Distributer Cap.
Discussion
Just a thought but if the dizzy has been out, and the engine has been turned over (maybe while setting tappets) it could have gone back in 360 degrees out. It is easy to put the dizzy back with No 1 at TDC on the exhaust stroke instead of the compression stroke by mistake. The leads will be in the right positions but the sparks will be on the exhaust stroke so it won't fire. (Don't ask me how I know this).
Just turn the engine over by a spanner on the front pulley or nudging it forward in gear with your thumb over the plug hole until you feel it come up to TDC on the compression stroke, then look at the rotor arm and see which lead it is pointing to. If it isn't the right one, lift the dizzy, move the rotor arm by the right number of multiples of 30 degrees and put it back. Note that the rotor arm will shift as the gear disengages so it will always be offset slightly from the 'right' orientation while it is off the engine.
The Haynes manual for the Granada & Scorpio has a diagram showing the marks on the dist and how to allow it to turn with the helical gearing when you put it back. I hope you marked the position of the dizzy on the crank case before you took it out. (Its a bit tricky to retime it with a strobe.)
There are two things wrong in your photo:
1. As Phillpot says, no 1 is marked on the cap. You can just see the bottom of the embossed "1" in your photo, beside the terminal with lead no 6 on. No 6 lead should be just clockwise of the vent cover in the cap, and No 1 the next one clockwise.
2. From there, the rotor arm goes clockwise. You have put the leads on in the right order, but in the wrong direction of rotation.
If that still doesn't work, check again that you have put the distributor back in exactly the same place as you took it out (you did mark it?) otherwise, you might also have an ignition timing issue.
If that still doesn't work, then you have put the distributor back in "out of phase". No 1 cylinder reaches TDC twice per firing cycle - once at the end of the exhaust stroke, and again at the end of the compression stroke. The timing mark on the crankshaft pulley will be in the same place each time. You need to make sure that the engine is on the compression stroke as GreenV8S says, and that the rotor arm is pointing at terminal no 1 at that point.
1. As Phillpot says, no 1 is marked on the cap. You can just see the bottom of the embossed "1" in your photo, beside the terminal with lead no 6 on. No 6 lead should be just clockwise of the vent cover in the cap, and No 1 the next one clockwise.
2. From there, the rotor arm goes clockwise. You have put the leads on in the right order, but in the wrong direction of rotation.
If that still doesn't work, check again that you have put the distributor back in exactly the same place as you took it out (you did mark it?) otherwise, you might also have an ignition timing issue.
If that still doesn't work, then you have put the distributor back in "out of phase". No 1 cylinder reaches TDC twice per firing cycle - once at the end of the exhaust stroke, and again at the end of the compression stroke. The timing mark on the crankshaft pulley will be in the same place each time. You need to make sure that the engine is on the compression stroke as GreenV8S says, and that the rotor arm is pointing at terminal no 1 at that point.
Edited by tvrgit on Monday 9th May 08:59
Thanks guys. Yes, I marked both distributors before removing them.
Drained the cooling system back down - I had put some flush in it during the rebuild on the assumption it would start.
Jack Valiant is coming round on Saturday and we'll go backwards, check settings then build back up.
Missed Hethel yesterday and have got Anglesey next Thursday so would be good to get there!
Drained the cooling system back down - I had put some flush in it during the rebuild on the assumption it would start.
Jack Valiant is coming round on Saturday and we'll go backwards, check settings then build back up.
Missed Hethel yesterday and have got Anglesey next Thursday so would be good to get there!
mk1fan said:
Thanks guys. Yes, I marked both distributors before removing them.
Drained the cooling system back down - I had put some flush in it during the rebuild on the assumption it would start.
Jack Valiant is coming round on Saturday and we'll go backwards, check settings then build back up.
Missed Hethel yesterday and have got Anglesey next Thursday so would be good to get there!
Hang on...Drained the cooling system back down - I had put some flush in it during the rebuild on the assumption it would start.
Jack Valiant is coming round on Saturday and we'll go backwards, check settings then build back up.
Missed Hethel yesterday and have got Anglesey next Thursday so would be good to get there!
So you have taken this distributor off another engine?
How do you know that the donor engine had the ignition timing set up correctly, before you took the distributor out? And even if it was, how do you know that you marked them both in exactly the same place, so that the mark on distributor 2 would line up exactly with the mark on engine 1?
I would sort out the order of the leads, as above, and then see if you need to look any further.
Already reordered the leads. Distributor is matched to the engine. Heads have come from another engine.
I suspect that I've set the distributor out of sink with the stroke while doing the tappets as I did those before fitting the distributor.
When I put the other engine back together, I'll put the distributor in before doing the tappets!
I suspect that I've set the distributor out of sink with the stroke while doing the tappets as I did those before fitting the distributor.
When I put the other engine back together, I'll put the distributor in before doing the tappets!
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