SParkplug wire order @ distributor??

[EricB]

I just spent all day pulling off 72 SUs & E88 cylinder head off my parts car, then doing water pump+fan belt+spark plugs+condenser+cap+rotor on my car.Now after all this I realize I forgot to mark my distributor cap with the numbers of the spark plug wires....

I know the firing order from the Haynes manual, but nowhere do I see any indication as to which post corresponds to #1 cylinder. Can someone help me please? THanks.

-e

[PetesPonies]

all inline 6 cylinder engines fire 153624. What you need to do is turn you engine over by hand until you get #1 cylinder at TDC on the exhaust stroke. When you have it that way, the place that the rotor is pointing is where #1 spark plug wire goes. Really, you can start #1 wherever you want as long as you have it in the right refernce in regards to the #1 cylinder and when it is at TDC. That would involve taking the distributor out, however because of other reasons, there is a place that #1 usually is at so do what I described first.

[EricB]

Thanks Pete... I am back off to the carport, tools in hand.

-e

[PetesPonies]

whooooops!! don't know why I said it, but rereading my post, I said TDC on the exhaust stroke, no.TDC on the compression stroke. Whew!!!!!!!!! Brain fart!!! What you can do is, if the valve cover is off, look for the intake valve closing and choose TDC near that, or......put a small piece of toilet paper in the plug hole. Try to cover the hole, make a seal. Then when turning the negine over by hand ( with a ratchet ) the toilet paper will pop out when compression is made. Pick the TDC which is close to this. You can use the timing mark to do this, but remember the crank goes around twice, so it's a 50-50 crap shoot as to whether you have it at the right TDC.......unless you use one of the methods I gave you. I think I said this right this time )