Mike,
I used the air escape method mentioned in a previous reply to make
sure I was on the compression stroke. I then lined up the timing mark
on the damper with the 0 deg mark. My 3 books had two different
pictures for the positioning of the timing gear. Getting this right was
the most challenging part of my rebuild. With the #1 cylinder TDC,
insert the timing gear according to the picture.
I then wanted to verify I did it correctly. To do this, slip the
distributor in and put the cap on. Make a mark on the distributor body
even with the #1 spark plug wire. Remove the cap and install the
rotor. If you did things right, the rotor should be very near the mark
you made on the distributor. As long as your fairly close, the engine
should run.
My first starting was rough and I didn't have enough range of
adjustment to correct the timing. The tach cable makes having the
distributor drive gear in the correct location critical. I needed to
rotate the drive gear one tooth. To remove the gear, I used a piece of
coat hanger wire with a small bend at the end to reach around the gear
and lift it.
If I should ever need to do this again, I have no fears. It's
actually fairly simple and straight forward once you figure it out.
If I overlooked anything, please let me know and I'll clarify it.
Brian Kemp
72 TR6
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