Posted by Steve Cook on April 01, 1999 at 11:11:56:
In Reply to: Distributor removal/replacement posted by Chuck on April 01, 1999 at 08:27:59:
Does the distributor you have the slotted kind? Meaning that the shaft the rotates the rotor fits in a slot on the oil pump. The worst you can do is get it 180degrees out of time. When you remove the distributor, remember which position the rotor is facing, ie up, left, down, etc. As long as you do not turn the motor with the distributor out you should not have a problem. If you remove the plug wires from the distibutor cap, mark wher the #1 wire goes and you can replace them. I think the firing sequence is 1-3-5-6-4-2, but I have to check my manual to be sure. The oil pump runs off of a gear on the crankshaft, so rotating the crankshaft(turning the motor) changes the slot postiton of the distributor, and subsequently the timing. I am speaking from experience here. After doing an engine rebuild, I lined up the crank and cam shaft sprockets but forgot to install the oil pump. I did not realize this until after I had the mototr reassembled and back in the truck. With the engine apart, it is easy to find TDC and line up the crank, cam and oil pump. It was a bear finding TDC and timing the motor after you assemble it incorrectly. If you have trouble finding a repair manual, I can scan copies of the pages and e-mail to you. Hope this helps....
Steve