A short run down of the issue, My 85 5.7l Tpi has been idling at 2500 rpms replaced many thing and still not fixed, replaced IAC TPS ECM TSTAT Battery and alternator and put a new pig tail for the TPS so I went to try to change my plugs, plug wires cap and rotor and according to the diagram in my Chiltons book all of my wires are routed to the wrong cylinders so how is the car even running at all if all of the wires are routed to the wrong cylinders? do I replace them according to the diagram in the book or keep it the way it is now?

 

I have no idea how it is running but definitely follow the order in the book. The rotor should have the firing order as 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2 when it rotates clockwise.

 

Yeah I was completely shocked when I saw it. I'm not sure if maybe the ECM programmed itself to fire in that order but that's what one of my buddies said could have happened

 

So did everything exact to the diagram in the book and it wouldn't start, wired it the way it was before and now it starts but wont stay running unless I keep on the gas and also runs very poorly

 

Sounds like the distributor was dropped in a few teeth off or maybe you think the cylinders are numbered differently, like maybe mixing it up with ford v8 numbering. Is the way it ran originally in the right order as they go around the distributor but in the wrong positions?

 

Not sure where "timing" enters into ANY of this. Leave it alone if you haven't already dinked with it.

Put the plug wires back. Wherever they were, they were right.

"If it RUNS good, it IS good". Don't outsmart yourself over something that simple.

Most likely, your car is idling at the correct RPM, just, your tach is fornicated and reading STOOOOPID high, like everybody else's. That's how they fail. Check it with a piece of actual test equipment. Remember, 2500 RPM is enough to drive it down the highway at around 65 mph; if your car isn't doing that all on its own without you putting your foot on the gas, then it isn't idling at 2500 RPM. Your "sport" trim package (that's what it is, NOT an "instrument) is LYING.

 

From what I've been told is that the distributor was placed in wrong or someone changed the number one cylinder? I was told I need to pull the distributor, stick a screw driver into the number one cylinder and manually turn the piston to the compression stroke, sorry if I sound clueless about that process but I've never done that or heard of it before. The car idles at 2500 rpms and the tachometer is reading properly since the car is actually idling really high. I loosened the distributor and tried to time it that way while using a timing light but still couldn't locate the number one cylinder with the timing light and when I moved the distributor there was little to no change in idle.

 

The car also runs very poorly on startup whether cold or warm and if I don't keep my foot on the gas for a few minutes it will die

 

the way it ran originally was according to the diagram every wire was going to the wrong cylinder, so I rewired it exact to the diagram and it wouldn't turn over but as soon as I put it back to the way it was before it started up but still had to keep my foot on the gas and it running poorly then once it idled out it was staying at 2500 rpms. I am getting a code for my TPS voltage being to high and after attempting to adjust it the voltage never changed it just stays at 4.8 volts so I have a replacement on the way for that but I'm sure that is only part of the problem

 

You need to re-time the distributor. Someone has put it in wrong and moved the wires clockwise or counter-clockwise to compensate for the distributor being off multiple teeth. What you have to understand is that there are literally 8 ways you could install the distributor (assuming it doesn't interfere with the firewall, intake, and wiring reaches) as long as the plug wires are moved around to match which plug tower is now #1 on the cap.

You need to start with finding top dead center on cylinder #1, then install the distributor with the rotor pointing to whichever tower you want the #1 plug wire to attach to. Then you put on the rest of the wires in the correct SBC firing order. 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2

Rick

 

please give this thing to a mechanic

I dont mean to sound harsh but you're going to break something for the sake of a 5 minute job for a mechanic (who can also show you what to do)

its simple enough to do but you dont seem to be grasping the basic concept of the installation of a distributor and therefore the corresponding relationship between rotor position, distributor posts and connections from leads to cylinders.

 

I do it's just hard for me to explain my issue because it's something new to me, I understand the whole concept of it but I've never done something like that before so I am going to take to a mechanic and have him show me as he does it. Learning as I go. Owned four of these camaros already and built and fixed them myself, just a new obstacle to overcome. Thank you for the replies and advice I really appreciate it!