This has NEVER happened to me in 54 years of mechanikin'!

[kennhon]

I have worked on engines for 54 years.. and i NEVER came across this before. item: one 1996 454 Vortec[which means the distributor is BURIED in back of engine with NO room to even SEE da FREAKIN' distributor!!!!!!.Item #2: engine idling fine[BTW:i have MSD 6-AL ign.'s on ALL my vehicles]., it just stopped! this engine has MPFI with OBD2 'puter. got my fuel press. guage-PLENTY of press.[58#]--- then got timing light-NOW here's where it gets interesting---there is NO timing marks at balancer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![does anyone know if there are ANY... ANYWHERE????] i did check for spark with timing light... first at coil... YES, there was BRIGHT lites!!! then put light on #1 spark plug wire... NADA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! now that says that this has NOTHING to do with computer or anything other than what's under the cap!!!! SOOOOOOOOOOOO.. had to take off intake upper manifold[not all that bad---EXCEPT for fuel lines!!! [i modified them for whenever i get to reinstall them]. It was NOT the cap/rotor/wires!!!! the shaft was NOT sloppy!!!! BUT it did NOT turn!!!! so i will have to pull out the distributor.... What i HAVE to know is is there ANY way to check for TDC without taking engine apart [old engines ALWAYS had marks for timing marks and TDC#! this engine has NONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can't just get a ball-park figur by using the old whistle or thumb on 31 spark plug hole...Even removing valve cover--- watching intake /exhaust valve movement.

[maxwedge]

Welcome to AF, holy cow you must be as old as me. LOL. How about just marking the dist location to the block/ manifold and the rotor location to the dist housing like the old days and pull it out? BTW, you will probably find the dist gear worn away, common problem.

[tennykimble]

Originally Posted by maxwedge

Welcome to AF, holy cow you must be as old as me. LOL. How about just marking the dist location to the block/ manifold and the rotor location to the dist housing like the old days and pull it out? BTW, you will probably find the dist gear worn away, common problem.

x2!!

i had a miss at a certain rpm and i couldent find it, it turned out to be a WORN distribuitor gear i replacd everthing up to the distrubtor itself, which i was about to do, then i thought - no way it cant be that--- it was--- gm found a worn disturbitor gear , suprize they had one in stock!! all is good now....