Keeping your engine running smoothly can be difficult. So many different variables are at play that it can be hard to determine what is causing the problem. One of these variables is your engine’s firing order. Understanding your firing order can help you with a tune up.
The firing order is the order in which the explosions occur in your engine. These explosions are caused by spark plugs sparking the gasoline in the engine's cylinders. There is a specific firing order for each car.
The correct firing order is important. A vehicle will run rough or may not run at all if the wrong firing order is utilized.
There are wires that come out of your spark plugs. These connect to the distributor and must be placed in the correct firing order. This involves taking the wire from the spark plug and tying it to the connection rods on the distributor.
The annotation of the firing order is done in numbers and depends on the number of cylinders. Each cylinder has one number. An example of a four-cylinder firing order would be 1342. This means the first cylinder (usually the first one at the front of the passenger side) is fired first, followed by the third, fourth and second.
You can find your firing order easily by looking on the cylinder head, intake manifold or valve covers. The correct firing order will be indicated by the number printed there.
