Cadillac Repair: 1995 deville distr. problem, distributor hole, drive shaft

Question
what's the trick to put distributor back in 95 deville 4.9?no marks before removed

Answer
Hi Mike, For some reason your whole question didn't seem to post so if I don't give you the answer you are looking for let me know.

    To remove and install the distributor what I do is bump the engine over until the mark on the harmonic balancer points to 0 and the rotor is pointing towards the #1 terminal of the distributor cap. You can also put a ratchet and socket or use a wrench on the balancer bolt or pull on the serpentine belt to get it to line up once the mark is near the timing tab. I make a referance mark where the rotor points on the distributor housing and make another mark on the engine so that when reinstalling the distributor all 3 things line up  and the engine will start and run. Then once it is running I hook up my timing light and make sure it is correct. You need to make sure that the big flat washer is down in the distributor hole and that the oil pump drive shaft is down into the pump. If the engine hasn't been turned the distributor should just drop right in. Of course you realize that the rotor turns as the distributor is lifted up so it might take a couple tries before you find the right spot.

    If the engine has been turned over you will need to remove the #1 sparkplug...closest to the P/S pump...place your finger over the hole or use a compression tester with just the hose screwed into the hole and place your finger on the open end. Then have a helper bump the engine over and when you feel a rush of air push on your finger the timing mark is comming up on #1 compression. Turn the engine over slowly and line up the timing mark to 0 and then drop the distributor in so the rotor is between #1 and #8 terminals of the cap. Put everything together and hopefully the engine will start. Sometimes you will need to turn the distributor one way or the other to get it to start. Sometimes you might even have to remove the distributor and turn the oil pump driveshaft with a 5/16 or 8mm socket taped to a long extension and then drop the distributor down several times to get the gear to engage with the driveshaft. Then use a timing light to adjust the timing to specs.

    Hopefully that answered your question. Bill