How Do You Know Where 1 Is on a Ford 302 Distributor

(Paradigm/Jeff Smith)

Dropping a distributor into the engine is a time-honored procedure that has been around since the first engines coughed their way to life more than 100 years ago.

With the latest generation of benefactor-less engines, this tribal knowledge has slipped from its "must-know" condition. Merely if you are working on an older engine with a distributor, this is essential data.

The process is piece of cake and it volition take longer to read about than to actually perform the chore, and then let's go started.

For this procedure, we will use a small-block Chevy because that was the closest engine for the photos. However, the procedure we'll describe is exactly the same for whatever four-stroke engine.

Our particular engine is a brand new Chevrolet Goodwrench crate engine on which we've already installed a new intake manifold.

In our case, the spark plugs were all removed, which makes turning the engine over very piece of cake. If the engine is in the car, yous tin use the starter motor to crank the engine.

With the Number One spark plug removed, place your thumb over the hole while turning the engine. Once yous experience pinch building, look for the zero marker on the harmonic balancer to approach the timing tag. Nosotros adopt to prepare the initial timing for most engines at ten degrees Earlier Top Dead Center (BTDC).

With that set, remove the cap from the distributor. We're using a Elevation HEI benefactor. Nosotros utilize a black Sharpie to identify a marker on the distributor body where we want the Number One spark plug wire to exist located. This can be placed anywhere y'all like, only if you are a Chevrolet traditionalist, this ends up roughly at about the 5 o'clock position on the distributor as you are looking at information technology from the front of the engine.

Also identify a mark on the corresponding Number One plug wire position on the distributor cap. We used a piece of masking record.

With these marks in identify, drop the distributor with the gasket into the distributor hole with the rotor pointing near the Number One marking.

Equally the distributor drive gear engages the teeth on the camshaft, this volition motility the rotor slightly clockwise. Position the distributor then that the vacuum advance canister is located on the passenger side of the engine pointing roughly forrard. If the rotor is not pointed close to the Number 1 mark, pull the distributor and re-position the rotor until it comes close.

Unless yous are very lucky, the distributor volition non drib fully into the intake manifold. In near all cases, the distributor will sit down nigh 3/eight inch off of the manifold. This is normal and is caused by the oil pump drive not engaged into the drive tang in the distributor. You tin remove the distributor and endeavor to re-orient the oil pump drive slot with a long straight screwdriver, simply this is somewhat difficult.

It's easier to leave the distributor in place then bump the engine with the starter motor while placing very low-cal down pressure level on the benefactor torso. After a one-half rotation or so, the distributor will driblet in place. At present nosotros will need to crank the engine until again information technology is located at 10 degrees BTDC. With this accomplished, check to ensure the rotor is pointed near the marking on the distributor body for Number One spark plug wire. If the rotor is not pointing at Number One, you could twist the distributor body, but if it is off by more than one tooth, this volition require turning the distributor torso as well far. Instead, you will need to remove the distributor and repeat the previous process equally the rotor is not in the right position.

With the rotor shut to the Number One position, twist the distributor body until the rotor points direct at the Number One spark plug final position mark on the distributor. Now install the distributor cap and cinch the distributor torso downwardly to the intake manifold with the hold-down clamp. Tighten this lightly—we may accept to motility it again when the engine starts.

With the distributor in place, install all of the spark plugs. Now we can connect the spark plug wires to the distributor.

Allow'due south assume that you lot've never washed this before. Before we can place the wires in the distributor cap, the commencement matter we need to know is which direction the rotor turns.

For our Chevrolet engine you'll notation that the rotor turns clockwise. Pocket-size- and large-block Fords turn counter-clockwise.

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Tech Tip: One quick way to tell on any vacuum advance fashion benefactor is to lay your hand parallel with the vacuum advance canister and then curlicue your fingers inward toward the middle of the distributor body. The direction your fingers signal is the direction of rotor motility. On a Chevy benefactor, y'all would use your left hand, and on a Ford you'll utilize your right hand. This is a cool little play a trick on you tin use on whatever benefactor to determine its rotation.

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On small- and big-block Chevy engines, the Number 1 cylinder is always the driver'south side forepart.

Chevrolet likewise numbers its cylinders with odd numbers on the left (driver) side and even cylinders on the correct.

The left side is numbered 1-three-v-7, and the right side is ii-4-6-8.

Ford does information technology differently. Ford numbers its cylinders with Number One on the right front, numbered on the correct side i-two-3-4 with the left side 5-6-7-viii. Other manufacturers number their cylinders differently, so y'all should check online if you're not sure.

See OnAllCylinders' firing club cheat canvas for installing the plug wires in the right gild.

Our modest-block Chevy firing order is i-eight-iv-iii-6-five-seven-2, so that's the order in which we volition install the plug wires.

We started with Number One and worked our way around the benefactor cap clockwise using a gear up of Superlative spark plug wires. The best way to do this so you don't become dislocated is to merely follow the firing order installing each plug wire through the order.

Leave a little actress room with the spark plug wires to let freedom of movement in the distributor. For Chevys, be conscientious to make certain 5 and 7 are installed correctly. If the wires are accidentally switched, the engine volition not be happy.

Earlier we endeavour to outset the engine, be sure the distributor is connected to switched power. With an HEI distributor, at that place is a three-wire inboard connector between the HEI module and the cap.

On the outboard side of this connector, there are two smaller individual connectors—i for power from the ignition switch (marked BATT) and the other for a tach. With those connections in identify and the distributor, plugs, and wires continued, we're almost ready to showtime the engine.

Connect a timing low-cal to the Number 1 cylinder. Now we're ready to fire the engine. Assuming the engine starts, brand sure the engine is idling at proper idle speed and not on the fast-idle cam of the choke.

It'south important that the engine be idling at its warm-idle rpm. It'due south likely that our static ignition timing at the crankshaft at idle may not exist the desired 10 degrees BTDC.

If information technology must exist changed, merely loosen the hold-down nut and adjust the distributor until the initial timing on the crankshaft is at the desired timing figure. Of form, you are free at this point to set the initial timing at its proper spec.

We will save the discussion about initial, mechanical, and vacuum advance for a subsequent story, but y'all now have the distributor set in identify and the plug wires installed correctly and it's entirely possible that the engine will run much better now with a properly timed ignition.

These are the parts we'll utilise for this benefactor install, including a new Meridian HEI distributor, 90-degree plug wire ends for the male ends on the distributor and a distributor hold down clamp. (Prototype/Jeff Smith)

Nosotros marked where we wanted the Number One spark plug wire positioned on the distributor torso. The factory placed it in this location on most Chevy distributors. We marked the trunk and placed a slice of tape on the cap. (Image/Jeff Smith)

Side by side, we used the bolt on the crankshaft clockwise to turn the engine until we felt compression in the Number One spark plug hole and placed the balancer at 10 degrees before pinnacle dead center (BTDC). (Image/Jeff Smith)

(Image/Jeff Smith)

Note inside the benefactor drive gear is a male tang that will engage the oil pump drive slot to spin the oil pump every bit the benefactor rotates. This tang becomes important when nosotros drib the distributor in place equally the tang will likely not engage the oil pump drive. (Prototype/Jeff Smith)

Place a suspension-in lube or engine oil on the distributor gear and with the gasket on the distributor, drop the distributor in the hole in the manifold. Line the rotor slightly counterclockwise of the mark on the torso and engage the gear teeth. The gear teeth are curved which volition swing the rotor slightly. Y'all may accept to play with this a couple of times to place the rotor in the right position. (Image/Jeff Smith)

You have about a xx-percent chance of dropping the distributor all the way down to sit affluent on the intake considering of the oil pump drive tang. It's virtually guaranteed that the distributor volition sit off the intake manifold and look similar this. Do not force the distributor downward. (Image/Jeff Smith)

To engage the oil pump drive, put very light pressure level on the top of the distributor housing and rotate the engine clockwise until the benefactor drops into place on the manifold. One time the benefactor drops in, install the benefactor concur-down clench and tighten it slightly. (Image/Jeff Smith)

Now rotate the engine clockwise with your finger over the Number One spark plug hole until the rotor again achieves 10 degrees BTDC while noting pressure on your finger over the spark plug hole. Besides brand sure the rotor is still pointing at the mark indicating Number One position on the benefactor. Install the distributor cap, making sure the tape mark is lined up with the Sharpie mark on the distributor body. (Image/Jeff Smith)

To determine distributor rotation, align your hand with the vacuum accelerate canister. The direction your fingers curl will reveal the distributor'south direction of rotation. In this case with a Chevy distributor, the rotor spins clockwise. (Image/Jeff Smith)

We like to place each wire on the spark plug and route them to the distributor first. Then nosotros mensurate each plug wire separately allowing room to twist the distributor to set final timing and then crimp the HEI male person terminal on the wire. Nosotros place a small-scale corporeality of the supplied lube in the kick to make it easier to push onto the wire. (Image/Jeff Smith)

With the distributor in place and the wires installed, the but thing left to do is set up the initial timing. (Prototype/Jeff Smith)

We started the engine and checked our initial timing and establish it was slightly advanced at sixteen degrees and so nosotros pulled it back to 10 degrees which too slowed the idle speed to around 850 rpm. (Epitome/Jeff Smith)

Author: Jeff Smith Jeff Smith has had a passion for cars since he began working at his grandpa's gas station at the age 10. After graduating from Iowa Land University with a journalism degree in 1978, he combined his 2 passions: cars and writing. Smith began writing for Car Arts and crafts magazine in 1979 and became editor in 1984. In 1987, he assumed the role of editor for Hot Rod magazine earlier returning to his start love of writing technical stories. Since 2003, Jeff has held various positions at Car Craft (including editor), has written books on small block Chevy performance, and even cultivated an impressive drove of 1965 and 1966 Chevelles. Now he serves as a regular contributor to OnAllCylinders.

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Source: https://www.onallcylinders.com/2020/04/16/how-to-install-a-distributor-and-set-initial-timing/

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