is there an easy way to determine the firing order numbers on my distributor
given no information such as no indication on the distributor , no spark plugs , etc


the motor runs but there seems to be a misfire , im going to replace the plugs and adjust timing but i suspect one of the wires are off.

the motor was swapped in and im not confident about the job done.

 

#1 is front drivers side of engine.
looking straight down on dizzy cap, 18436572, clockwise.

 

Make #1 on the dist cap pointing right at the #1 cylinder location.

 

1st things 1st; Firing order 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2

With your balancer inline with zero on the timing tab and #1 piston at "top dead center" Your rotor on your distributor should be pointing at #1 cylinder. Once you've verified that the distributor is indexed correctly, install your cap and starting running your plug wires.

Good luck with your build

 

I use google
http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/atta...chmentid=17192

 

Damn it man! Can't you see that image is from 73-87.com! That's a truck sight. I don't know how many times truckguy has to tell us he's running a thirdgen engine, so only thirdgen.org can answer his questions!!!

 

thanks to all the people that replied . i know what the firing order is for the dizzy. im just not sure the guy installed it correctly.

as of now im going based off how the previous owner installed the distributor. the way he did it was number at is on the left side

 

Depending on how the distributor is dropped into the engine, The #1 plug wire can be positioned anywhere just as long as the rotor is pointing to the #1 plug wire when the #1 piston is at TDC on the compression stroke. Just makes it harder to run the plug wires. You can pull the distributor (cap already off) and use a screwdriver to turn the oil pump drive then drop the distributor back in with the rotor pointing in a different direction to help move it into a better position.

As mentioned above, bump the engine over until the timing mark lines up on the balancer. You will not be on either #1 or #6 TDC. You will need to bump the engine over with the #1 plug removed to make sure you're at #1 TDC when you hear a rush of air come out. Take off the distributor cap and look to see where the rotor is pointed.

 

This should help.

 

Use plug wire markers on the wires at the distributor cap.
Makes keeping track of them when doing a tune up much nicer.

I always put a small mark on the #1 plug tower on the distributor first.

When you get the markers they come in different diameters to match the wires.

 

thanks

i know what the firing order is. as of now it is in that exact order (i checked more than twice) ...but that is assuming the previous owner installed the distributor in the correct order.

i want to verify the plugs wires are correct im not sure how to do the balancing part you mentioned. can you give some more detail or link how to do it?


i noticed that the plugs are rusty and brown dont know how old they are but maybe this is why im getting a misfire ..and was thinking i will replace them first to seee if it fixes it

 

It's not "balancing", it's using the timing mark on the damper (often mis-named "balancer") to determine the position of the #1 piston in its stroke. "TDC" is "Top Dead Center", meaning the absolute top of the stroke.

Depends upon what is "rusty" and "brown". But a bad spark plug or spark plug wire is probably more likely than crossed plug wires. And there could be other causes for a misfire such as bad distributor cap or leaking valves, or worn camshaft lobe.

 

cant be a wire i replaced the wires not too long ago. i can feel them all "ticking" too so theres electricity. ill post a picture of the plugs.

I hope you are correct . I dont believe its the plugs ..But i have gone over fuel system and now im exploring the spark to get the motor running smooth and that is why im posting here.


...But to be honesty Im more concerned about how the engine was swapped into my truck.
For example .. I suspect there is an issue with the wiring for one of the three sensors (MAP,MAF, or IAC) I suspect this because i know for a fact there are two issues within the Accessories circuit and the Heater circuit.
- heater circuit was draining the batt while off
- accessories circuit was causing the alternator to not charge, essentially not charging

I have both fuses to the circuit unplugged at the moment and if its not the spark then i would assume im getting this issue from the sensor's circuit.





What I have so far is I know i have this issue at hand and it could possibly be a misfire.
the engine is starting to "sputter"/hesitate at full throttle. (like there is failure of combustion) runs fine when i push lightly on the gas.

so im assuming
- wiring messing up sensors
- or ignition timing

my plan is to just swap the plugs make sure they are in the correct place
get timing set
and then check the electrical.

 

Sounds more like fuel delivery to me. Either dirty fuel filter, or weak fuel pump.

Could still be ignition, though. Weak coil, for instance.

Have you pulled any spark plugs yet?

By the way, what engine are we talking about here? What fuel induction system? You said, "I'm more concerned about how the engine was swapped into my truck," so what engine did it have originally?

(For the record, this Board is dedicated to 3rd gen f-bodies, but if what you have can be applied to 3rd gens, I'll allow the discussion to continue.)

 

i swapped the plugs heres a pic of the old plugs (top pic is 2 4 6 8 and the bottom pic is 1 3 5 7)
the liquid on the plugs seem to be gasoline mixed with the oil (im guessing from the leaky fuel injectors i had)


very excited, got the new plugs in and the motor is running pretty good!
did a burn out and has decent power.

you are right the fuel delivery system ...it is old .. i have a feeling the pump my be going out soon and the filter looks like it hasnt been changed in years. if i were keeping this truck id replace them. but as for the "combustion failuire" issue new plugs seemed to solve the problem very well.



the motor was swapped in by the previous owner and he did not seem to be a mechanic.
my concern is whether he had installed the engine harness and all fuses correctly.
...or even the distributor hence this post, other concerns could be the correct fuel pump and more

i am concerned because i know for a fact there is either a short or installation issue within the accessories and heater circuit. im not very experienced with eletrical or automotive technology in general and i am still learning , therefore i assumed since i unplugged the fuses for ACC and heater that i may have caused an issue for an engine sensor.

 

haha thanks sorry about that . you wont need to worry about me any more ill be selling the truck since i got it running good ... that is unless i buy a camaro or firebird.

 

Those plugs look fine to me.

 

yes they look in shape and look like the can possibly work.

but the rust tells me that they are OLD and would explain why they possibly werent doing theyre job. im not 100% they were not working , but the result of replacing them seems to show that they were "broken".