distributor won't go in all the way, about an inch above manifold, I put a new coil in it and have no marks for orientation now. I need detailed directions on how to get it in the right way, I have cylinder one TDC from when heads were off...thanks

 

It sort of twists about an 1/8th of a turn then goes all the way down.

 

Take the cap off, grap the rotor and rotate it a little bit until it drops in.

TDC, yes. But TDC firing or TDC exhaust?

 

You may need to turn the oil pump shaft a little, get a looong screwdriver and stick it in the hole turn the pump shaft, and try the dizzy again you may need to do this 3 or 4 times before it falls in.

 

TDC center for firing the exhaust was just starting to move when I left it, I am wrestling this thing right now, I broke the cap trying to turn it, I will try the long screwdriver thing right now and see if that helps

 

which way should the plug ins on the dist be facing?

 

toward the firewall, arrange it so you have enough slack in the wires to turn the dizzy both ways to time it.
(by wires I mean the wires that go to the ignition module)

 

I still can't get it to go down that last little bit, I always read these things just drop in...it does not turn really easy when it is out, and once it gets down to a certain point being put in it is totally jammed

 

is the hold down clamp in the way?

 

GM's hidden timing marks. They are in the back so you have to have a mirror to see them (handy). If you still have the factory intake and distributor they should be there. This is an '88 TPI motor.

 

What do you mean by "does not turn really easy" that rotor should spin quite freely when out of the motor. Did you take the dizzy apart for something?

 

hold down clamp not in the way

I did replace the coil in the distributor and I think in does not spin very freely

I will look for the marks, but I am wondering if I assembled the dist. wrong

 

Supervisor42

I found the factory marks, that is really awesome, I was lining it up close to that mark and trying to rotate and it just seems like it won't go, it seems if the distributor was assembled wrong it would still slide in like it is supposed to, after all the work of a head gasket this is what is stopping me.

 

Something doesn't sound right there,that rotor should spin free, is the shaft seated all the way in the body?
Did it turn freely when you took it apart?

 

i hope your not trying to install this thing with the cap on...

 

I have no idea if it spun free when I took it apart, the coil covering was flaking off everwhere so I took it apart and put in a new one, now it won't spin freely at all. So normally you can grab the thing and spin the gear and it will keep spinning?

I have the cap off

 

There will be a little resistance, if you give it a good spin it should go 2 or 3 revolutions anyway.
It's not going to freewheel, but it should spin without too much effort

When you put the dizzy in, the rotor will turn clockwise about an 1/8 of a turn when it meshes with the cam gear, the tab in the bottom of the distributer has to line up with the slot on the oil pump shaft, or the dizzy will not fully seat.
If I'm not mistaken the slot on the pump shaft is in line with the rotor, turn the pump shaft so it is also pointing at no.1 and the dizzy should drop in.

 

I think JOhn89 is onto it.
I had a problem with the oil pump shaft slot (on the pump) being slightly off. It made re-install next to impossible.

I resolved the problem by shinning a light down the distributor hole and seeing how the slot in the shaft is oriented. Then turning the oil pump slot slightly to all it to line up with the distributor.
Best-
S-D

 

Should the Dizzy base not fully seat you'll need to shim it with spacers, or the shaft will bind when you lock the dizzy down and the timing will drift will cranking and running until the engine is too far out of time to run, or start up. The dizzy will be damaged if you let it run this way too long.