Distributor

I replaced the distributor in my 95 Chevy 1500, 350/5.7L which I found after replacing several parts i.e. fuel pump, sending unit, plugs, rotor button, cap and ignition coil that it was actually causing my truck to hesitate, backfire and cutoff. Ok so here's the deal, I installed the new distributor and placed it according to markings that I made before I took out the defective distributor. Since I have replaced it, my truck accelerates sluggish in the beginning then it picks up speed. If I'm at a stand still and then go up a hill, it's not accelerating with full power in the beginning. I'm figuring something is off when I installed the new one. Can someone advise me of what's going on? The only thing I didn't replace were the plugs.

Sounds like you're off a tooth behind. How did you mark it?

I marked the distributor in two places. I marked the top of it according to which way the lead on the rotor button was pointing and the base of the pole to the manifold.

If you set the #1 piston at top dead center, the rotor should point at the #1 terminal on the cap. Also a timing light is VERY handy.

timing is very cridical you need to disable ecm timing adv. then with timing light time to TDC unground timing adv circuit and your done. most 5.7 s have brown wire loose rt side of eng 3/4 to front by valve cover I dont have my book in front of me. Trying to do without timing light will never be right and will effect gas mileage and power. Good luck

Ok. I'll try your suggestions.

I screwed up with this. The first procedure I tried was taking out the distributor, I had someone bump the starter while I had my finger in the whole of the #1 plug until I felt the pressure. Then installed the distributor with the rotor button pointing toward the #1 plug. Connected everything back and started it. This before I learned about TDC. So I started over, took the distributor out and bump the starter again with finger in number one whole. installed the distributor pointing straight towards the front of the engine. Then I turned the crankshaft and lined it up at TDC. Noticed that the rotor moved so I took it out put back where I had it. Now the truck is not catching on. What is the correct way to do this. I know I will have to set the afterwards but first I need to get started in the right direction. One simple question, when I turned the crankshaft it felt like it was tightning. Is it doing that or it just feel like that.

All you needed to do was a small adj there was no need to remove you dist . But now that you have and with dist out you turned over so now you need to place line on TDC then drop in dist . Remember as you drop in the rotor will move it needs to point at # 1 spark wire when seated, if it turns to far pull back up and move one tooth over until it lines up close alittle in front or behind ok as long as you can swing dist in front and behind rotor tab. Remember TDC comes around twice but only once are both valves closed thats on compression TDC and thats what you need. you can just line crank up lock down dist using your old mark for outer case ( should be close enough) then try to start if starts you had trure TDC if not your 180 degrees off. if thats the case put line on TDC at point when dist rotor points away from #1 then pull out and turn rotor to # 1 plug now you are not 180 off you should be on compression stroke.place dist back in making sure it lines with #1 spark wire again clos as prev discribed, snug up case of dist using your orig case marks and it should start, when it starts you are now ready to disable ecm advance circuit and time dist to TDC. Then remove short that disabled adv circuit and your done.You can take spark plug #1 out hold finger on open cyl have someone tap start to find when air is pushed out of cyl then move crank a little to line at TDC but I know how hard it is on 5.7 to access plugs I like what I fell is easier to just line up rotor to #1 spark wire and crank to TDC. I then have 50/50 of being right without busting my hand up, either way is fine to find TDC. Good Luck

Ok so the rotor needs to point to the #1 spark plug. I got that.I actually did that. But what I did which was probably wrong was try to line the post on the distributor cap that the #1 spark went to before I took it off to the rotor button. What I should have done was line the cap to the markings I made. Is that correct.?

No it needs to point at the #1 position on the CAP which is in the direction of the #1 plug. Using the marks on the balancer/timing cover to get it near TDC on the compression stroke has always worked well for me. When you drop the distributor in, set the rotor just a bit behind the #1 position on the cap so the rotor will slide into the right position. Also, don't get #5 and #7 backwards, it is VERY easy to do.

So when I line my markings on the balancer to TDC, when i install the distributor back in, even if the rotor doesn't line up with the #1 spark plug, I still need to line the cap and base of distributor to my markings?

Ok with cap on dist look at the # 1 wire plugged into top of cap mark the dist body straight down from there so when you remove cap you know where that wire lines up and you can point the side of the rotor that has the metal tab towards that. see as rotor turns it transfers spark to each wire using cap which brings spark to each piston when that piston is on compression stroke but we need to time that process and we start with #1 wire so if you mark the body that responds to #1 wire it will make it easy to line up rotor with cap off to side. Any more that your not sure of let me know just relax its not that hard and I think it will click in your mind and you will be able to do in your sleep. Let me know how you do . Good Luck

My problem is that it is extremely hard to line the rotor button up with #1 plug on the cap when I install it. When I tried to line it up with it, it didn't go in smoothly. On the other hand, when I turned it a little more, it went right into place. It just wasn't lined up directly with the #1 plug. Is that ok?

My problem is that it is extremely hard to line the rotor button up with #1 plug on the cap when I install it. When I tried to line it up with it, it didn't go in smoothly. On the other hand, when I turned it a little more, it went right into place. It just wasn't lined up directly with the #1 plug. Is that ok?

What dist and engine code?
Flat top dist or o;d style cap?

If new style flat top dist?
http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=51302

Post back what dist you have.

Ok you had this done before you can do it again. #10 post explains how to get it close , remember to get it running and have enough housing motion so as to set exact TDC is what you need. When you line up rotor with mark you placed on housing(as we described ) bring it maybe 1 inch ccw then drop in if it lines up with your mark for #1 wire good if not lift out turn one more tooth until its where you want ( in either direction). remember your doing this with crank at TDC. you can line up your orig housing marks to eng you made before ,that should get you back to when you had it running (the housing marks you orig made was close enough in timing to get it running)but you needed to disable ecm adv timing at that point and with a timing light turn housing to get TDC on marked crank. Good Luck

Okay I think I got it. I'll let you know how it goes.

Still unsuccessful. I set the crank to TDC at 0. I then installed the distributor but couldn't get it to line up directly with my markings so I turned the crankshaft until it did. Put everything back together and I still can't get it to start. It turns over but it will not catch. It seem like the timing is just off, I'm really not sure. All I know is I'm doing something wrong. I guess it worked the first time I did it because I pulled the old one out and install the new one without doing TDC. So I don't know what else to do but have it towed to a mechanic. Anyway, thanks to all for there input.

Still unsuccessful. I set the crank to TDC at 0. I then installed the distributor but couldn't get it to line up directly with my markings so I turned the crankshaft until it did. Put everything back together and I still can't get it to start. It turns over but it will not catch. It seem like the timing is just off, I'm really not sure. All I know is I'm doing something wrong. I guess it worked the first time I did it because I pulled the old one out and install the new one without doing TDC. So I don't know what else to do but have it towed to a mechanic. Anyway, thanks to all for there input.
Flat top dist or old style dist?
Did you set the engine on TDC compression stroke or exhaust stroke.
To find TDC compression plull no 1 spark plug and crank engine untill with your finger over the plug hole you feel exhaust out the plug hole.
Then bring the pistion up to the top.

Also beware some engines have 2 different TDC marks.

Use the one that lines up with piston up to the top/TDC.

Ok once you line crank to TDC DONT MOVE CRANK. The rotor needs to line up close enough to the mark you made that shows where #1 wire is. you should have enough movement on dist so that #1 wire mark you made can be moved in front and behind rotor tab pointing at that mark,then you will have the ablity to adj to fine point of TDC with adv disabled later.If you happen to be on exhaust stroke and not compression I explain in post #8 how to fix that prob easy. I would hate to see you spend $$$ after all the posts remember you had her running before you removed dist and had someone crank over. so if you can get her fired up you know your orig problem you already fixed!! YOU can do it. Maybe good idea to print out posts so you can ref when you are at veh. I wish you Good Luck let me know.

Ronald,

Is it possible that I could have damaged the distributor? I don't think I'm getting spark. How do you check to see if I'm getting spark?

My chilton book shows distb with coil in cap or coil mounted on intake which do you have

Ok Pete,
I think I know exactly why your having trouble. You did a good job of marking the dist location and that should eliminate having to use a timing light on it because your timing will be set exactly where it was before you took it apart. It sounds like you can not get the distr to drop into the correct position. You can probaly get to align it's drivegear into the camgear but it won't drop any further right?.. when you bumped the engine over you lost the timing orientation of the oil pump drive (under the camgear). If so this is what you can do :
First of all make sure your timing mark on the crank pulley is TDC and on the compression stroke of #1 cyl like you did before. Drop the distr into the camgear so the position of the rotor is one tooth just before it points to the #1 position on the cap. At that point the base of the distr should be slightly raised off of it's seat on the manifold. Put the distr holddown and the bolt back on and tighten it finger tight then back it off a 1/4 turn... The idea is to secure the distr drivegear into the camgear so it won't jump out but still allowing it to be loose on the oil pump drive. Now is the tricky part... Being careful not to get cut by the turning rotor, put light downward pressure on the outside body of the distr while someone cranks the engine. The distr will drop when it engages the oil pump drive. Verify now that the distr base is seated on the manifold then tighten the holddown bolt again fingertight and next turn the crankshaft back to TDC and verify that the rotor is pointed at the #1 terminal of the cap ( which it should be) . If it is, then realign your distr.base to manifold mark that you made before and tighten it down. You should be good to go with the timing set exactly the way it was before you took it apart.

As for the question of which type of distr... On the 1995 C/K truck with a 350 K engine ( K being the eighth digit of the VIN#) should be an electronic distr with two electrical connectors on it's base and an external coil mounted on the right side of the intake manifold.

RonaldK and CaliOkie,

I finally realized the error of my ways and got it to running. What was killing me was getting the rotor to line up with the #1 spark plug wire. One I set to TDC, somehow something clicked in my brain and I was like oh shit!! this is what they were talking about. I actually think I got it timed exactly right but I will purchase a timing light to get it exact. Thanks so much for the help. And RonaldK, thanks for the private messages. They helped me out a lot dude.

I new it would click glad to help glad it worked out and thanks for posting back

Once again, thanks to all that took the time to explain everything to me.