Since i think that my distributor is the reason my car can't start, how to you properly install one? I just put mine in

if you could describe in detail what i have to do that would be totally awesome too!

 

See:

http://personal.utulsa.edu/~nathan-b.../5distribu.pdf

 

simple answer:

motor #1 piston at TDC, rotor pointing at #1 plug on cap

 

when putting it in, almost set it back a tooth because when it slides in itll rotate a bit..
Kinda hard to explain..

 

i got it dont worry....

now my plugs dont spark T_T

 

could be 180* out ?

TDC .. compression stroke .




.

 

Remove the valve cover turn the engine over by hand (socket wrench on the crank pulley bolt) until bolt the exhaust and the intake valves are closed (look at the rockers). Install the wires on the distributer so that #3 opposite #2 (#1 wire is shortest, #4 is longest). Firing order is 1-3-4-2, so if you start at 1 going clockwise (I think the distributor turns clockwise) you should see the firing order 1-3-4-2. Now remove the dist. cap and line up the metal bit on the rotor so that it points at wire #1. Insert the dist. into the hole in the head in a way that once its in, rotor is pointed at #1 still and the #1 valves are still closed. Replace the valve cover and attach the wires to the sparks and start it up. It should run rough. Loosen the adjustment bolt and turn the whole distributer back and forth until the idle smooths out. If you want you can leave the door open, when the door stops wobbling, its smooth enough. If you can't adjust it far enough to make the engine smooth, take the dist out, line it up one tooth over. Try again.

If you can't get the engine started at all, remove the dist, and turn the engine over one complete rotation. The engine may have been firing during its exhaust stroke.

 

I just said the short version of that

 

My internet was down for an hour or so, so I posted stuff i wrote before when it came online.

 

lol, oh ok

 

First off you need a timing light, well don't need but highly reccomend seems egotistical to not use one (ie big ego mechanic, ahhh hell my ears work better than that modern fandangle thing!)

Set motor to TDC ... theres two TDC's... one on the compression one on the exhaust. Only way to know if your at the compression TDC (the one you want to be at) is if the valve cover is off so you can tell which valves are compressed.

Otherwise, install the distributor at TDC (knotch on crank pullet at 0) put in the distrib at the correct position (its like 10 o'clock but a picture is really needed here) .. well you stick it in at like 12 and it advances a bit.

try starting it.. no start, no even coughing..then you had motor at exhaust tdc so now rotate to TDC where the rotor is pointing no where near where you installed it. pull it out and re install it at the proper rotation.

use a timing light to adjust timing according to whatever motor you got.

 

That won't work, since the motor is going to stop at some random point.

You need to turn the motor over until your at TDC where the rotor is pointing no where near whre you set it. Then you know you're at the compression TDC which is where you need to be to set the Distributor.

And you can avoid taking the valve cover off by just doing this in the first place .. I think it's less work to pull the distributor twice than the valve cover once but that could just be me =p

 

i really dont wanna take the valve cover off... it's a pain in the ass... ill only do it if i have to... absolutely have to.

cant i just crank the flywheel till the notch points to the #5? if that doesnt work, do I crank it around and try again?

 

Just put your finger in the #1 sparkplug and youll feel it push air out.. that will tell you your on compression stroke..
Then

 

look at the 874runner,s picture, and make sure the wires comming from the coil, are connected to the green plug.

 

How do you make sure the valve is compressed with the valve cover off? I think I botched up my valve lashing and I also want to make sure my distributor is on correctly. Am doing this tomorrow.

 

the valve should either be loose or tight i think......

 

Notice that the camshaft is at the top roughly centered between the two sets of valves -- 4 valves on each side of the camshaft. As the cam rotates, it forces the valves up and down through the action of the rockers, If the cam lobe forces the rocker to push the valve down, the valve spring compresses and the valve opens. If the cam lobe rotates so that the rocker pushes less on the valve stem, the valve spring relaxes and the valve closes.

Watch what happens to the valves on the #1 cylinder as you rotate the engine by hand. There are two possible situations with the crank indicating TDC: 1) either both cam lobes allow the valve springs to be at there most relaxed, or 2) the intake valve spring is relaxed and the exhaust valve spring is compressed. 1) indicates both valves closed and you are at tdc of the compression stroke. 2) indicates intake closed and exhaust open-- you are at tdc of the exhaust stroke.

The online FSM tells you how to adjust your valves: set #1 to TDC of compression stroke and adjust half the valves (FSM shows which ones), rotate crank one full turn and adjust the others.

About removing the valve cover. If you don't want to remove the valve cover in order to make sure you are installing the distributor correctly, make sure that you put the engine at tdc with the rotor pointing to the #1 spark plug wire before you remove the distributor and then don't rotate the engine with the distributor out. Or, mark the rotor position when you remove the distributor, don't rotate the engine, make sure the rotor is in the same position when you reinstall.

 

I am replacing the head gasket, is it ok to rotate the engine if I mark the rotor position at tdc compression as long as I rotate it back to that position or are there other things that I need to pay attention to also. I would like to clean everything while i'm in there.

Another question. How come in the FSM (installing a new dist.) it says to set the engine at 5 deg. tdc compression? Do i need to worry about this when reinstalling the dist. after I replace the head gasket? Or is it good as long as i take it off at 0 deg. tdc comp. and put it back on the same exact way. 0dg. tdc comp? Thanks