So today I summed up the courage to adjust the valves on my '94 Toyota pickup 22re base. I thought i did a good job at it with adjusting both intake and exhaust valves at TDC. Summed up more courage and decided to pull out the distributor to tighten the bolt under the camshaft gear connecting the valve cover because it seemed like it leaked oil.
When it came to reconnecting the distributor, it wouldn't start. At all. Got it running only when i pressed on the gas but ran like garbage and quickly shut off when i let go of the gas. Put it back at TDC and pulled out the distributor and aligned it to spark plug 1 and now won't start at all.
Def could use some help.

 

you might be 180 out

 

You do have a timing light don't you? There is no way to put the distributor back correctly without one, and they only cost $20. http://www.harborfreight.com/xenon-t...ight-3343.html

And I second Shagool22's suggestion. You may have set it to fire the plug at TDC on the exhaust stroke, not the compression stroke.

 

Actually, I do have a timing light. I was just wondering how to be able to get it started. Very certain that I set it to TDC because I pulled out spark plug 1 and I saw the raised piston but I will double check. Could there be mechanical damage if the distributor is not inserted properly?

 

You really did not adjust all your valves in one position .

Then made sure it was on the compression stroke .

The valve adjustment might be your problem not the distributor but it could be both.

 

Make sure the #1 piston is at TDC AND the #1 rocker arms are both loose. If the piston is just at TDC then you have a 50/50 chance of being 180* off.

Also remove the distributor cap and check that the rotor is pointing at the #1 cylinder when it is all the way set into the head. The rotor turns quite a few degrees when put back into the head.

 

I just saw Wyoming9 posted (there is no way it took me 20 minutes to post? ). He has a good point, also, I did not think of that. The valves could be too tight causing no compression, but if they are too loose then you would hear them.

 

If you set the valve clearance for each valve with the engine at TDC, then half your valves have clearance adjusted grossly out of spec. Might not be your only problem, but it's certainly one of them.

See page 6 of this document from FSM, follow exactly, then use timing light as others have said to re-check your timing.

http://personal.utulsa.edu/~nathan-b...nce/2maint.pdf

 

So all the valves check out fine. I was able to start the truck up and it idled rough. When I went to adjust the timing, I couldn't go past 0 degrees to get to 5 degrees using the jumper wire for timing adjustment . Even with adjusting the distributor I couldn't get it to move left to 5. It kept going far too right.
Any suggestions?

 

The distributor helical gear has 13 teeth; if you are off by one tooth everything shifts by about 28°. This is easy to do. I would suggest pulling the distributor and trying again (or just move it one tooth and see how it works out).

 

Sounds like you are a tooth off. This will get you close. I have done it and then hit it with a Timing Light and been spot on a couple of times.

A Timing Video I like Better. Set Crankshaft pulley to 5 degrees.
Timing Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qEQM...ature=youtu.be



Easy way to install distributor on Youtube.

 

I got it working right. Thanks to everyone. Now it's running a little loud after I adjusted the valves...

 

I don't think many are shocked by that.


Standard response: Make sure you didn't over tighten the valve cover nuts. It can cause the rockers to contact the valve cover and make noise.



(Assuming you have the stock cam)
Another possible cause is that when you adjusted them you INCREASED the clearance from where it was to the .008 .012 the FSM states.


Did you check the clearances BEFORE you adjusted them?
How many miles are on the engine?

 

for anyone reading this in the future... the way to get around no timing light is to put a mark on the distributor, relative to a mark on the head, before you pull the distributor, so that when it goes back together, you'll have the same timing that you had before you started the job.

i set my timing with a timing light that has tachometer function, then scratched a mark on the distributor body, right where the corner of the head casting is... so i never have to worry about pulling the distributor again, i just double-check with the light after the job is done.

while you have the distributor out, change the o-ring on it... dorman help #80024, has one perfect o-ring in there, most flaps will have it, or rockauto sells the package for cheap.

 

The head casting at that point is about 2" in diameter, meaning that IF you can match up your marks to within 1/8", your timing will be off by about 8°. Close enough to "double-"check with your $20 timing light http://www.harborfreight.com/xenon-t...ight-3343.html, but not close enough to run.

If you want to try marking the distributor, the place to do it is at the hold-down bolt, which is farther out from the center-line. There, your 1/8" tolerance leaves your timing off by about 2.5°. Close enough to get it to start, but not close enough to pass smog check, or run worth a darn. And since the hold-down bolt will leave its own mark, you don't really need to mark anything to get it back together "close."

Of course, if you do anything to the distributor (replace the rotor, or even replace the o-ring), the timing will no longer be set correctly even if you get it EXACTLY on the mark.

Shade-tree mechanics have all sorts of short cuts, some good, some bad. But I think trying to save $20 by setting timing "by eye" is just a waste of money.

 

1/8" is sheer incompetence.

see the pic below... there is the mark that i aligned visually last month, when i pulled the distributor to do the o-ring.

is that your idea of an 1/8"?

been there, done that, no... the problem is that there isn't a really clear fixed place to set the alignment marks... you can't use the bolt/washer for anything, because it's too sloppy in the bolt hole.










22re reference timing mark