Classic/Antique Car Repair: DISTRUBATOR, kleenex tissue, compression stroke

Question
Dick

Hi,  I have an antique car, a 1938 Bantam. I had to remove the distributor and now I am having problems putting it back the way I took it out.

I made a mistake and turned the car over but
the distributor was not all the way down and the gears dont mesh and I know the timing is off.

My question to you is this, how do I get the distributor back correctly. There is no timing marks on the car, timing light etc


Can you help me out -

thanks

Ken

Answer
Sure, it isn't hard.

First, remove the spark plug from the front cylinder.  Next, put something over the spark plug hole like a kleenex tissue - don't stuff it in real tight, just tight enough that it will take a strong puff of air to dislodge it.

Next, with a wrench on the front of the crankshaft, (or maybe you can do this just by pulling on the fan belt), rotate the crankshaft in the normal direction (probably clockwise viewed from the front of the car, but hit the starter briefly if you aren't sure - this will pop the kleenex out; you'll have to stuff it in again!).  Rotate the crankshaft until the kleenex pops up from the air coming out of the spark plug hole as you come up on the compression stroke.  You may have to go around 2 whole turns before you get this effect, because you get a compression stroke every other rotation on this engine.

When you see the puff of air, you know you are on the compression stroke.  Insert a long screwdriver into the hole far enough that you can feel the piston top, and slowly bring the piston all the way to the very top of its stroke.  Be sure you only rotate the engine in the normal direction.

If you can't angle the screwdriver far enough to feel the top of the piston, you'll have to use the timing mark on the flywheel to know when you are at the exact top of the stroke.

Now you are are at "TDC" for #1 cylinder, so install the distributor so that the rotor is pointing exactly at the plug wire terminal on the distributor cap that goes to #1 cylinder.   The rotor will rotate slightly as you insert the distributor, because the drive gears are slanted, so you have to allow for this when you install the distributor.  Try it first to see how far you have to back up the rotor before you start inserting the distributor, so that when it is all the way seated and clamped in place, it comes out at the right position of the rotor.  You won't get it exactly right on, but it has to be close enough that rotor is pointing close to the right wire position.

Now, following the firing order for that engine (which is 1342), install the plug wires to the correct spark plugs.

Now, the car will probably run OK, but you need to fine tune the timing.   There is a timing mark on these engines, but it is on the flywheel - you have to look through a little opening at the face of the flywheel.  If you rotate the distributor so the points are just barely starting to open when the rotor is pointing at #1 plug wire, and the timing mark is lined up with the pointer, you are setting the timing at TDC.

You don't have to bother with that, though - if the engine will start.  You can adjust the timing by driving the car - set it by rotating the distributor body so that you just barely don't hear pinging on moderate acceleration at 20 MPH in high gear - that is as close as you need to get it.

Good luck!

Dick