tuneup gone wrong

[joebmx]

I swapped out the wires this evening and now nothing is working. I don't know what the f*%#! I tried using my hayes manual to get it all back together but it won't turn over. I know there is spark because I felt it when I touched the plug going into the cap. As I mentioned in another post the wires before it came apart were not oreinted the same as was shown in the book and you would think I would have taken note of how they were in there. can someone confirm for me the orientation of the cap and cylinder #'s.

 

Cylinders

(driver) Front (passenger)

3 4

1 2

Back

 

 

Distributor

3 1

2 4

Also, the cap I got is from YEC. It is not directional so it will go on the dizzy in anyway I put it on. Is that a problem?

Thanks

 

Joe

[Durania]

Standing at the front of the car and looking at the engine. The passenger side is the 1 and 3 cylinders, driver's side is 2 and 4. Your firing order is 1-3-2-4.

[the sucker king]

here is a possibility that I have actually seen before. You say the wires were not in the positions shown in the manual. I have seen people who swapped a distributor, but didn't get it stabbed in the correct possition, not true to TDC. instead of wrestling and guessing, they advanced or retarded the disty and then switched the wires on the cap by one spot. Car ran just fine. If you don't know the history of your car (particularly the disty, was it replaced?) make sure it is set properly. You can find top dead center by pulling the #1 spark plug and turning the crankshaft with a wrench. keep a finger on the spark plug hole and you will here the air gush out on the compression stroke. you can find the timing marks on the flywheel visible through a hole on the top side of the bellhousing.

 

I suggest this only because you commented that the wires were not where they were in the manual.

[the sucker king]

one other thing, you said the cap you bought is not directional, what car is this for? ea71 and ea81 cars I have dealt with the cap will only properly fit one way. A lot of caps have the cylinder #s on the top. Were you using those as a guide? If so you might try turning the cap around. Maybe it's the wrong cap? can you compare it to the old one to make sure?

[joebmx]

whoa....so I don't know the history of the car. I hope that the disty wasn't turned so far that it advanced the timing so far ahead.

The car is a 87 gl 4wd EA82 carb. The old cap was not numbered as is my new one and before i put it all together I butted them up against one another and they matched up to within maybe 1 or 2 mm in outer diameter. Does it matter if the capp is on backwards? Wouldn't it matter more the orientation of my pulgs regardless of the numbers on the caps. According to what Durania said I have my cylinders all mixed up. I will start moving plugs around this morning and see what i can come up with.

[Gloyale]

Cylinders

(driver) Front (passenger)

3 4

1 2

Back

 

 

Distributor

3 1

2 4

 

 

Should be like this:

 

Cylinders

 

Driver Front Passenger

2 1

4 3

Back

 

Disty should go Counterclockwise, 1,3,2,4, with 1 ussually being the one that is rearmost on the cap, cocked slightly towards the master cylinder.

[TheSubaruJunkie]

I made this image a while back when I was doing wires for my car. This is for the EA81, but EA82 is the same, just the distributor is in a different location:

 

 

-Brian

[audio_file]

i had the exact same problem w my 87 gl carbed wagon, because the person who owned it before i did put the wrong disty cap on it (probably their parts store's fault, not theirs)

 

look at the disty cap and the metal area on the disty where it mounts . . . my mounting area had two different sized metal tabs sticking up (at 12 and 6 o'clock) designed to allign the cap, but the cap didn't have the slots for TWO tabs, just for ONE- so the cap wasn't secured to the disty very well, and the car wouldn't run after i changed out the spark plug wires (cap had moved just slightly enough that the contacts no longer lined up) get the right cap, problem solved . . .

 

chris

[Durania]

I tried to find the animated image of the pistons moving but had no luck.

[audio_file]

I tried to find the animated image of the pistons moving but had no luck.

 

here ya go . . .

 

 

anything to help

[Turbone]

^^^Thats great!

Altho I'm seeing spots now and my eyes cant focus :cool:

[joebmx]

WoW, you guys are sure the best!!!

 

So this morning I head out to work on the car prior to work and just reversed everything in the engine and upon starting her up.....purrrrrr. It sounds and runs better than it ever has for me which, hasn't been all that long.

So my haynes manual which says all "left and rights, are in reference to sitting behind the wheel" well that obviously doesn't refer to which way to orient the illustrations or else I would have had this figured out last on monday.

 

So one last question since you all are here. I have regular NGK plugs on bosch wires (I know..against all your recomendations). What do I want to have the timing set at. Right now I have it set at 12 degrees. I think spec is 8. It was originally way higher then the 12 it is currnetly at. something like 16 or 18 if I remeber correctly. I also need to pull the vaccuum hose from the disty when checking it right?

 

Thanks again

[Durania]

Audio,

That's not exactly what I was looking for but you provided over-kill to the extreme. A lot of problems can be solved just by that demonstration. Thanks for finding it.

[Gloyale]

What do I want to have the timing set at. Right now I have it set at 12 degrees. I think spec is 8. It was originally way higher then the 12 it is currnetly at. something like 16 or 18 if I remeber correctly. I also need to pull the vaccuum hose from the disty when checking it right?

 

Thanks again

 

Carbed= 8 degrees

 

85,86, MPFI 25

 

87+ SPFI And MPFI= 20

 

Vacuum line disconnected and plug during setting timing.

 

Be careful advancing the timing for power. It can cause overheating. listen for any pinging and retard the timing if you have to.