So , im in the final stages of putting my engine back together after installing new head gaskets and the distributor wont sit when its pointing at the #1 cyllinder . Before taking apart my engine i set my engine to #1 cyllinder to TDC on the compression stroke then i removed the distributor . After adjusting valve preload i had rotated the engine a couple times then i tried to install the distributor and it wouldnt sit . Could it be that because i rotated the engine without the distributor in place the tab on the bottom of the distributor wont align with the slot on the oil pump ? BTW i tried flipping the dizzy 180* and no luck .

 

Get a long screwdriver and re align the pump dive shaft to line up with slot in dist gear
or put dist in desired position and bump engine over on starter; dist will drop into place

 

how long of a screwdriver , wouldnt the engine be off sequence and such?

 

no you are just turning the oil pump

 

Look in the dist hole with torch , see oil pump drive , pick screwdriver or anything that will reach slot in oil pump drive

Hold dist so rotor is pointing where you want it in final position.
Look underneath dist and observe angle of pump drive tang on dist gear
Rotate oil pump drive in block so it is at same angle .
Install dist

 

I usually just put the distributor where I want it and then turn the motor over by hand till it drops. You can have someone bump the motor over too. Works the same. BTW, the rotor does not have to point at the #1 cylinder. Just make sure your #1 plug wire lines up with the rotor, where ever it is.

 

Both methods work; the screw driver method and the bump the engine method. I use the bump the engine method since it doesn't call for removing the distributor then replacing it, then, probably removing it again, etc.

Once the #1 piston is at 6-8 degrees BTDC (remember the engine needs some amount of timing advance to start) on the compression stroke and once the distributor is installed with the rotor pointed at the #1 terminal in the distributor cap, I just bump over the engine using the starter. At some point the distributor will drop all the way flush with the intake.

Since the distributor gear and the camshaft gear are mesh with each other, the timing setting isn't effected by the bumping.

Jake

 

thanks alot guys , just a noob learning from experience !