I had to remove the distributor on my 1995 4x4 Jimmy. I had marked everything to make re-installing easier, but accidently cranked the starter before the distributor was back in.
I need some help with getting the timing set.
We found the timing mark on the front driver's side of the timing cover. It looks like a notch or "Vee" cutout. This is the mark that doesn't move.
Looking at the harmonic balancer, I find it has two grooves across it. I was only expecting one mark on the balancer that would be TDC. Moving around the harmonic balancer, one mark is about 90 degrees after the other. On the rearward edge of the harmonic balancer there is a little bump. Some friends look at this bump and say it looks like a mark also. Maybe it has a white line through the middle of it. The bump is located at least 120 degrees rotation from either of the two grooves across the harmonic balancer.
QUESTION: Do I use the
first groove, or the
second groove to line up with the TDC mark on the timing cover? What is the reason for the second groove?
The Hayes Manual says when the distributor is fully seated, "the rotor button should point within a few degrees of the "6" stamped on the bottom of the distributor body.
The rotor won't line up exactly on the "6". Depending on how I engage the bevel cut gear, I can put the rotor pointer either "before", or "after" the stamped number "6".
QUESTION: Is it better to put the rotor pointer "Before", or "After", the stamped "6"? Consider the normal CW rotation of the rotor.
QUESTION: In another post, I read something about the arrow on the distributor shaft housing. This is a long arrow that points skyward. How do I use the arrow?
Thanks for any help and suggestions.
James
Everything below is info. that might be helpful to someone else trying to solve similar problems.
Hints:
1. Take a marker and draw a line across the top of the rotor that corresponds to the slot on the bottom of distributor shaft.
2. If you need to use a screw driver to turn the oil pump shaft, make a mark on the top of the screw driver to match the slot on the end of the screw driver.
3. Use a small mirror to look down into the engine, and see the slot in the oil pump shaft. ***Everything will be reversed in the mirror*** If you see the slot as "7 to 1" o'clock, in reality, it is "5 to 11" o'clock. Go practice in your bathroom mirror. Lay a pencil flat on the counter and look at it in the mirror.
4. Plan on dropping the oil pan or maybe pulling the engine if you drop your screwdriver into the engine. Ask me how my cousin learned this! We call him butter fingers.
If you consider that the rotor turns "clockwise", I can also see a circle stamped in the bottom, "just before" the "6". The circle seems to line up with the position of the "Number one" terminal under the cap. (This is the side terminal cap, so the No. one spark plug boot is nearly opposite the terminal. If you look at the bottom of the cap, you can "trace" the route from the terminal to the boot connection. )
Here are very helpful post if you are dealing with hard starting:
http://files.automotiveforums.com/ga...hp?photo=51302
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=736990
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=575706