can someone send me a pic or diagram to help me setup my wires correctly? it's a chevy dist. on a 85' 305 tpi. need help fast!

 

the firing order is 18436572 on the cap. Number 1 has to fire a TDC. The drivers side of the block is odd, pass. is even. Low numbers start toward the radiator.

Like this:

8 7
6 5
4 3
2 1



Matt

 

can you tell me which direction the distributor fires and which numbers are which on the distributor?

 

First find TDC on #1 piston. Remove spark plug on #1 cylinder and set balancer to 0 degrees by indicator and balancer line. Feel with a small screw driver and see if piston is at TDC. If not, it is on the exhaust stroke. Rotate engine 360 degrees back to position again with balancer lined up at 0 deg again. Piston should now be at TDC and on the "power" stroke.

Remove your drivers side valve cover to ensure that both intake and exhaust valves are closed.

Replace spark plug.

Remove dist cap and look where the rotor is pointing relative to the distributor cap. Mark the base of the distrubutor pole to show where the rotor is (since you can't see it with the cap on). Whichever plug pin on the cap is directly above that mark when you put the cap back on will be #1 firing position.

From there, plug up the wires in a clock-wise fashion with the rotation numbers in the above post.

In order to "tune" the engine to 4 degrees BTDC you will have to disconnect the pigtail behind the distributor or the computer will adjust the engine when you make a change to the timing. Set the timing and then reconnect the computer pigtail.

Hope this helps for a TPI. Mine is a 4BBL, but I think it works on the TPI also.

 

Yep, that's the exact procedure for TPI too

 

This may be easier:
Standing in front of the car looking at the steering wheel the order is this way... on the left side (passenger side) of the distributor starting nearest to you it goes 8,4,3,6 from front to back with 6 being nearest the firewall. On the right side its 1,2,7 and 5 with five being nearest the fire wall. It may be wise to mark your wires for next time.

 

This might help. From another thread.

 

that if your timing is far off your cap wont have the #1 prong in the right spot so youll put all the wires on one too far or one too early, this happened to me when i bought my car it was 12Degrees atdc and i had to move all my wires one space clockwise. (messed up huh)