For those of you that have your C3 running, which direction is your distributor rotated? In order to keep mine idling the tach/coil wires are facing about 45 degrees to the front. Maybe thats the wrong direction.



[Modified by Skyhigh, 7:12 PM 11/8/2003]


[Modified by Skyhigh, 7:12 PM 11/8/2003]

 

Mine sits with the vacuum can at a 45 degree angle and the wire block 90 degrees of the axis of the motor.

What you can do is:
1) Pull the distributor. Do not let it rotate after you get it out of the engine (it will rotate coming out due to the angled gears). Also, do not turn the engine over with the dist out. I recommend putting a mark on the dist body at the rotors original location and where it ends up when you pull it.
2) Get a long screwdriver and rotate the oil pump drive (look down the dist hole) about 45 degrees in the direction you want.
3) Re-insert the distributor till it engages the cam gear and drops into the oil pump drive.
4) Reset your timing.

Since the cam gear and dist drive gear are cut at angles, you can engage them at multiple angles. However, since the dist drives the oil pump, it has to slot into the oil pump shaft which limits what position you dist will go all the way down in. What the above procedure does is keep the relationship between the cam and the dist the same but change the relationship between the dist and the oil pump.

As a note, I always hand rotate my engine (using a long breaker bar on the balancer nut) so that it is on TDC on #1 when I pull my dist. That way, I am working at a known position. I also have my timing set and with my marks I can return my dist to within a couple of degree of where it was when I pull it.

 

Your distributor is installed wrong. The HEI tach/coil connector should point straight out to the driver's side, and the coil should be "square" in the engine compartment. You need to yank the distributor out of the block and re-install it.

 

This is a picture from an 81. Should be the same orientation.

:cheers:

 

Thanks, I will try to reinstall it.

 

just look at my picture above. That is a view of the distributor from above. The front of the car is labeled, and you can see the orientation of the wire pack on the HEI distributor.
so, find your number one tower, then go down to where the cap meets the body of the distributor. Draw a line on the distributor body right under the terminal of the #1 terminal. Then when you have the cap off and are installing the distributor you want the rotor to point to that line when you have the distributor fully seated in the engine and the engine is set to top dead center. Know that when you are installing the distributor the rotor will turn as it goes into the engine, so you need to set the rotor ahead a little. If you did it right, the rotor will line up with #1 when installed.


HEI distributor correctly installed in car, front of car on left, viewed from drivers side. Note #1 terminal.



Under the #1 terminal make a mark on the distributor body. See black mark on distributor body, under the #1 terminal.
Now remove the cap.


Start installing distributor body in engine. Note that rotor is not pointing at the mark for number 1 on the body, but is turned pointing more at the fender. That is because as the distributor drops into the engine and the gear engages the cam gear, the rotor will turn. The objective is to have the rotor point to the mark for #1 when the distributor is FULLY SEATED.

As such.



If the distributor will not full seat in the engine it is most likely because the oil pump shaft slot is not lining up with the notch at the end of the distributor shaft gear. You will have to take the distributor back out and with a very long flat screwdriver turn the oil pump shaft. You need to turn it so when the distributor drops in the engine fully it lines up with the inside of the distributor shaft gear. This takes some practice.

If all is seated well the rotor should be pointing very close to the #1 mark when fully seated. If you have the crank set at 0 degrees timing it should point right at it. If you want to set your static timing, turn the crank to about 8 degrees before top dead center and then turn the distributor body so the mark lines up with the rotor. You will then be able to secure the distributor, install the cap, wires and fire it up. Time with a timing light after that.

Hope this helps.



[Modified by BSeery, 11:45 PM 11/14/2003]

 

Great directions. Thanks I will try it today when it gets a little warmer it's about 28 degrees now in Maryland.