FirebirdNYC

okay so i got the distributor end where its suppose to be but i want to make sure i get the sparkplug end in the right cylinder , iv been looking at my haynes diagram and its kind of confusing , were is number 1 on the distributor cap and number 1 cylinder ..if im correct number 1 cylinder is the first cylinder on the pass side of the engine and the driver side is number 2 and so on...


v6 1990 firebird

TomP

You're right about the engine cylinder numbering...


firewall

5 ... 6
3 ... 4
1 ... 2

bumper


But as far as which plug wire is #1 on the distributor cap, you'll have to actually bring the motor up to TDC of the #1 (front passenger side) cylinder to find out, because you can never tell where the #1 post is on a distributor cap just by looking - it can be ANYWHERE. For more info, read the bottom of this message: https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...threadid=60772 Once you've found the #1 post terminal, just go clockwise around the cap on each post, 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6, to set up the firing order.

Hope that helps!

Oh- and also, as a tip... before I start work on any car, I make a quick drawing of the engine and the distributor cap. If the wires still follow the factory spark plug wire looms, I also include those in the drawing. Then I double & triple check the diagram, and if all's good, I can just pull ALL of the plug wires off at once. Of course, the "safest" (and also the quickest) way is just to replace one spark plug wire at a time.

FirebirdNYC

hm i understand your explanation, it all makes sense but in order to find my tdc i have to take off the cap? correct..? the rotor has to be pointing in between 1 and 2 , lets say its between 3 and 4 i have to rearrange my wires....and as far as the diagram thing, yeh i wasnt thinking at the time , i got frustrated and took out the cylinder end of the wire, but as far as the distributor wire went i just took one wire out at a time and sort of lined them up to the right cylinder, i kind of understand my haynes book now but i'll follow your instructions since they are more in detail...sorry if i just repeating what you said

dream02transam

You actually have to arrange your distributor to that when your #1 cyclinder is TDC the rotor will be be aligned with the post the I would consider to be the first fron post on the passenger side.... kinda diagonally forward. I dont know why this matters, but I pulled my distrubtor to change the o- ring that was leaking and my pickup coil. I put my dist back but it was 180's out when I put it back... not wanting to take it out again, I put all the wires 180 degrees back on the cap so I thought it should work. I timed it but it seemed to have a lot less power than it should. I brought it to Midias and they pulled the dist back out and put it 180 back around as well as the wires and retimed it... worked great after that. They told me that I just cant do what I did. I dont know why it matters, I didnt think it should matter but it did. Maybe because its a computer contolled? I dont know but maybe thats why. It did matter on a non computer controlled motor I had - 327 from a 65 vette I once dropped in an 85 bird, but that was a non computer controlled car. Hope this may help!

Distrubtor sequence
Firewall

........3......4

2....................5

........1.......6


Front of dist

Clockwise rotation

This positioning of the dist and wires is right out of the chiltons and is the way my car is after it was done right

TechSmurf

They fed you alot of BS... it doesn't matter. Something else was going on. #1 dist terminal aligning with #1 cylinder is just a matter of convenience... it doesn't *have* to point anywhere in particular so long as the timing itself is dead on. Perhaps you forgot to disconnect your EST when you timed the car or forgot to reconnect it afterwards?