Sorry for the new guy question, but I just replaced the timing chain in my 78 and I can't get it to fire. So I was reading and saw that the distributor could potentially be 180* off because I didn't rotate the engine back to it's stopping point. So if my distributor is in fact 180* off, is it just as simple as pulling the distributor, rotating it accordingly putting the cap back on and firing?


That being said, I hear it's tricky to get the distributor back in. I'll make witness marks to try to get it to line back up properly, but do you pros have any advice?

 

Yeah just rotate it 180. The dist will usually go back in If it doesn't want to go the last 1/2" have a buddy bump the starter while you push down on the distributor.

 

Just to make sure, bring the #1 piston to top dead center, then install the distributor so the rotor is pointing to the #1 spark plug on the cap.

this should ensure that the distributor is installed correctly.

 

Thanks guys. I'm fairly new to this hands on stuff, but working on your own truck is addicting. I start getting proud of myself for what I think is a big deal, then have a stupid question like this. Thanks again.

 

Don't feel bad, we all go through that wether we want to admit it or not, I hope that fixes your problem and your back up and running.