Hello everybody.
First let me introduce myself, im Beelow and i am from a small country called Denmark,its in Scandinavia north of Germany.

I recently sold my old ford(fairlane) and Got my first truck ,a 73 F100 xlt.
Some other dane imported it from California,and i am in the proces of gettin it ready for the road .

So here goes: It had a terrible idle and not much "go" in it,but had no trouble starting. So i found out from this excellent forum about TDC,cyl 1,rotor,firing order etc. I found out that the wires had been switched at the rotor,(i just pulled them ,but did not notice the previous order.)

Could it be correct that the no.1 point in the rotor is not the true no.1?
I found the TDC on cyl 1, and it was the point before the marked one in the rotor. Now it does Sound like a V8 and not like a Ferguson,but i guess my

question is if this Could be Right,or i should check something Else before driving it.?
Oh and thank you for all the help i already Got from Reading this forum while u all are fast asleep over there...

 

Hello - welcome to FTE!

Not sure I understand the question exactly - though in any event yes, it is possible to install the distributor in the wrong configuration as well as the wires, so long as the firing order is in the correct sequence the engine doesn't "care". Naturally it is also possible to mix up the wires as well. It may be that the distributor was installed just one or gear tooth early. Very common mistake., because of the helical gear. By moving all the wires one iteration, a previous owner may have felt this easier than re-installing distributor. This presents no real problem, except timing the engine may be difficult because there is insufficient room to rotate the assembly. It is also confusing when troubleshooting, as you've discovered.

First make sure the rotor points to the #1 tower on the cap when #1 cylinder is at TDC, ensure the wires are installed in order on the cap, etc. The situation you describe can arise when a distributor is installed incorrectly with respect to index - some find it easier to "adjust" the wires instead of removing and reinstalling the distributor itself. Hope this helps.

You'll have to either recreate the previous arrangement or, start from scratch and reinstall distributor "by the book". It can get confusing, just take your time. I would not advise driving or operating the motor till things are straightened out.

 

Welcome to FTE, there are a lot of good, knowledgeable people here more than willing to help with any questions you might have.
As for your truck, get the #1 cylinder on top dead center be sure it's on the compression stroke and not the overlap stroke. Once you verify that, remove the distributor cap and note the position of the rotor. On a lot of caps there is a "1" on the terminal that should be #1. If the rotor is not in the correct position you can use whatever terminal the rotor is pointing to as #1, just be sure to index the other wires accordingly.
On a 360, the distributor rotates counter clockwise and the firing order is 1-5-4-2-6-3-7-8

 

Ok . Thank you.
It runs way better than before ,and i guess i just moved the sequence one turn.

I have just been yard drivin ,since i have no plates yet .

I guess my question also is,if it is even possible for it to run (bad)even with the sequence one turn early ,or if there is other things to check with this before ordering plates?

( Would not believe the hassel we have to go trough over here to get plates on a American car ,but thats when u know if you are a true fan....

 

If all the wires were off by "1", meaning the #1 was where the #5 should be, the #5 was where #4 should be, etc. then no, it's not going to run.

 

be sure it's on the compression stroke....
How do i know this?
Do i have to pull the Valve cover to check this ,or Wont it even run if its on that other stroke thing...?

Thank you.

 

Mark the position on the distributor body, where the #1 cap tower is located, remove cap. Remove the #1 cylinder spark plug. Put your thumb over the hole. With a wrench, rotate the engine clockwise until you feel air escaping. The distributor rotor should point to the #1 cap tower location previously marked on the body, and at the same time also the timing indicator should be centered on the "0" mark on the crankshaft damper pulley.

 

In some cases the outer shell of the harmonic balancer can slip throwing your timing marks off .. If this is suspect then use a piston stop in the number 1 .. To do this remove all the plugs to make turning the crank easier .. With the piston stop in and you on the compression stroke as suggested by Tedster you bring the piston up gently in the cylinder until it contacts the stop .. You may have to adjust the stop here so it is at the top of the stroke .. Look at the harmonic balancer now and the pointer should be at zero but if not mark this point on the harmonic balancer .. Now rotate the crank shaft in the opposite direction gently until you hit the piston stop again now mark the harmonic balancer again .. Top dead center will be exactly at the mid point of these 2 marks ..

Choose the piston stop that has the same threads as your spark plugs


Once you have determined TDC you can drop the distributor in any where as long as where the rotor is pointing is called number one and your proceeds as Mike has posted with the firing order .. Sometimes it is necessary to do this when the vaccum advance canister is keeping you from advancing the timing because it is hitting something (obstructed) as you advance it ..

 

Ok.
Thank u everyone . At least i know im on the Right track now...

I just wish i had noticed the Previous sequence so i knew what the matter was,but at least its fixed now,maybe just a new timing adjustment ,and then for the plate-ordering....

From then its pretty much cosmetic issues on the inside,and a few minor mechanical things,the outside remains as is... Original .

 

Really a nice truck!

 

Nice truck there buddy. Its been a while since I've seen a truck in the same color that my f350 dually was, even got the same vinyl seat and it looks like it's pretty much rust free. I don't have the fancy door panels or fm radio like you do but I got the same wear pattern on the seat. Welcome to Fte, theres a lot of good people here to help you and I'm sure they'd like to see more pics of your truck. Let us know how the old fords and thier collectors are. It would be interesting to see whats all on the road on your side of the pond. I'm sure we could handle any make or model or maybe some tractor trucks. Have a good day and don't be shy about posting, I'm sure thers a lot of interesting things you can bring to this forum.

 

Thank you privateer...
Well i bought it cause it was pretty much unmolested,but still a bit rough around the edges. Future plans are fixing the interior ,and just get to know the truck.




These pics are from the first look at it.

 

I'm not certain you have an F-100...those look like 8-lug wheels based on how the hub caps fit...that would make it an F-250 or 350...someone could have swapped the fenders...and it could just be the small pic on my phone...

 

Naw, it's an F100. Must be your phone.
Nice looking truck, BTW.

 

It is 5-lugs . And the door tag match up with everything else on the car, dont know about the hub cabs though... Im just going straight up steel wheels for now,since i Think they look like something from a kitchen..