romainm@sympatico.ca> wrote:
> >
> >>Ouch.....
> >>
> >>Ok, well.....
> >>
> >>You need a timing light for starters and you need to have the guy that
> >>owns it along to use it.
> >>
> >>The 'only' way to set the timing is by turning the distributor. You
> >>just set a base or main point when you put the thing in.
> >>
> >>Like I have been saying all along, you point the rotor on that engine to
> >>the drivers side front corner for a 'base' setting when installing and
> >>then turn the base to fine tune it. That is where the timing light
> >>comes in, you turn the base until the timing light lights up the mark on
> >>the crankshaft pulley.
> >
> >OK, I wasn't trying to be cute or anything when I asked if it wouldn't
> >just be easier to turn the base of the distributor to set the timing
> >right at this point. I think I got the distributor in there pretty
> >close, but that the slanted gear caused the distributor shaft to spin
> >a little bit as it seated, so I think I can just finish up by rotating
> >the distributor base. Sometimes it's hard to read people's responses
> >out here in more ways than one. I didn't mean to be a smart-@ss about
> >"wouldn't it be easier to just..." and I *think* that what Mike is
> >saying above is "Yes, if your distributor is in place now and hooked
> >up and not off by a whole lot then do not bother lifting it out again
> >and getting the gears to re-mesh, but rather just rotate the body of
> >the distributor to get it timed correctly."
>
> Mike, actually I'm about 95% sure that's what you're saying. You've
> been really clear in your responses to me. What's confusing me is
> that some people are posting things like how they dropped their
> distributor in and it was off by a tooth or two and they pulled it out
> and put it back in several times, as if it was critical to somehow get
> it in there lined up with "the right teeth" which doesn't seem to make
> a bit of sense to me at all. There have been (as expected) some
> conflicting responses to my questions which can confuse things (or at
> least can confuse me.) As far as the shaft is concerned, the
> important things (I think) is that the end meshes with the oil pump
> and the spiral gear meshes with the cam (hard to mess that up) and
> that it seats correctly. After that, like you said earlier as long as
> the rotor is pointing to the terminal on the cap that is wired to
> cylinder #1 when piston #1 is at TDC on compression stroke (and other
> cylinders wired to the right terminal ( 1-8-4-3-6-7-5-2 order,
> clockwise) then it should be good enough to start the Jeep up and then
> set the timing with a timing light. The shaft and the housing/cap
> assembly are kind of two different steps in the process and are
> entirely two different steps if you don't care about where your plug
> wires are run. Get the shaft to drop in and mesh with oil pump and
> cam, them you could turn the housing around 20 times if you feel like
> it to get #1 terminal to line up with the rotor when cylinder #1 is at
> tdc on compression. Then wire up your tangle of wires. :-) I'm
> trying to keep #1 at the front on the driver's side, by the way. The
> only drawback I see for me to not pull the distributor out at this
> point and reseat it is that I may have to turn the housing a little
> more in the clockwise direction than I might like which will leave my
> terminals in sub-optimal positions for my pre-cut wires. Mike, please
> correct me if that last statement of mine is incorrect. Thanks again.
>
> > Not sure if his "ouch"
> >was in response to my backfiring through the carb or to my
> >"challenging" Bill's advice on lifting the distributor out and putting
> >it back in. Mike, I have a timing light but I have never used it
> >before. I bought it soon after I bought the Jeep because I had a gift
> >certificate and saw the light at the store pretty cheap and figured
> >I'd grab it. Why do you say I need the guy who owns it? Because he'd
> >know how to use it? Or because somehow setting the timing here is
> >going to be a 2-man job? Thanks again to everyone for all of the
> >input.
> >
> >
> >>
> >>Mike
> >>86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
> >>88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
> >>
> >>Shaggie wrote:
> >>>
> >>> On Fri, 16 Apr 2004 17:14:17 -0700, L.W.(ßill) ------ III
> >>> <----------@cox.net> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> > Just lift enough to feel the rotor stop turning, then turn it a
> >>> >little in the direction you need to go, it's lots easier than you're
> >>> >making it.
> >>>
> >>> Seems like it would be even easier if I just rotated the body of the
> >>> distributor while the hold-down clamp was loose to get it timed right.
> >>> Easier than lifting it out and putting it back in, right?
> >>>
> >>> > God Bless America, ßill O|||||||O
> >>> >mailto:-------------------- http://www.----------.com/
> >>> >
> >>> >Shaggie wrote:
> >>> >>
> >>> >> Can't you just get it in there pretty close and then rotate the body
> >>> >> of the distributor around to get the right advance? I'm hoping I
> >>> >> won't have to take the distributor back out again. :-/
> >>>
> >>> "I can hammer it back into shape later."
> >>> :wq!
> >
> >"I can hammer it back into shape later."
> >:wq!
>
> "I can hammer it back into shape later."
> :wq!

Re: It fired up today!!! Almost *really* fired up...
 

Lets not confuse the ---- out of the poor guy now....

No need to talk apples and oranges or about his VW engine that had to
have the distributoer clocked only one way.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

DougW wrote:
>
> Shaggie did pass the time by typing:
>
> > Mike, actually I'm about 95% sure that's what you're saying. You've
> > been really clear in your responses to me. What's confusing me is
> > that some people are posting things like how they dropped their
> > distributor in and it was off by a tooth or two and they pulled it out
> > and put it back in several times, as if it was critical to somehow get
> > it in there lined up with "the right teeth" which doesn't seem to make
> > a bit of sense to me at all.
>
> Acually it does if you have the 4.0 HO I6 engine from 92 on.
> http://members.cox.net/wilsond/distributor/
>
> The distributor on the I6 only has one hole and zero adjustment,
> it only goes in one way unlike the older distributors that have
> a lower clamp.
>
> --
> DougW

Re: It fired up today!!! Almost *really* fired up...
 

Lets not confuse the ---- out of the poor guy now....

No need to talk apples and oranges or about his VW engine that had to
have the distributoer clocked only one way.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

DougW wrote:
>
> Shaggie did pass the time by typing:
>
> > Mike, actually I'm about 95% sure that's what you're saying. You've
> > been really clear in your responses to me. What's confusing me is
> > that some people are posting things like how they dropped their
> > distributor in and it was off by a tooth or two and they pulled it out
> > and put it back in several times, as if it was critical to somehow get
> > it in there lined up with "the right teeth" which doesn't seem to make
> > a bit of sense to me at all.
>
> Acually it does if you have the 4.0 HO I6 engine from 92 on.
> http://members.cox.net/wilsond/distributor/
>
> The distributor on the I6 only has one hole and zero adjustment,
> it only goes in one way unlike the older distributors that have
> a lower clamp.
>
> --
> DougW

Re: It fired up today!!! Almost *really* fired up...
 

Lets not confuse the ---- out of the poor guy now....

No need to talk apples and oranges or about his VW engine that had to
have the distributoer clocked only one way.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

DougW wrote:
>
> Shaggie did pass the time by typing:
>
> > Mike, actually I'm about 95% sure that's what you're saying. You've
> > been really clear in your responses to me. What's confusing me is
> > that some people are posting things like how they dropped their
> > distributor in and it was off by a tooth or two and they pulled it out
> > and put it back in several times, as if it was critical to somehow get
> > it in there lined up with "the right teeth" which doesn't seem to make
> > a bit of sense to me at all.
>
> Acually it does if you have the 4.0 HO I6 engine from 92 on.
> http://members.cox.net/wilsond/distributor/
>
> The distributor on the I6 only has one hole and zero adjustment,
> it only goes in one way unlike the older distributors that have
> a lower clamp.
>
> --
> DougW

Re: It fired up today!!! Almost *really* fired up...
 

Lets not confuse the ---- out of the poor guy now....

No need to talk apples and oranges or about his VW engine that had to
have the distributoer clocked only one way.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

DougW wrote:
>
> Shaggie did pass the time by typing:
>
> > Mike, actually I'm about 95% sure that's what you're saying. You've
> > been really clear in your responses to me. What's confusing me is
> > that some people are posting things like how they dropped their
> > distributor in and it was off by a tooth or two and they pulled it out
> > and put it back in several times, as if it was critical to somehow get
> > it in there lined up with "the right teeth" which doesn't seem to make
> > a bit of sense to me at all.
>
> Acually it does if you have the 4.0 HO I6 engine from 92 on.
> http://members.cox.net/wilsond/distributor/
>
> The distributor on the I6 only has one hole and zero adjustment,
> it only goes in one way unlike the older distributors that have
> a lower clamp.
>
> --
> DougW

Re: followup distributor questions
 

Mike,
I've never pulled the dist to turn the oil pump drive and align it with the
dist shaft. Far too time consuming trying to guesstimate where it needs to
be to line up. Just push the dist in as far as it sill go and crank the
engine on the starter. When it aligns the dist will drop in. Take it back
to TDC and finish up.
The reason I always put no 1 back in the factory position is that from
years of doing tune ups I always appreciated hooking up my scope and timing
light up to what I know is to be the factory set #1 position. the old
tuneup manuals often had a diagram of the cap identifying the #1 post on the
cap and after a while you came to know where all of them were. Everyonce in
a while you'd get it hooked up and couldn't see the timing marks with the
light and found somebody screwed with it and you'd have to identify #1. No
big deal, but for the time it takes to do it right, why not? The other
thing about leaving it a tooth out and compensating in dist rotation was
that from time to time you'd get the light on it and go to set timing and
find you couldn't reach it because the vacuum advance was hitting some
obstruction or the primary coil lead was too short to allow the dist to turn
enough to get it where it needed to be.
Shaggie, it only takes a minute to pull the dist back a tooth. To save
time and frustrtation do this. Slowly lift the dist out with one hand with
your other hand holding the rotor with a slight pressure turning the rotor
back in the direction you want it to go. When the teeth disengage you will
be able to "feel" through the rotor the teeth and actually feel it drag over
the teeth and drop into the next tooth. Just let it drop down again. Now
crank it on the starter (make yourself a remote starter button to clip to
the starter relay/solenoid so you can be doing this from under the hood) and
let it drop then bring it around to TDC on the crank marks. You don't need
to do the compression stroke test again because when the rotor's pointing
generally in the right direction and the timing marks are lined up you are
back at tdc on the comp stroke if you had it right the first time (if you
were at tdc on the exhaust stroke the rotor would now be pointing 180
degrees from where you were working with it before).
If you do the static timing thing you could actually get away without
your timing light and be almost dead on. Look at your tuneup spec. Stop
the crank at whatever the timing specs says, say 6 degrees BTC. If you have
a points type ignition turn the body of the distributor in the direction the
shaft rotates (a quick determination of this is that if you lay your finger
on the vacuum advance lined up with the hose connection pointing toward the
dist, this is the direction the shaft turns when the engine is running.)
until the points are closed. Now if you pull the dist body back opposite to
rotation to just the moment the points start to open you have it firing at 6
degrees BTC. To be even more accurate connect a cheap 12 volt test light,
or make one with a bulb and 2 pieces of wire, and connect your one end to
ground and the other to the dist terminal on the coil. Now turn the key on.
When the points are closed the light will be off. The instant contact is
broken in the points the light will go on and the coil will fire. So if
you've got your test light hooked up pull the dist against rotation until
the light goes on. Lock it down at precisely the spot the light went on.
You will be so close to your spec you will be amazed.
If you have a breakerless ign the test light thing won't work but you
can align the teeth on the dist shaft exactly with the single tooth on the
pick up. You will still be within a couple of degrees. Sometimes you can
take the coil wire, leave it plugged in to the coil and the other end 1/4 "
from a good ground. With the key on when you turn the dist body opposite to
rotation you can make the coil fire. Lock the dist down at precisely the
spot the coil fired. Move the dist back and forth a few times and watch the
coil fire. You will get a feel for the precise spot the coil fired. You
now have it firing at 6 degrees before ( or whatever you set your crankshaft
balancer at).
If you do this before you attempt to start it you will avoid having all
that gas washing down the cyls, loading up the intake with fuel and firing
back through your carb.
Learn to do it righ once and you'll be glad you did it.
Steve
"Mike Romain" <romainm@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:407E9047.945999C@sympatico.ca...
> You are thinking too much.....
> ;-)
>
> Get the engine to TDC and the timing mark on 0 with your finger in #1
> plug hole to feel for the compression as you do this.
>
> Stock the vacuum module and the rotor point to the front right of the
> engine.
>
> This makes the plug wires line up without crossing.
>
> You might have to pull it out and put it back several times to get it
> right because it (the rotor) turns as it seats down.
>
> The bottom of the distributor does plug into the oil pump. This means
> you will need a long screw driver to turn the oil pump slot so the
> distributor can grab it.
>
> This means every time you pull it up to move it a notch on the gear you
> need to turn the oil pump slot with the screwdriver.
>
> Mike
> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
>
> Shaggie wrote:
> >
> > OK, so I can choose which terminal is #1 on my distributor. Just so I
> > understand things, doesn't the gear on the distributor shaft mesh with
> > a gear on the camshaft? And doesn't the
> > flat-bladed-screwdriver-looking end on the distributor mesh with the
> > oil pump? If that flat-end does mesh with anything at all, doesn't
> > that mean that for any given rotation of the engine that I can only
> > install the distributor in one of two positons, 180 degrees apart from
> > each other? Don't hate me because I'm beautiful!!! Uh... I mean
> > don't hate me because I have lots of questions!!! :-)
> >
> > "I can hammer it back into shape later."
> > :wq!

Re: followup distributor questions
 

Mike,
I've never pulled the dist to turn the oil pump drive and align it with the
dist shaft. Far too time consuming trying to guesstimate where it needs to
be to line up. Just push the dist in as far as it sill go and crank the
engine on the starter. When it aligns the dist will drop in. Take it back
to TDC and finish up.
The reason I always put no 1 back in the factory position is that from
years of doing tune ups I always appreciated hooking up my scope and timing
light up to what I know is to be the factory set #1 position. the old
tuneup manuals often had a diagram of the cap identifying the #1 post on the
cap and after a while you came to know where all of them were. Everyonce in
a while you'd get it hooked up and couldn't see the timing marks with the
light and found somebody screwed with it and you'd have to identify #1. No
big deal, but for the time it takes to do it right, why not? The other
thing about leaving it a tooth out and compensating in dist rotation was
that from time to time you'd get the light on it and go to set timing and
find you couldn't reach it because the vacuum advance was hitting some
obstruction or the primary coil lead was too short to allow the dist to turn
enough to get it where it needed to be.
Shaggie, it only takes a minute to pull the dist back a tooth. To save
time and frustrtation do this. Slowly lift the dist out with one hand with
your other hand holding the rotor with a slight pressure turning the rotor
back in the direction you want it to go. When the teeth disengage you will
be able to "feel" through the rotor the teeth and actually feel it drag over
the teeth and drop into the next tooth. Just let it drop down again. Now
crank it on the starter (make yourself a remote starter button to clip to
the starter relay/solenoid so you can be doing this from under the hood) and
let it drop then bring it around to TDC on the crank marks. You don't need
to do the compression stroke test again because when the rotor's pointing
generally in the right direction and the timing marks are lined up you are
back at tdc on the comp stroke if you had it right the first time (if you
were at tdc on the exhaust stroke the rotor would now be pointing 180
degrees from where you were working with it before).
If you do the static timing thing you could actually get away without
your timing light and be almost dead on. Look at your tuneup spec. Stop
the crank at whatever the timing specs says, say 6 degrees BTC. If you have
a points type ignition turn the body of the distributor in the direction the
shaft rotates (a quick determination of this is that if you lay your finger
on the vacuum advance lined up with the hose connection pointing toward the
dist, this is the direction the shaft turns when the engine is running.)
until the points are closed. Now if you pull the dist body back opposite to
rotation to just the moment the points start to open you have it firing at 6
degrees BTC. To be even more accurate connect a cheap 12 volt test light,
or make one with a bulb and 2 pieces of wire, and connect your one end to
ground and the other to the dist terminal on the coil. Now turn the key on.
When the points are closed the light will be off. The instant contact is
broken in the points the light will go on and the coil will fire. So if
you've got your test light hooked up pull the dist against rotation until
the light goes on. Lock it down at precisely the spot the light went on.
You will be so close to your spec you will be amazed.
If you have a breakerless ign the test light thing won't work but you
can align the teeth on the dist shaft exactly with the single tooth on the
pick up. You will still be within a couple of degrees. Sometimes you can
take the coil wire, leave it plugged in to the coil and the other end 1/4 "
from a good ground. With the key on when you turn the dist body opposite to
rotation you can make the coil fire. Lock the dist down at precisely the
spot the coil fired. Move the dist back and forth a few times and watch the
coil fire. You will get a feel for the precise spot the coil fired. You
now have it firing at 6 degrees before ( or whatever you set your crankshaft
balancer at).
If you do this before you attempt to start it you will avoid having all
that gas washing down the cyls, loading up the intake with fuel and firing
back through your carb.
Learn to do it righ once and you'll be glad you did it.
Steve
"Mike Romain" <romainm@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:407E9047.945999C@sympatico.ca...
> You are thinking too much.....
> ;-)
>
> Get the engine to TDC and the timing mark on 0 with your finger in #1
> plug hole to feel for the compression as you do this.
>
> Stock the vacuum module and the rotor point to the front right of the
> engine.
>
> This makes the plug wires line up without crossing.
>
> You might have to pull it out and put it back several times to get it
> right because it (the rotor) turns as it seats down.
>
> The bottom of the distributor does plug into the oil pump. This means
> you will need a long screw driver to turn the oil pump slot so the
> distributor can grab it.
>
> This means every time you pull it up to move it a notch on the gear you
> need to turn the oil pump slot with the screwdriver.
>
> Mike
> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
>
> Shaggie wrote:
> >
> > OK, so I can choose which terminal is #1 on my distributor. Just so I
> > understand things, doesn't the gear on the distributor shaft mesh with
> > a gear on the camshaft? And doesn't the
> > flat-bladed-screwdriver-looking end on the distributor mesh with the
> > oil pump? If that flat-end does mesh with anything at all, doesn't
> > that mean that for any given rotation of the engine that I can only
> > install the distributor in one of two positons, 180 degrees apart from
> > each other? Don't hate me because I'm beautiful!!! Uh... I mean
> > don't hate me because I have lots of questions!!! :-)
> >
> > "I can hammer it back into shape later."
> > :wq!

Re: followup distributor questions
 

Mike,
I've never pulled the dist to turn the oil pump drive and align it with the
dist shaft. Far too time consuming trying to guesstimate where it needs to
be to line up. Just push the dist in as far as it sill go and crank the
engine on the starter. When it aligns the dist will drop in. Take it back
to TDC and finish up.
The reason I always put no 1 back in the factory position is that from
years of doing tune ups I always appreciated hooking up my scope and timing
light up to what I know is to be the factory set #1 position. the old
tuneup manuals often had a diagram of the cap identifying the #1 post on the
cap and after a while you came to know where all of them were. Everyonce in
a while you'd get it hooked up and couldn't see the timing marks with the
light and found somebody screwed with it and you'd have to identify #1. No
big deal, but for the time it takes to do it right, why not? The other
thing about leaving it a tooth out and compensating in dist rotation was
that from time to time you'd get the light on it and go to set timing and
find you couldn't reach it because the vacuum advance was hitting some
obstruction or the primary coil lead was too short to allow the dist to turn
enough to get it where it needed to be.
Shaggie, it only takes a minute to pull the dist back a tooth. To save
time and frustrtation do this. Slowly lift the dist out with one hand with
your other hand holding the rotor with a slight pressure turning the rotor
back in the direction you want it to go. When the teeth disengage you will
be able to "feel" through the rotor the teeth and actually feel it drag over
the teeth and drop into the next tooth. Just let it drop down again. Now
crank it on the starter (make yourself a remote starter button to clip to
the starter relay/solenoid so you can be doing this from under the hood) and
let it drop then bring it around to TDC on the crank marks. You don't need
to do the compression stroke test again because when the rotor's pointing
generally in the right direction and the timing marks are lined up you are
back at tdc on the comp stroke if you had it right the first time (if you
were at tdc on the exhaust stroke the rotor would now be pointing 180
degrees from where you were working with it before).
If you do the static timing thing you could actually get away without
your timing light and be almost dead on. Look at your tuneup spec. Stop
the crank at whatever the timing specs says, say 6 degrees BTC. If you have
a points type ignition turn the body of the distributor in the direction the
shaft rotates (a quick determination of this is that if you lay your finger
on the vacuum advance lined up with the hose connection pointing toward the
dist, this is the direction the shaft turns when the engine is running.)
until the points are closed. Now if you pull the dist body back opposite to
rotation to just the moment the points start to open you have it firing at 6
degrees BTC. To be even more accurate connect a cheap 12 volt test light,
or make one with a bulb and 2 pieces of wire, and connect your one end to
ground and the other to the dist terminal on the coil. Now turn the key on.
When the points are closed the light will be off. The instant contact is
broken in the points the light will go on and the coil will fire. So if
you've got your test light hooked up pull the dist against rotation until
the light goes on. Lock it down at precisely the spot the light went on.
You will be so close to your spec you will be amazed.
If you have a breakerless ign the test light thing won't work but you
can align the teeth on the dist shaft exactly with the single tooth on the
pick up. You will still be within a couple of degrees. Sometimes you can
take the coil wire, leave it plugged in to the coil and the other end 1/4 "
from a good ground. With the key on when you turn the dist body opposite to
rotation you can make the coil fire. Lock the dist down at precisely the
spot the coil fired. Move the dist back and forth a few times and watch the
coil fire. You will get a feel for the precise spot the coil fired. You
now have it firing at 6 degrees before ( or whatever you set your crankshaft
balancer at).
If you do this before you attempt to start it you will avoid having all
that gas washing down the cyls, loading up the intake with fuel and firing
back through your carb.
Learn to do it righ once and you'll be glad you did it.
Steve
"Mike Romain" <romainm@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:407E9047.945999C@sympatico.ca...
> You are thinking too much.....
> ;-)
>
> Get the engine to TDC and the timing mark on 0 with your finger in #1
> plug hole to feel for the compression as you do this.
>
> Stock the vacuum module and the rotor point to the front right of the
> engine.
>
> This makes the plug wires line up without crossing.
>
> You might have to pull it out and put it back several times to get it
> right because it (the rotor) turns as it seats down.
>
> The bottom of the distributor does plug into the oil pump. This means
> you will need a long screw driver to turn the oil pump slot so the
> distributor can grab it.
>
> This means every time you pull it up to move it a notch on the gear you
> need to turn the oil pump slot with the screwdriver.
>
> Mike
> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
>
> Shaggie wrote:
> >
> > OK, so I can choose which terminal is #1 on my distributor. Just so I
> > understand things, doesn't the gear on the distributor shaft mesh with
> > a gear on the camshaft? And doesn't the
> > flat-bladed-screwdriver-looking end on the distributor mesh with the
> > oil pump? If that flat-end does mesh with anything at all, doesn't
> > that mean that for any given rotation of the engine that I can only
> > install the distributor in one of two positons, 180 degrees apart from
> > each other? Don't hate me because I'm beautiful!!! Uh... I mean
> > don't hate me because I have lots of questions!!! :-)
> >
> > "I can hammer it back into shape later."
> > :wq!

Re: followup distributor questions
 

Mike,
I've never pulled the dist to turn the oil pump drive and align it with the
dist shaft. Far too time consuming trying to guesstimate where it needs to
be to line up. Just push the dist in as far as it sill go and crank the
engine on the starter. When it aligns the dist will drop in. Take it back
to TDC and finish up.
The reason I always put no 1 back in the factory position is that from
years of doing tune ups I always appreciated hooking up my scope and timing
light up to what I know is to be the factory set #1 position. the old
tuneup manuals often had a diagram of the cap identifying the #1 post on the
cap and after a while you came to know where all of them were. Everyonce in
a while you'd get it hooked up and couldn't see the timing marks with the
light and found somebody screwed with it and you'd have to identify #1. No
big deal, but for the time it takes to do it right, why not? The other
thing about leaving it a tooth out and compensating in dist rotation was
that from time to time you'd get the light on it and go to set timing and
find you couldn't reach it because the vacuum advance was hitting some
obstruction or the primary coil lead was too short to allow the dist to turn
enough to get it where it needed to be.
Shaggie, it only takes a minute to pull the dist back a tooth. To save
time and frustrtation do this. Slowly lift the dist out with one hand with
your other hand holding the rotor with a slight pressure turning the rotor
back in the direction you want it to go. When the teeth disengage you will
be able to "feel" through the rotor the teeth and actually feel it drag over
the teeth and drop into the next tooth. Just let it drop down again. Now
crank it on the starter (make yourself a remote starter button to clip to
the starter relay/solenoid so you can be doing this from under the hood) and
let it drop then bring it around to TDC on the crank marks. You don't need
to do the compression stroke test again because when the rotor's pointing
generally in the right direction and the timing marks are lined up you are
back at tdc on the comp stroke if you had it right the first time (if you
were at tdc on the exhaust stroke the rotor would now be pointing 180
degrees from where you were working with it before).
If you do the static timing thing you could actually get away without
your timing light and be almost dead on. Look at your tuneup spec. Stop
the crank at whatever the timing specs says, say 6 degrees BTC. If you have
a points type ignition turn the body of the distributor in the direction the
shaft rotates (a quick determination of this is that if you lay your finger
on the vacuum advance lined up with the hose connection pointing toward the
dist, this is the direction the shaft turns when the engine is running.)
until the points are closed. Now if you pull the dist body back opposite to
rotation to just the moment the points start to open you have it firing at 6
degrees BTC. To be even more accurate connect a cheap 12 volt test light,
or make one with a bulb and 2 pieces of wire, and connect your one end to
ground and the other to the dist terminal on the coil. Now turn the key on.
When the points are closed the light will be off. The instant contact is
broken in the points the light will go on and the coil will fire. So if
you've got your test light hooked up pull the dist against rotation until
the light goes on. Lock it down at precisely the spot the light went on.
You will be so close to your spec you will be amazed.
If you have a breakerless ign the test light thing won't work but you
can align the teeth on the dist shaft exactly with the single tooth on the
pick up. You will still be within a couple of degrees. Sometimes you can
take the coil wire, leave it plugged in to the coil and the other end 1/4 "
from a good ground. With the key on when you turn the dist body opposite to
rotation you can make the coil fire. Lock the dist down at precisely the
spot the coil fired. Move the dist back and forth a few times and watch the
coil fire. You will get a feel for the precise spot the coil fired. You
now have it firing at 6 degrees before ( or whatever you set your crankshaft
balancer at).
If you do this before you attempt to start it you will avoid having all
that gas washing down the cyls, loading up the intake with fuel and firing
back through your carb.
Learn to do it righ once and you'll be glad you did it.
Steve
"Mike Romain" <romainm@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:407E9047.945999C@sympatico.ca...
> You are thinking too much.....
> ;-)
>
> Get the engine to TDC and the timing mark on 0 with your finger in #1
> plug hole to feel for the compression as you do this.
>
> Stock the vacuum module and the rotor point to the front right of the
> engine.
>
> This makes the plug wires line up without crossing.
>
> You might have to pull it out and put it back several times to get it
> right because it (the rotor) turns as it seats down.
>
> The bottom of the distributor does plug into the oil pump. This means
> you will need a long screw driver to turn the oil pump slot so the
> distributor can grab it.
>
> This means every time you pull it up to move it a notch on the gear you
> need to turn the oil pump slot with the screwdriver.
>
> Mike
> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
>
> Shaggie wrote:
> >
> > OK, so I can choose which terminal is #1 on my distributor. Just so I
> > understand things, doesn't the gear on the distributor shaft mesh with
> > a gear on the camshaft? And doesn't the
> > flat-bladed-screwdriver-looking end on the distributor mesh with the
> > oil pump? If that flat-end does mesh with anything at all, doesn't
> > that mean that for any given rotation of the engine that I can only
> > install the distributor in one of two positons, 180 degrees apart from
> > each other? Don't hate me because I'm beautiful!!! Uh... I mean
> > don't hate me because I have lots of questions!!! :-)
> >
> > "I can hammer it back into shape later."
> > :wq!

Re: followup distributor questions
 

I am not that confused.

Theoretically, you are absolutely correct, but in practice, I am more
correct. It is certainly POSSIBLE to do what you said, but in all
practicality, it never happens that way. As a matter of houskeeping later
on, the distributor must be installed in the right place. There are two
places that qualify as the right place, and the second of those requires
changing the wires around.




"Mike Romain" <romainm@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:4080A890.3094FA39@sympatico.ca...
> You are confused.....
> ;-)
>
> The distributor and rotor can be dropped in in any position at all on
> Jeep engines. You just have to make wherever the rotor is pointing when
> TDC compression is reached on #1 the #1 post on the distributor cap,
> then you clock the wires from there.
>
> Only one way makes the stock plug wires sit 'pretty', that's why the
> books show where to point the rotor. In this engine's case, the rotor
> should be to the front drivers side corner.
>
> Mike
> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
>
> CRWLR wrote:
> >
> > The oil pump is driven off the bottom of the distributor, which is
driven
> > off the cam shaft. The Distributor can be put in in any position, but it
> > only works in one position relative to the rest of the engine.
> >
> > "Shaggie" <me@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > news:bgmr705e0p390o6cg9d56i87s4n65m8nlj@4ax.com...
> > > OK, so I can choose which terminal is #1 on my distributor. Just so I
> > > understand things, doesn't the gear on the distributor shaft mesh with
> > > a gear on the camshaft? And doesn't the
> > > flat-bladed-screwdriver-looking end on the distributor mesh with the
> > > oil pump? If that flat-end does mesh with anything at all, doesn't
> > > that mean that for any given rotation of the engine that I can only
> > > install the distributor in one of two positons, 180 degrees apart from
> > > each other? Don't hate me because I'm beautiful!!! Uh... I mean
> > > don't hate me because I have lots of questions!!! :-)
> > >
> > > "I can hammer it back into shape later."
> > > :wq!