Distributor Orientation
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 420
Likes: 0
From: Yerington NV
Distributor Orientation
Ok guys, I have wasted a whole lot of time that I could have been doing something constructive, so now I punt and ask for help!
If you look at picture, you can see that my #2 distrib wire is pushing up against my air cleaner .... timing is right, so I don't want to turn the cap, BUT would like to get #1 & #2 wires centered (thereby also releiving the pressure onto air cleaner). Also, I would like to keep the proper orientation, ie wires where they are at ..... Seems like my distrib's teeth are just enough to make it too far either way I go ....
The caps' wire connector "should" point towards just behind the cruise servo, but can't seem to get it lined up, it is either to far advanced (pointed towards LH rear engine bay corner) or like it is in picture (front of servo).
Anybody with some steps to follow, a few bright ideas - or be satisfied with it (very hard for me to do .... I have COCD (Corvette OCD)
???
If you look at picture, you can see that my #2 distrib wire is pushing up against my air cleaner .... timing is right, so I don't want to turn the cap, BUT would like to get #1 & #2 wires centered (thereby also releiving the pressure onto air cleaner). Also, I would like to keep the proper orientation, ie wires where they are at ..... Seems like my distrib's teeth are just enough to make it too far either way I go ....
The caps' wire connector "should" point towards just behind the cruise servo, but can't seem to get it lined up, it is either to far advanced (pointed towards LH rear engine bay corner) or like it is in picture (front of servo).
Anybody with some steps to follow, a few bright ideas - or be satisfied with it (very hard for me to do .... I have COCD (Corvette OCD)
???
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 14,345
Likes: 4
From: Hartselle AL
St. Jude Donor '09
Just installed a new Summit dist last week. I had to "walk" the gears a few times along with adjusting the oil receiver slot to get things aligned correctly. You're correct, that it point a tad too far forward. Mine actually as a slight (but not much) rearward orientation.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 420
Likes: 0
From: Yerington NV
Right on Danny, I had "tried" that a couple of times, as it really started out too far "advanced" of perpendicular while keeping the rotor in same place, but boy is that hard to find the right spot, or what? 
Ok, will go do it again, seems like I eventually get it right, AND gain a bunch of experience doing it more than once
Ok, will go do it again, seems like I eventually get it right, AND gain a bunch of experience doing it more than once
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 420
Likes: 0
From: Yerington NV
Think I just wasted another hour
I went out and walked the distrib & oil pump slot around the world an 1/4" at a time, and this is as close as I can get it!!!!!!
WTF - I need to take an COCD chill pill and just let it be, and try to forget it
Unless someone can explain to me, why I am "off" & why it seems to be "inbetween teeth"
WTF - I need to take an COCD chill pill and just let it be, and try to forget it
Unless someone can explain to me, why I am "off" & why it seems to be "inbetween teeth"
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 7,477
Likes: 1,495
From: Little Rock AR
You can be 1/2 a tooth off if you put the distributor gear on backwards. Or to put it another way, you can move the housing 1/2 of a tooth if you pull the distributor gear pin out, rotate the gear still on the shaft for 180 degrees and put the roll pin back in it. The distributor gear has an odd number of teeth on it and the "correct" way to assemble it is with the dimple on the gear to be facing the same direction as the tip of the rotor.
It will run either way but changing the gear around will give you a slightly different housing orientation.
-Mark.
It will run either way but changing the gear around will give you a slightly different housing orientation.
-Mark.
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Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 420
Likes: 0
From: Yerington NV
Hey Mark - will check that next time I take distrib out!! I never changed gears on it, and am so used it having "correct" orientation, BUT the timing turns out to have been really retarded, so the only thing "right" was the orientation 
I wouldn't be suprised if the gear is on backwards or something to that affect
I wouldn't be suprised if the gear is on backwards or something to that affect
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 51
Likes: 0
From: Wayne NJ
You can be 1/2 a tooth off if you put the distributor gear on backwards. Or to put it another way, you can move the housing 1/2 of a tooth if you pull the distributor gear pin out, rotate the gear still on the shaft for 180 degrees and put the roll pin back in it. The distributor gear has an odd number of teeth on it and the "correct" way to assemble it is with the dimple on the gear to be facing the same direction as the tip of the rotor.
It will run either way but changing the gear around will give you a slightly different housing orientation.
-Mark.
It will run either way but changing the gear around will give you a slightly different housing orientation.
-Mark.
If moving the distributor 1 tooth in either direction is too much, then moving the gear 180 degrees should help. I had the same problem with my distributor after restoration. Moving the gear did the trick.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 40,380
Likes: 788
From: Redondo Beach, California
When it comes time to put the distributor cap back on...
I took an extra distributor cap and cut a small rectangular hole in it right below the distributor cap terminal for the #1 sparkplug. I put this cap on and look through the hole to make sure that the distributor rotor arm is right below the #1 sparkplug terminal. (This of course when the #1 piston is at TDC for the sparkplug firing.)
My car has an HEI distributor. If you have the stock early C3 distributor cap, sacrificing a cap will be quite a bit less expensive.
I took an extra distributor cap and cut a small rectangular hole in it right below the distributor cap terminal for the #1 sparkplug. I put this cap on and look through the hole to make sure that the distributor rotor arm is right below the #1 sparkplug terminal. (This of course when the #1 piston is at TDC for the sparkplug firing.)
My car has an HEI distributor. If you have the stock early C3 distributor cap, sacrificing a cap will be quite a bit less expensive.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 420
Likes: 0
From: Yerington NV
I think I know what you are saying, but why not just mark the position of #1 on the base of distributor, so you know rotor location without cap on it at all? Maybe I am not following what you are saying?
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 40,380
Likes: 788
From: Redondo Beach, California
Marking the distributor will work. But, I cut a hole in an extra cap because I wanted to see for absolutely, positively for sure that the rotor was exactly under the #1 cap terminal end. Probably a little overkill on my part, but it made me happy I knew it was correct.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 9,429
Likes: 44
From: Macon, GA
Tech Contributor
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 14,377
Likes: 6,376
From: At my Bar drinking and wrenching in Lafayette Colorado
Not only is your distributor body installed 1 tooth off in order to get it correctly "aligned," but the whole thing is installed wrong: On an HEI, the #1 plug wire is the forward driver's side wire (where you have your #2). You currently have your #1 wire as the forward pasenger side wire where the #8 wire should be. You need to pull the distrubutor and start from scratch for a correct installation.
Lars
Lars
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 420
Likes: 0
From: Yerington NV
Damn! Thought I had finally gotten it on right ..... guess I am back working on that tomorrow ...... so was that the problem with the alignment that I was trying to get it in incorrect spot & the turning of the gear was not neccessary?
I must have been looking at wrong distrib picture when I thought I knew what the correct wiring was suppose to be
I must have been looking at wrong distrib picture when I thought I knew what the correct wiring was suppose to be
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 14,345
Likes: 4
From: Hartselle AL
St. Jude Donor '09
Not only is your distributor body installed 1 tooth off in order to get it correctly "aligned," but the whole thing is installed wrong: On an HEI, the #1 plug wire is the forward driver's side wire (where you have your #2). You currently have your #1 wire as the forward pasenger side wire where the #8 wire should be. You need to pull the distrubutor and start from scratch for a correct installation.
Lars
Lars