r.barn

I think my problem might be distrib. is off one tooth.

How do i find cylinder #1 TDC on the compression stroke so I can
check and see if distrib rotor is in the right place?

88stangaruu

take a spark plug out and look in there with a flash light, thats one way i know how. By the way, #1 on ford is the front cylinder on the passenger side. Make sure both valves are closed, you can put a finger over the spark plug hole and slowely crank it over by hand and when you feel no more air rushing out, your at TDC. Then look on your balancer see where your at. It should have the origional timing/TDC, BDC grooves in the balancer.

88stangaruu

Oh and when your at TDC, look under the dizzy cap, the rotor should be pointed square at the #1 spark plug wire.

r.barn

so look for intake valve to open then close, then watch balancer to come around to TDC mark?
that would show me #1 TDC right?

little hard to look in the spark plug hole with the engine installed, lol

93must

You dont really have to look at it just put your finger over the hole and turn the motor over. When the comp stroke starts you will feel the air coming out. When it stops you are at tdc.

jzgt

The distributor can't really be off one tooth. Let me restate that...you just need to be able to adjust the timing. If you don't have enough turning room to adjust the distributor, you can take it out and move it by one tooth to be able to adjust it. I am not saying your distributor is in there incorrectly, because it could be but what kind of problems are you having?

TwotoneVert

I used a pencil to guage the depth of the piston in the cylinder. Turn the crank by hand and when you guide the pencil in and out of the plug hole, TDC will be after the pencil stops moving up and before it moves down. Mine was a tooth off when I bought it.

PRO50SC

Damn, I told ya how last night!!!