How can I tell if the #1 piston is raised up to the top
I do believe that I have to raise it since the crank was turned
after it was removed. How do I install it,(forgot to mark rotor)?
Need help badly!!!!!

thanx in advance,

R.

 

remove your coil wire and the #1 spark plug and wire.have someone bump the motor while holding your thumb over the plug hole. when your finger is blown out the [piston should be at the top.look at your balancer to see if the mark is on the correct timing mark , if its at the bottom try again till the piston i s at the top and the mark lines up. the dist rotor should be installed so it points, i guess you should point it towards the #1 plug. if you have access to a chiltons it'll show you where #1 is on the cap.if it doesn't go all the way down i thasn't engaged the oil pump yet, bump the motor and it will go the rest of the way.that should help, some one will point out if i've forgotten something.

 

#1 on the cap is wherever the rotor is pointing when the #1 piston is at TDC.....

 

Does this mean I must change the position of the plug wires also?

 

if need be. It doesnt matter wich terminal is #1 as long as the #1 piston is TDC, the rotor will point at what you now make #1 on the dist. Does this help?

 

It's clear. However I am worried about play in the dissy.
When I put the new pick up in, there was a small gap
between the gear drive and the main/ shaft housing. I had to run to autozone to get a new clamp cause I lost the screw.
It was ready to crank but it sounded loose

 

If you have vertical (axial) play in the distributor it may not be a major issue. The rotation of the camshaft tends to pull the distributor shaft downward due to the angle of the drive gears. If it really concerns you, you may want to fit a shim washer(s) between the drive gear and lower end of the distributor housing to take up the slack. The real problems occur when there is radial play in the shaft (side-to-side).

Find the TDC point of the #1 cylinder and drop in the distributor with the rotor pointing toward #1. At worst, the distributor will be 180° off the stock install positon and you'll have to move the ignition wires to accomodate. Or you can remove the distributor and reinstall it at the correct position. No big deal either way.

 

hope that bolt fot the clamp is on the ground somewhere and not in your motor....

 

It's definetly not in my motor. I picked up a new one from
Autozone the other day. gonna get back at it today.

 

Hey after several tries I got it running although running very poorly. During the attempts I was smelling gas and smoke was coming from the injectors/tb. It idles like crap, lacks power, misses
at idle speeds. I'm not sure if the timing was poorly set or the plug was gapped wrong or a combination of both. Please
don't stop the aid!!!

I need help!

 

are you sure you have the firing order right? Are you using a timing light? When the car is running, have you tried advancing/retarding the timing, by turning the distributor?
Sounds like the timing is off or the firing order

 

In that picture of the firing orders, why does the LS1 have a different firing order? What would happen If I changed my firing order to the LS1? Thanks.

Brad...

 

"What would happen If I changed my firing order to the LS1? Thanks."

You would blow something up! The fireing order is diffrent becouse the valves & stuff are opening and closing at a diffrent time.
By all means use a timing light - and remember, that a lot of times, an engine needs to run a while after its been sitting for awhile, for it to smooth out.

 

The dissy is too tight for me to turn. I would have to loosen the clamp to move it. I don't have a timing light will any one
from Autozone do? And I'm not sure where to point it and how many degrees it should be at?

Respond soon,

 

Yea, you've got to loosten the clamp at the bottom - & maybe give the shaft a little bump -but you had it out, right?

You want the little metal thing on the distributor rotor to line up with 1 plug wire, when 1 cylinder is at the top on the compression stroke. So you kinda have to guess where it will be when you put the cap back on.
AutoZone or any good Auto supply place should be able to sell you a good 'medium priced' Timing light. I paid about $30 for mine but I got it a long time ago. U dont need the best but U want a decent one - all it is is a strobe light that slaves off your 1 plug. They last forever & they work on all types of engines. (Except diesel)

Dont forget that 1 plug is passenger side on our v6s.

The timing mark is on the Harmonic balancer just below the water pump. On most 2.8's there are 3 marks - one SHOULD be wider than the other two. Mark that one with some white paint / chalk etc. right above it is a scale with some numbers, thats what you use to read it.
(see attached photos)

 

Looking down on front of motor -

 

Oh, and I don't know anyone that would call it a " dissy " - its just not what Mr Goodwrench would say.

 

Hey Ride4ME...You get that Ride Timed Yet?

 

No. Yesterday it died and refused to crank at all. So I changed the positive battery cable because mine was frayed, disheveled, and burnt looking. So it started and after about 2 minutes it died.
And did the exact same thing. So I took my battery to be checked
and it's being charged at this very moment.

Thanx 4 the concern guys,

btw Ghostrider84: I have the lo3 it's the 305ci v8 not the 6

 

Well I got my battery back and no luck.
When I turn the key all I get is this high piched wine.
Is this my alternator going, going, gone let me know what
the deal is. It's going on 2 weeks since I've been off the road.

R.

 

Yea, Forget what I said about V6s - I waz really - really - tired yesterday - ( and I'm used to being on the v6 board)

The information still holds though - works on my 350 too. ( of course the 1 plug is in the PROPER place on that eng.)

Ok, so its turning over but all your getting is just the "whine" that the engine makes when it turns - pull a spark plug & hook the plug wire back up to it & lay the metal part on some bare metal on the engine (a bolt or bracket etc.) so it gets good electrical contact. - have someone crank the motor and see if you are getting any spark. I'm betting its a loose or broken wire or bad connection.
Your alternator doesn't come into it untill after the engine is running.
I've been having to go out of town a lot, so sometimes it may take me a day or two, to get back to you.

 

Is the motor turning over or is the starter just spinning?

 

OR . . . YOUR NEW TIMING LIGHT WILL TELL YOU instantly if you have any spark or not!

 

Well it's running again still needing tuning.
The positive battery terminal, where all the wires need to connect
is where the problem lied. I re-twisted all the wires for a better connection and I was able to take some local trips.
Now however, my temp gauge doesn't work. I wonder if my thermostat is broken.My fan motor shorted a while back and I have coolant flying out of my radiator cap
I hope the radiator's not busted. Haven't got the timing light yet.

 

Hey, great to hear you got it running again - shows that you've got a cool head & can work through problems. Tackle your problems one at a time. First, go back and do a realy good connection job on those wires you twisted back together. Remember you are going to be bouncing down the street - get some connectors or something do a good job & tape 'em up.
I don't know where the tempature senders are on that engine, some of the other guys can help on that - check for loose wires - you may have knocked some loose working on that engine. Some guys wire their fan to a switch on the dash - & turn it on & let it run all the time. I have mine hooked to an after market thermostat I got from JC Whitney for $18, easy mod. Summit has them too for about $30 (prob. better).
You could set that timming in about 15 sec. with that timming light. Set it to 12 deg. to start.
Gages - I'm still trying to get my oil gage to work - in the mean time - I've got a cool set of two gages ( Temp & Oil press.) mounted under the dash - hooked direct to the engine.

Happy Landings!

 

Thanx Ghost,
The connection I established is not a reliable one however and I will re-crimp the wires and probably tape them together, thanx man U've been great.

Reggie

 

The temp sensor for the gauge should be located on the drivers head all the way up by the front. There should be a single green wire coming out of a wiring harness for the sender to hook up to. GhostRider84, where at in Arkansas are you located at? I'm in Mena, located an hour and a half from Fort Smith.

 

Guess you'd say I'm in th' ROCK, that's where I hang - when I get time off from work. (mostly scouting the junkyards for parts)
R.J.

 

Bad Azz finally I have seen another person from Arkansas. How many j/y's are in Little Rock? I have only one to have my fun in.

 

85SportCoupeto89RS - I'm going to start a new thread, look for 'Arkansas Junkyards' in this forum. Ride4ME doesn't care about Junkyards in Ark.

 

Ghost-
For some reason I can't establish a reliable connection at the positive terminal. I have a wire coming from the cable twisted with
three wires coming from the engine wiring harness. Can I ground the wire from the cable and connect the other 3 wires to the ground?