i am pretty sure i am tdc and the rotor is pointing towards 5 o'clock (if you were looking from the front of the car.) is this the correct spot for it to be. i am trying to get this car fired up for the first time. i received it with a broken timing belt. i set the belt and the two marks are lined at cam and crank. i turned it a few time to make sure it was not slipping. i think that it back at tdc. thanks

nervous newbie
benjamin

When the camshaft mark is lined up # 1 cyl is at TDC on the compression stroke.

Looking at the pic below #s 1 to 4 correspond to the cylinder #s (counting from the radiator end of the head.

The second pic shows the distributor cap with the cover removed to show the relationship between the contacts and the wire sockets. The 5 o`clock position DOES correspond with # 1 plug.

Yours therefore appears to be correct. (As long as the leads are in the cap in the correct order).

Make sure the crank pulley is correctly located on it`s key if you`re using the TDC mark on the pulley.

Colin.

1990 740SE B200E/M47, remote C/Locking.

i will check this out next week. i have to go back to school and the car stays here (50 miles away.) thanks for the help. i can't check the cap because i cracked it. long story, the short of it being check the inside of the rotor to make sure there are not casting marks left in the inside of it.


benjamin

i stand corrected. a picture's worth more than a poor memory. good job, chuck.

i am pretty sure i am tdc and the rotor is pointing towards 5 o'clock (if you were looking from the front of the car.

Sounds like a block-mounted dist? If so, 5:00 would be #2 cap electrode.
The #1 electrode would be about 8:00 (should be a notch or groove in dist body to indicate #1 rotor position).

As suggested, make sure you have tdc for #1 (not #4) and that the cam gear marks are aligned.

Then you can pull the dist—set the rotor about 30° to the right of the #1 dist mark—and reinstall. The rotor will turnback to the #1 mark as the bevel drive gears mesh.

--
Bruce Young,
'93 940-NA (current), '80 GLE V8 (Sold), '86 240dl, '85 244 ti, '83 245t
'76 244 (R.I.P at 255k), 73 142 (98K), '71 144 (ex circle track car)
Used '70 144 from '78 to '92, New 144 from '67 to '78, Used '62 122 from '63 to '67

what year is the car? chuck.

1989 740 gl

if the dist is in the back of the head, it only goes in 1 way. the plug wires on the cap go 4312, left to right, installed on the engine. if 5 oclock is installed on the engine, it sounds like it's pointing at 2, not 1. make sure the cam is timed right to the crank and try again, someting sounds off. good luck, chuck.

Are you looking at the cam lobes when you are deciding that you are on TDC for #1 cylinder? You can peek through the oil filler and look at #1 intake lobe (2nd valve back), it should be at 10:00. If you can see the exhaust lobe (front valve) it would be at 2:00. If it's not this way with the crank at O then you're on TDC #4. Just spin the crank one full turn back to 0. That distributor only keys into the cam one way and the cap is numbered.