1992 300...I was drug into a mess. This truck has been setting for a month, everybody and his brother has messed with it. The distributor was pulled to change the module, nothing was marked!!!! Got the timeing marks on balancer with no problem. The trouble is setting up the distributor. Chilton says #1 is about 180 off the block or at 3:00 looking in from the radiator. Then put the leading edge of the vane on the sensor. Which vane is for #1, the small one before the large window or which one? The only way it starts is to retard the timeing by hand and then advance it back to get it to run. FYI this has the module inside the disrbutor not on the outside.
Any info would help

 

OK, here goes. Set your engine so the timing mark on the vibration damper ( the thin scribed line not the large notch ) is aligned with the 0 mark on the correct marks on the engine. I say correct because the 300 has TWO sets of marks on the engine.If you face the engine there is a set of marks cast into the timing cover on the right side. These are fairly easy to see and are the WRONG:-staun
marks. There is a plate bolted to the timing cover on the lower left, using the cover bolts, this one you can barely see and of course this is the Right one. You can see it from underneath, check it for yourself. What you can do is turn the engine by hand and check where the timing mark is when number one cyl is in firing positiion. It should line up some where on the bolt on plate. Set it to zero and then go to the marks on the right side and paint a line on the damper so it lines up with whatever the left mark is set at. If the left mark is lined at say 6 degeres paint a mark on the damper on the right side to line up at 6 degrees.Then
1. Remove the distributor and replace it so the TFI module connector is pointing right at you ( 90 degrees to the engine block )if you are standing looking at the engine from the drivers side.
2. Tighten the distributor mounting bolt so the dist doesn't move.
Put the cap on. If all the wires are still on the cap find number one and mark the dist body in line with number one. If the wires are not in you must decide which one you want as number one. It is usually either the first plug wire socket to the left or right of the cap hold down screw closest to you when viewed from the drivers side fender looking at the side of the engine. I can show you three different engine diagrams that show number one in three places.
As long as the firing order is 1-5-3-6-2-4 it doesn't make much difference where 1 is. Put the wires in the cap, at this point all you need is the number one wire in place. Mark the dist body to match your number one.
3. remove the cap , put the rotor on. See where the rotor is pointing. If it points to the mark on the dist you made to show where number one is, now look at the leading edge of the vane that is just about to go past the point of the magnetic pickup. Rotate the dist slightly to get this to happen. If the rotor is nowhere near the mark on the dist body, remove the dist hold down bolt and pull the dist out of the engine as if you were going to remove it. Don't turn the dist the TFI module should still point to the drivers side, more or less.Pull the dist very slowly and put some pressure on the rotor. You want to be able to feel when the dist drive gear just clears the cam gear. Now set the rotor to point to the number one mark on the dist body. Reinsert the dist, the rotor may move away from your mark slightly, you can turn the dist body to line it up or remove the dist like before and move the gear one tooth.
4. Now line up the vane as the chiltons book says, it will be the one closest to the pickup. It may or maynot be the small vane. Snug the dist hold down so you can turn the dist, use the timing light and your newly made mark on the damper to set the timing using the cast marks on the right side of the timing cover. Set to 10 degrees Before TDC.
I did this procedure when I replaced the dist last month and the dist was right on the correct timing, and needed no adjustment. Probably pure luck. I am making up this procedure as I go, but I don't think I left any thing out. As I said before set the number on piston at the top of the compression stroke , where it should fire, and check which set of marks the the scribe line on the damper lines up with. On my 90 it was the plate marks. But check for yourself. This might explain why you have to move the dist in order to get it to run.
Good Luck

Bob / stractor

 

Thanks, that helped some. Like I said this is a mess. First the damper is so rusted and pitted the timeing mark is gone. So I turned it by hand following the valves and piston and got #1 TDC. Wire brushed the damper, nothing that even looked like a mark, so I chalked a mark for reference. But as you said nobody agreeded on where #1 on the cap is. The distributor was pulled without being mark and plug wires were changed. Not exactly sure #1 was put back at same terminal! So basicly it was being handed a disributor with no wires, no timeing marks and no knows how the distribtor is set in or which terminal was #1. A MESS!!!

You've been a BIG help. Now I at least have a starting point on how to install the distributor. The truck is 5 miles away setting in a field so I'll have to get a hold of the guy that owns it to get his keys. This isn't a walk out to the driveway and check it out project. Thank again

 

Hi, As I said where the number one cyl is in the cap doesn't make much difference as long as the wires in the cap follow the correct firing order. Chose one of the places I mentioned for the number one position and go from there.

Bob