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Re: 74 distributor

To: bricklin@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: 74 distributor
From: "John T. Blair" <jblair1948@cox.net>
Date: Sat, 22 Jan 2005 09:46:50 -0500
At 05:30 AM 1/22/2005 +0000, Alan Coleman wrote:
>Im in the process of reassembling #246 and Im stuck.  When I disassembled
>it several years ago, I took photographs to help me during this process.
>Unfortunately, the photograph I have of my distributor was taken after all
>the wires were removed, and possibly with the clamp bolt loosened and the
>distributor rotated at the time of the photo.
>
>Could someone please take a digital photo of their distributor on their 74
>and email it to me??  I am interested in seeing the position of the
>distributor and seeing the location  on the cap of the wire to the number
>one cylinder.  A finger pointing to the wire for the number one cylinder
>would be great.

Alan,

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of a 74.  However, you can set up the
distributor fairly easly, assumint that your engine will turnover with the
starter.  (Note:  this procedure will work for the Ford engines, but the
firing order and cylinders will probably be different!)

1.  Remove the plug from #1 Cylinder.  But where is #1? #1 is the front plug
    on the left (driver's) side of the eng.  The rest of the plugs should be
    in the eng. so it turns slowly.  Disconnect the coil so the enging will
    NOT start.

          Left                       FRONT OF ENG ----->>>
    ----------------
    |              |
    |  7  5  3  1  |          Dist. 
    |              |
    ----------------            2     VAC
                             7     1   Adv changer
                           5         8     
                             6     4
         Right                  3
    ----------------
    |              |
    |  8  6  7  2  | 
    |              |
    ----------------


2.  Place your thumb over the hole for the #1 plug. Have a helper quickly 
    turn the ign. switch on and off to rotate the engine (or use one of the
    remote starter switches).   When #1 comes up on compression the air will 
    push (blow) your finger/thumb away from the spark plug hole.  Now you are 
    close.

    To truely find Top Dead Center (TDC) use something soft like a piece of
    wire or a small piece of dowel rod and place it in spark plug hole to use
    as a pointer.  Make sure it is long enough that you don't drop it into the
    cylinder or you'll have to pull the heads (ouch)!  Have an assistant put 
    a socket on the crank bolt an slowly turn the engine in one direction a 
    little bit.  The pointer should move down into the cylinder.  So have 
    the helper turn the engine slowly in the other direction.  The pointer 
    should raise.  At TDC the pointer will start to go back down.  Have the
    helper reverse the direction he is turning the engine and the stop turning
    when you see the pointer at it's top point.  This may take a few trys.

    DO NOT LET THE POINTER GET STUCK, PINCHED IN THE CLYINDER OR IT COULD 
    BREAK THE POINTER AND YOU'LL HAVE TO REMOVE THE HEAD TO GET THE PIECES
    OUT! :(

3.  Now you need to know the direction of rotation of the distributor and
    the firing order.  According to my books, the distributor rotates 
    CLOCKWISE when viewed from the top of the distributor.

    The firing order is 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2

4.  The rotor button will now be pointing to #1.  So set the dist. cap on
    the distributor, and going in a clock wise direction (the direction the
    rotor button turns) run the spark plug wires to each cylinder.  So the
    wire where the rotor button is pointing goes to #1,  then next wire
    goes to #8, then #4, etc. following the firing order.

Notes:

1.  Since the teeth on the gear, on the distributor shaft, are streight
    the distributor shaft will rotate as you slide the distributor into 
    place.  If this happens, you will have to remove it and adjust the shaft
    and try again.  Repeat until the rotor button is pointing to a contact
    on the inside of the distributor cap.

2.  Now all distributor caps have the contacts inside the cap going to the 
    connector hole directly above the contact.  You may want to use an ohm
    meter to verify where the contact on the inside of the dist. cap actually 
    comes out the top.  

    The rotor button will swing pased the contacts, in order.  The spark plug
    wires will have to be in the correct holes on the top of the dist. cap.

This should be enough to get the engine to fire.  If not, recheck ALL work!!!
You may have to have the distributor clamp loose and move the distributor
some to get the correct timing to get the engine to run.  Once running
you can set the timing with a timing light.

Hope this helps.

John
John T. Blair  WA4OHZ     email:  jblair1948@cox.net
Va. Beach, Va             (eBay id: zebra48-1)
Phone:  (757) 495-8229

          48 TR1800    48 #4 Midget    65 Morgan 4/4 Series V (B1109)
     75 Bricklin SV1 (#0887)    77 Spitfire    71 Saab Sonett III
                       65 Rambler Classic

Morgan:    www.team.net/www/morgan
Bricklin:  www.bricklin.org




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