What have you done to your square lately??

[WFarm]

Finished installing the new radiator and fans and tested everything to make sure I had no leaks and the fans cycled on and off at the right temps. All was good so went for a beautiful fall drive. Seems nuts to be driving around in a topless Blazer on Nov 7 wearing a jeans and t-shirt! (Temps around 80)

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[DoubleDingo]

I’m replacing the cap and rotor on my distributor this afternoon. This is the first time I’ve done and any tips would be greatly appreciated!

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Was the distributor already out? If not, you just created a lot more work.

 

[Truck82]

Was the distributor already out? If not, you just created a lot more work.

No I pulled it. What do you mean ‘a lot more work’ ? What did I get into?

 

[DoubleDingo]

No I pulled it. What do you mean ‘a lot more work’ ? What did I get into?

The cap and rotor can be replaced with the distributor in the engine. Typically no adjustments need to be made to the timing. Checked, yes. Now you have to get everything to drop back in correctly, to get the engine on #1 TDC firing position, not 180 out, then get the timing right.

 

[Truck82]

The cap and rotor can be replaced with the distributor in the engine. Typically no adjustments need to be made to the timing. Checked, yes. Now you have to get everything to drop back in correctly, to get the engine on #1 TDC firing position, not 180 out, then get the timing right.

Ahh I see what you are saying. My distributor was installed 180 out already and I was having to time it off of a companion cylinder. I’m doing a tune up anyway so I decided I would turn the distributor back to normal and pull it all the way out. That brings up a question. Could I have turned it 180 without pulling it out? Also does anyone use a spark plug with a .060 gap or is .044 the standard gap for a 350?

 

[Ron Sebastian]

Go Rhino, love em or leave em.

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[DoubleDingo]

Ahh I see what you are saying. My distributor was installed 180 out already and I was having to time it off of a companion cylinder. I’m doing a tune up anyway so I decided I would turn the distributor back to normal and pull it all the way out. That brings up a question. Could I have turned it 180 without pulling it out? Also does anyone use a spark plug with a .060 gap or is .044 the standard gap for a 350?

Was it running before you pulled the distributor? If so, I doubt it was 180 out.

Yes, you can turn the rotor 180 degrees without pulling the distributor completely out of the engine, but with the effort to do so, it's easier to pull it, verify the oil pump shaft orientation(accounting for distributor gear meshing with the cam gear), then rotate the rotor to the correct position, and drop it in still accounting for that gear engagement. Final rotor orientation should point to the #1 wire on the cap. Once there, firing order verified from cap to plugs, plugs gapped correctly per application, most likely 0.045 if hei, timing needs to be checked. I probably missed something because I am tired and about to fall asleep. Hopefully someone else chimes in

 

[Truck82]

Was it running before you pulled the distributor? If so, I doubt it was 180 out.

Yes, you can turn the rotor 180 degrees without pulling the distributor completely out of the engine, but with the effort to do so, it's easier to pull it, verify the oil pump shaft orientation(accounting for distributor gear meshing with the cam gear), then rotate the rotor to the correct position, and drop it in still accounting for that gear engagement. Final rotor orientation should point to the #1 wire on the cap. Once there, firing order verified from cap to plugs, plugs gapped correctly per application, most likely 0.045 if hei, timing needs to be checked. I probably missed something because I am tired and about to fall asleep. Hopefully someone else chimes in

Yes it was running before. I tried to time it when I first installed the distributor after I did a top end rebuild in the spring but couldn’t se the timing mark. No matter how far I turned the distributor in either direction the mark wasn’t there. Finally I pulled the valve cover and turned the motor over by hand and got the no. 1 piston at tdc compression by looking at the rockers. Still no timing mark. So I got underneath the truck and the timing mark was on the bottom. I assumed that meant it was 180 out so I used a companion cylinder to time it. (I think it’s no.4 or 6) Maybe I’m completely not thinking straight and am all wrong but I know that motor ran fine when I did that.

 

[TotalyHucked]

Go Rhino, love em or leave em.

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I love 'em. I wanna build a 4x4 for the GF like that. Small lift and 33s, bed bars with Daylighters up top and a couple hung backwards underneath, 2 more Daylighters on the front bumper or old school square fogs, some kinda retro graphics and either white wagon wheels or slot mags

 

[Blue Ox]

Yes it was running before. I tried to time it when I first installed the distributor after I did a top end rebuild in the spring but couldn’t se the timing mark. No matter how far I turned the distributor in either direction the mark wasn’t there. Finally I pulled the valve cover and turned the motor over by hand and got the no. 1 piston at tdc compression by looking at the rockers. Still no timing mark. So I got underneath the truck and the timing mark was on the bottom. I assumed that meant it was 180 out so I used a companion cylinder to time it. (I think it’s no.4 or 6) Maybe I’m completely not thinking straight and am all wrong but I know that motor ran fine when I did that.

When you had the rocker cover off, did you "ahem" probe the spark plug hole to feel for the piston? If you did that, and the mark was facing down, your damper has spun. Otherwise repeat the procedure and get the piston on top. Just having the rockers free only indicates that you are on compression stroke. That's half of the equation, but you need to be sure the piston itself is at TDC.