Angus Posted September 1, 2001 Share Posted September 1, 2001 I am attemting to refit the distributor on my 1991 Supersprint after the rotor arm disintegrated and smashed the pickup sensor. Of course the bits are obsolete, but I have managed to overcome that particular problem. Now my question is: Whats the secret to putting the thing back in the car so that the timing is not out ? If I line No1 cylinder at TDC are there some magic marks to line up to get the distibutor spindle in the correct alignment relative to the distributor body ? Any help much appreciated. Rgds, Angus Angus Denny Surrey AO (retiring) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angus Posted September 1, 2001 Author Share Posted September 1, 2001 Well I've had so many replies that I must have got you al completely stumped !! Well you can now stop scatching your heads - I think I have found the solution: The helical gear on the end of the distributor spindle that meshes with the camshaft has 11 teeth. That means 11 possible positions for the distributor, each one being 360/11 (approx 33) degrees apart. Rather than trying all positions, what I did was to put the engine at TDC on No1 cyclinder on the firing stroke (No4 inlet and exhaust rockers moving - feel them through the oil filler on the rocker cover). Then with the distributor just poised above its mounting hole I rotated the spindle until the rotor arm was approximately opposite where the No1 electrode in the distributor cap would be if it were fitted. I then pushed the distributor fully home into the block. Unfortunately doing this caused the spindle to rotate slightly because of the helical gear meshing which meant that I had to allow for this in the initial position of the cap. Having reassembled the retaining bolt and cap, I tried for a start. Not surprisingly it didnt want to know. A few half-hearted farts and that was it. I then did everything again - removed everything, found TDC, and lifted out the distributor. I carefully rotated the spindle 1 'tooth' and replaced it. Refitting everything, and this time it worked - the engine fired first time ! I now need to fine-tune the timing on the strobe light, but at least the distributor is in the right place. Next time I think I will put some marks on the dissy so that refitting is straightforward ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now