The problem is not much of a problem. First line up the crank pully timing
marks on TDC. Locate #1 on the distributor cap and mark it on the base of the
distributor, the metal portion. I screw up... didn't read the manual
carefully. How can I find out
the original position? or how can I properly re-install the
distributor? I have a 1978 mercruiser 260 (chevy 350 engine).

Thanks for your help.

Pull the crank pulley around to TDC. Find the number one plug wire on the cap
and mark it corresponding position on the distributor with a marker of some
sort. Allow enough room so that the distributor can be rotated around to get
proper timing drop the distriutor so that the ign rotor and the mark you made
are aligned. If it doesn't, pull it out and restab it. Install the cap and
crank it over. If the timing is 180 degrees out it should continuosly backfire
through the intake. If this is the case, pull the crank pully back around to
TDC, pull the distributor back out then turn the crank pully one complete turn.
Restab the distriutor again. Leave the distributor clamp loose so you can
play with the timing to get it started. Even timing off 10 degrees or so won't
prevent it from starting. The get your timing light out and finish the job.
You can pull the valve cover to be certain of TDC to begin with but you'll
spend more time doing this then you would restabing a 180 out distributor.
Another way is to simply remove number 1 plug and put your finger in the hole.
When you turn the crank pulley over to TDC you should feel pressure building.
This would indicate the cylinder is on its compression stroke. Either method
is a lot simplier than removing a valve cover not to mention running back to
the parts house for more parts and more money.

Dennis
ASE Certified Master Auto Technician and Marine Engineer in training

I screw up... didn't read the manual carefully. How can I find out
the original position? or how can I properly re-install the
distributor? I have a 1978 mercruiser 260 (chevy 350 engine).

The problem is not much of a problem. First line up the crank pully timing
marks on TDC. Locate #1 on the distributor cap and mark it on the base of
the
distributor, the metal portion.


way to go "certified auto mechanic". you just gave yourself a 50-50 chance of
timing your distributor 180* out, so you get a nice, fat spark just as the
intake opens on each cylinder.


I screw up... didn't read the manual
carefully. How can I find out
the original position? or how can I properly re-install the
distributor? I have a 1978 mercruiser 260 (chevy 350 engine).

Thanks for your help.

you GOT to be kidding us, "Dennis, the ASE Certified Master Auto Technician and
Marine Engineer in training". THIS is what they are teaching you "in training"
these days? Install the distributor and check to see if it is backfiring, and
if so, reinstall 180* around?

Kriste Almighty, you are unable to tell when a cylinder is coming up on
compression, aren't you. You have two thumbs. Do you not know how to use
either one of them?

go back to driving the forklift and don't post anything ever again on anything
having to do with engines. Ever.

geesh, the dumb cluck can't tell when a cyl is coming up on compression. Say,
you don't suppose that maybe he doesn't know *why* a cyl comes up on
compression, do you?



Dennis
ASE Certified Master Auto Technician and Marine Engineer in training

Pull the crank pulley around to TDC.

pulleys have no Top Dead Center (just in case, dennie, you don't have a clew
what TDC stands for, a likely case). Pulleys are round. Therefore a pulley
can not have a TDC.

pulleys mounted to the front of the crankshaft on engines where a belt power
takeoff is installed *usually* (but not always) have a mark to show ****when
cylinder # ------ 1 -------- is at Top Dead Center****. This mark can be
used to show when #1 piston is at the top of its stroke but can NOT be used to
determine whether the piston (in a 4-cycle engine) is at the top of the
compression stroke (when you need spark) or at the top of its exhaust
stroke/the beginning of its intake stroke.

A mechanic who installs the distributor in the 50-50 hopes of having it timed
right, tries the engine to see if it backfires, if it does, takes out the
distributor and resets it 180* around is no mechanic at all. He is a fraud who
should be sent to jail for stealing money from customers.

by the frickin way dennie, "ASE Certified Master Auto Technician and Marine
Engineer in training", next time you are "installing" (I use the word loosely)
a distributor and find somehow once again yet another time you installed the
thing backwards, instead of removing the distributor and then turning over the
engine a full turn and reinstalling the distributor, just move the ignition
wires around the dist cap 180*. That would take maybe ten seconds for even a
"Marine Engineer in training" like you.

geesh, somebody hired this guy to fix what?

JAX, why don't you put an end to your sexual frustration by putting a gun in
your mouth and pulling the trigger. Just because the neighbors 9 year old
daughter cut you off is certainly no reason why the rest of the world has to
suffer and tolerate you adolescent behaviour. Maybe you should spend a few
more years in prison for molesting a minor. I would have thought the 6 years
you already spent in prison taught you something. I guess I was wrong. Maybe
it has something to do with the fact that you were someone's bitch and after
all the but ****ing you got you were determined to **** the rest of the world.


Go back to study hall you kiddy ****er.

Dennis
ASE Certified Master Auto Tech and Marine Engineer in training



removed distributor but forgot to mark the position of rotor
From: (JAXAshby)
Date: 7/4/04 8:07 AM Central Daylight Time
Message-id:

From: (JAXAshby)
Date: 7/3/04 8:13 AM Central Daylight Time
Message-id:

remove the plug from cyl #1 (or any cyl), put your thumb over the hole, turn
over the engine until you feel compression coming up, then some more, then
use
a small screwdriver stuck down the hole and turn the engine over very slowly
until the piston has stopped moving up.

What shade tree do you work under? The screwdriver bit went out with Briggs
and Stratons 3.5 horse motors.


Take cap off distributor, noting which plug wire the rotor is pointing at,
insert distributor in hole and tighten hold bolt enough to kept the
distributor
from slopping around. The spark wire the rotor is pointing is the wire you
run
to cyl #1. then run the rest of the plug wires to the prop plugs in the
proper
order.

If the distributor is out of the motor you'd think that maybe, I said just
maybe that the distributor shaft would have been moved somewhere in the
process.

You engine will start (assuming all else is okay), and then time the engine.
Then go boating and enjoy.


Then following these directions you haul the boat down to a tech that really
knows what he's doing and ignore any post from this asshole JAXAshby.

After following the post made by JAX for the last several months, I quickly
came to realize that you'd have to be a fool to listen to anything this guy has
to say. While he claims to know just about everything, you should read some of
his post in the other groups where he asks questions that a first year high
school shop class student could answer.

Dean

dean, go pay some guy $95 an hour for four hours for what a sixteen year old
kid could do in twenty minutes. installing a distributor is EEEE fickin ZEE.
10,000 high school boys (and 1,000 high school girls) did it over last weekend.

remove the plug from cyl #1 (or any cyl), put your thumb over the hole, turn
over the engine until you feel compression coming up, then some more, then
use
a small screwdriver stuck down the hole and turn the engine over very slowly
until the piston has stopped moving up.

What shade tree do you work under? The screwdriver bit went out with Briggs
and Stratons 3.5 horse motors.


Take cap off distributor, noting which plug wire the rotor is pointing at,
insert distributor in hole and tighten hold bolt enough to kept the
distributor
from slopping around. The spark wire the rotor is pointing is the wire you
run
to cyl #1. then run the rest of the plug wires to the prop plugs in the
proper
order.

If the distributor is out of the motor you'd think that maybe, I said just
maybe that the distributor shaft would have been moved somewhere in the
process.

You engine will start (assuming all else is okay), and then time the engine.

Then go boating and enjoy.


Then following these directions you haul the boat down to a tech that really
knows what he's doing and ignore any post from this asshole JAXAshby.

After following the post made by JAX for the last several months, I quickly
came to realize that you'd have to be a fool to listen to anything this guy
has
to say. While he claims to know just about everything, you should read some
of
his post in the other groups where he asks questions that a first year high
school shop class student could answer.

Dean

10,000 high school boys (and 1,000 high school girls) did it over last
weekend.

Must have been one hell of an orgy.

Sorry, couldn't resist. LOL

"JAXAshby" wrote in message
...
dean, go pay some guy $95 an hour for four hours for what a sixteen year
old
kid could do in twenty minutes. installing a distributor is EEEE fickin
ZEE.
10,000 high school boys (and 1,000 high school girls) did it over last
weekend.

remove the plug from cyl #1 (or any cyl), put your thumb over the hole,
turn
over the engine until you feel compression coming up, then some more,
then
use
a small screwdriver stuck down the hole and turn the engine over very
slowly
until the piston has stopped moving up.

What shade tree do you work under? The screwdriver bit went out with
Briggs
and Stratons 3.5 horse motors.


Take cap off distributor, noting which plug wire the rotor is pointing
at,
insert distributor in hole and tighten hold bolt enough to kept the
distributor
from slopping around. The spark wire the rotor is pointing is the wire
you
run
to cyl #1. then run the rest of the plug wires to the prop plugs in the
proper
order.

If the distributor is out of the motor you'd think that maybe, I said
just
maybe that the distributor shaft would have been moved somewhere in the
process.

You engine will start (assuming all else is okay), and then time the
engine.

Then go boating and enjoy.


Then following these directions you haul the boat down to a tech that
really
knows what he's doing and ignore any post from this asshole JAXAshby.

After following the post made by JAX for the last several months, I
quickly
came to realize that you'd have to be a fool to listen to anything this
guy
has
to say. While he claims to know just about everything, you should read
some
of
his post in the other groups where he asks questions that a first year
high
school shop class student could answer.

Dean

high school girls can get a little excited. of course, there were 9,000 ****ed
off girls left over. :-)



10,000 high school boys (and 1,000 high school girls) did it over last
weekend.

Must have been one hell of an orgy.

Sorry, couldn't resist. LOL

"JAXAshby" wrote in message
...
dean, go pay some guy $95 an hour for four hours for what a sixteen year
old
kid could do in twenty minutes. installing a distributor is EEEE fickin
ZEE.
10,000 high school boys (and 1,000 high school girls) did it over last
weekend.

remove the plug from cyl #1 (or any cyl), put your thumb over the hole,
turn
over the engine until you feel compression coming up, then some more,
then
use
a small screwdriver stuck down the hole and turn the engine over very
slowly
until the piston has stopped moving up.

What shade tree do you work under? The screwdriver bit went out with
Briggs
and Stratons 3.5 horse motors.


Take cap off distributor, noting which plug wire the rotor is pointing
at,
insert distributor in hole and tighten hold bolt enough to kept the
distributor
from slopping around. The spark wire the rotor is pointing is the wire
you
run
to cyl #1. then run the rest of the plug wires to the prop plugs in the
proper
order.

If the distributor is out of the motor you'd think that maybe, I said
just
maybe that the distributor shaft would have been moved somewhere in the
process.

You engine will start (assuming all else is okay), and then time the
engine.

Then go boating and enjoy.


Then following these directions you haul the boat down to a tech that
really
knows what he's doing and ignore any post from this asshole JAXAshby.

After following the post made by JAX for the last several months, I
quickly
came to realize that you'd have to be a fool to listen to anything this
guy
has
to say. While he claims to know just about everything, you should read
some
of
his post in the other groups where he asks questions that a first year
high
school shop class student could answer.

Dean