73 240z how to find plug order on dizzy

[Diseazd]

Like everyone has said before…….you must be at TDC of the compression stroke…..lobes up. My guess is if the car has been running in the past, and hasn’t been taken apart since, your distributor is probably correctly oriented. Looks like you are 180 degrees out……TDC exhaust stroke. Set it TDC compression stroke and your rotor should be pointing approximately toward the little mark on your distributor cap (number 1). Then if you follow the timing firing order going counter clockwise, you should be running and driving. 

[Captain Obvious]

Try this...

1) Take the valve cover off.
2) Use a screwdriver to set cylinder #1 at TDC while the two front lobes are pointing up.
3) Look at the timing notch on the crank pulley. It should be pointing at zero.

At that point, your distributor rotor is pointing at #1 cylinder spark plug wire. If the rotor is pointing at some crazy direction like 8:30, it means that someone put your oil pump drive shaft in the wrong position.

You can either simply readjust the spark plug wires to put wire going to #1 at the same crazy angle where the rotor is pointing, or you can drop the oil pump and realign it to where it SHOULD be pointing.

My suspicion is that someone dropped the oil pump in the past and when they reinstalled it, they had the engine on TDC #1, but were on the exhaust stroke instead of on #1 compression. I'll admit it... I've done it.

 

[240dkw]

2 hours ago, Captain Obvious said:

Try this...

1) Take the valve cover off.
2) Use a screwdriver to set cylinder #1 at TDC while the two front lobes are pointing up.
3) Look at the timing notch on the crank pulley. It should be pointing at zero.

At that point, your distributor rotor is pointing at #1 cylinder spark plug wire. If the rotor is pointing at some crazy direction like 8:30, it means that someone put your oil pump drive shaft in the wrong position.

You can either simply readjust the spark plug wires to put wire going to #1 at the same crazy angle where the rotor is pointing, or you can drop the oil pump and realign it to where it SHOULD be pointing.

My suspicion is that someone dropped the oil pump in the past and when they reinstalled it, they had the engine on TDC #1, but were on the exhaust stroke instead of on #1 compression. I'll admit it... I've done it.

 

I agree, because his vacuum advance is at 12 o’clock. But did not want to go down that rabbit hole. Thought readjusting the plug wires was a better option.

Edited May 9, 2024 by 240dkw

[Yarb]

That’s all fine and dandy until the next guy goes by the textbook trying to fix it. Sure it won’t take long to see that it’s jacked up!

[Shawninvancouver]

How hard is it to see the cam lobes up like rabbit ears when looking in oil cap ? So I am standing on the side of the car looking across the car from fender to fender looking in the hole? And I should be able to see two lobes up??

[Zed Head]

1 hour ago, Shawninvancouver said:

How hard is it to see the cam lobes up like rabbit ears when looking in oil cap ?

Isn't this question self-answered?  If you're looking and you can't see them then it's hard.

There's only eight small screws holding the valve cover on.  It would be a good idea to see how things look anyway considering the rest of the engine bay.  Take the cover off. Pour some oil on the camshaft lobes.

https://www.atlanticz.ca/zclub/techtips/cam/index.htm

[Shawninvancouver]

Hey zed. I’m going to try and instal the distributor again .  I’m still wondering why the vacuum return keeps pointing up to the hose?? All others I see point down should I just flip the mounting bracket and then it would point down then I can just find top dead centre and put my plugs on, but that make more sense. I don’t know why it was flipped around and pointing up in the first place there’s no room for the vacuum advance hose to connect the plug is jammed under the hose. 

[Zed Head]

See other thread...