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No start after adjusting crankshaft plz hellpp

2K views 27 replies 6 participants last post by  odat 
#1 ·
Well I fcked up something I'm sure. I went to do a simply distributor install 2cd time they keep failing and causing misfires. The rotor was about an inch in front of the 6 arrow when installed so I thought the timing was off.

I had a rough day lot of mistakes Im pretty new at the dyi stuff. started turning my crankshaft pulley and at about half a rotation noticed I left it in gear. I then turned it back a bit counterclockwise and took it out of gear.

After all that I turned the pulley around clockwise enough to bring my rotor a full turn back to the 6 I thought it was aligned put it back together put spark plug 1 back in and now it won't start. I can't align the harmonic balancer to the engine because it's missing the part on the block you align it with for some reason. Did I mess something up turning it backwards or while it was in gear. the first time I tried to turn it over I herd a loud metal click like the gears siezing with the cam Mabey. Any suggestions would b great
 
#2 ·
Take the #1 spark plug out (or all to make it easy), turn the engine by hand with a finger over the #1 plug hole. When you feel pressure put a thin wire like a coat hangar in the plug hole until you feel the piston coming up. Turn it until you feel the piston just start to go back down. Then turn it the other way to get the piston back up. Go back and forth until you know the piston is as close to tdc as possible. The put the distributor in with the rotor pointing at number 1. You may need a long screw driver to turn the oil pump drive a little at a time until the distributor drops all the way down. You'll have to turn the rotor off #1 when you drop it down, it will rotate as it goes down.

So it should end up all the way down, lined up with #1 and the piston at tdc #1 on the compression stroke.
 
#3 ·
When you say line it up with number one do you mean the cylinder or where the number 1 plug goes into the distrib cap.. I only have a number 6 arrow and I was told if you line up the dimple and the white line at the bottom of the distributor once it rotates and is seated the rotor will line with the 6 arrow on the distributor.. But I will try to find the tdc of the piston in a bit jus charging my light.
 
#5 ·
I mean with the #1 piston at TDC on the compression strokeJust get the distributor fully seated and the rotor pointed at what ever terminal on the cap that goes to the number 1 cylinder.
 
#9 ·
The #1 terminal in the cap is close to the number 2 wire terminal. The arrow just tells you where the #1 terminal will be when you put the cap on.

#6 on the arrow doesn't mean #6 cylinder. It means is a 6 cylinder distributor, an 8 cylinder distributor would have a #8 on the arrow.
 
#8 ·
O I have a horizontal cap the number 1 port is little more than 180 degrees from the 6 and the dimple lines me up jus before that so when it spins upon entry it should end up on the 6 arrow but it goes about an inch past it.. Does this mean something else is wrong with the timing other than the balancer. Mabey the cam is damaged or the timing chain?
 
#11 ·
It's going to spin when you push it down, just lift up on it and turn it until you feel it skip a tooth on the cam and set it down again. Keep doing that until it lines up. You'll probably need to turn the oil pump drive to get it to sit down all the way.
 
#12 · (Edited)
Here are some real world pics. The #1 spark plug wire terminal is approx 180 from the rotor terminal.

Here is the #1 wire terminal and rotor post locations.


Heres the arrow with the #6 on it.


Here shows the #1 wire terminal leading to the rotor post. Notice how it lines up with the red marker that also highlights the arrow with #6 on it.


Thats why I say just line the rotor up with the arrow while the engine is at #1 tdc on the compression stroke.

(If there was no arrow you would just mark the distributor body where #1 post is when the cap is on).
 
#16 ·
I found that on my 4.3 zr2 that the timing was off on a simple distributor change. I had to swap the shafts from the new distributor to the old distributor because the rotor was pointing about a tooth off in the new one. Check you that is how I fixed mine and now it runs great.

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk
 
#18 ·
I found that on my 4.3 zr2 that the timing was off on a simple distributor change. I had to swap the shafts from the new distributor to the old distributor because the rotor was pointing about a tooth off in the new one. Check you that is how I fixed mine and now it runs great.

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk
similar to my new dist....wasn't a whole tooth off, but it was for sure different... I think its advanced a bit, but oh well, will be better at 9k rpm.
 
#17 ·
Hm really, isn't the shaft what gets messed up and the reason you have to change distributor? And it's the same exact oem distributor why would it b different. Well I've got tdc line up and been trying for like 3 days to lineup this oil pump it's a bitch I'm starting to question reality. hard to get down there and get it where you want when you can't even see into it. In the picture that's the closest I can get. ima keep fighting it bleh I'll post when I get it started
 

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#19 ·
Get it to where it's about that much retarded and turn the crankshaft by hand. It will drop down when the slot lines up with the oil pump drive. I used to do that with old small blocks all the time.

In this case where you can't adjust the distributor base you might want to turn it back after it drops down to be sure it's at tdc and on the 6 arrow.
 
#20 ·
Well I got it there now and thought I would at least start her up see how it's running at that point but it still won't start shouldn't it at least start unless it's way off? I could turn the crank that little bit to line up but then it won't b at tdc.. I'm going to drop my old dizzy bak in tomorrow c if it starts Mabey I have a bad new dizzy.. It is a junkyard one so its possible
 

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#21 ·
Are you sure you are at TDC comp. and not TDC exhaust stroke, but even if you are 180' off you seem to be lining the dist. up to the oil pump and not the engine

I really cant see the marks on the dist in your pic but if you are on TDC comp. and its not lining up with the marks the oil pump shaft needs to be turned, until you turn it to where it needs to be even with the old dist it will be off.

Usually the slot in the shaft after being set is inline with where the point on the rotor will be - look at your dist - the rotor point is usually in line with the flat end of the shaft inside the gear

Do as suggested in one of the post above, take a large long flat head screw driver and turn the oil pump shaft a bit, {sometimes it takes several tries to get it just right}as you install the dist remember the teeth on the cam and the dist are on a curve so it doesn't drop straight down, where the gears start to mesh together is 3/8" to a 1/2" before the final seating point of the dist.
 
#22 ·
too late to edit so....

I have a old dist. that I gutted out and ground the gear smooth to prime oil pumps and to align pump shafts with

But instead of that - across the top of the handle of the screwdriver you can make a mark inline with the flat tip at the other end so you can tell where you are with turning the oil pump shaft
 

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#23 ·
That would work I'm going to grind down an old dist tomorrow... I'm the proud owner of 4 new screwdrivers now fck me. Yesterday wen I tried to start it I noticed afterwards the harmonic balancer was in a different spot. Is that normal? If not how do I tighten up the harmonic balancer so it does move once I set it
 
#24 ·
The harmonic balancer turns with the crankshaft.

It's easier to take the gear off an old distributor rather than grind it down if you're going to just use it to line up the oil pump.

I would, and have 100's of times, got the rotor to this point, pulled the distributor up enough and turned it CCW and got it approx that much before the mark then turn the crankshaft until the distributor drops down.
The gears being at an angle won't line up with the 6 arrow and tdc until the dist base is down on the intake. Honestly I never bothered screwing with the oil pump drive, I get the rotor close and it'll drop down and line up when the pump drive aligns when the engine is turned over by hand. It's way easier doing it like this.

I don't know what else to tell you.

 
#25 ·
well ya it was in different spot because you tried to start it, the engine doesn't stop at the same spot every time.

Now that you rotated the engine you get to start all over, pull #1 one plug and find TDC compression stroke, after you find TDC pretend the engine is seized and don't try to turn it again until you are done.

From this point you will play with the oil pump shaft only, turn it one way or another until the rotor point is lined up when dist. is installed and all the way seated
 
#26 ·
Iight I got her goin. First time there was a spark knock and it was glugging got it 2cd time seems to be running great now. I found that taking off the gear on the old dist and using that to turn the oil pump is boss. No one should ever use a screwdriver on that again. Unless you want to commit suicide. And I used a vacuum gauge like in Eric the car guys vid to find Tdc.

Thanks for the all the input guys she's back on the road
 

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#28 ·
Kool glad your up and running again - The major reason I ground the teeth off the gear and gutted this old dist is I keep it around and it lives in my tool box until needed so with the gear it stays all together also I use it mainly to prime a new built engine and with the gear still attached it has a solid line up on the oil pump shaft, no chance of a wobble. Any who good lookin ride best of luck to ya
 
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