I was testing my spark plug wires with a little pen tool when one of them tested really bad and others were poor so i decided to replace the wires and spark plugs. Then I realized that a previous place i had taken my car to had put the wires on backwards, the #1 wire going to where the #5 plug is ( I have a 289). So since the engine runs does that mean the distributor is in wrong. Also I was reading an older post that said the rotor is supposed to be facing the #1 spark plug wire, is that correct because mine isn't doing that either. Everytime I go to replace something I find more stuff wrong.

 

your distributor may not be installed correctly, in which case #1 would appear to be #5. if it ran ok, i'd leave the firing order alone - or pull the #1 spark plug and roll the motor over until your at TDC and then see where the rotor is facing.

also, msd 8.5 or taylor wires are probably your best bet and autolite copper core plugs ftw.

 

Unless you are fuel injected where the rotor orientation matters, it doesn't matter where #1 is located as long as the firing order and timing are correct. Sounds like you are fine.

 

More hohos please.

 

That's more ho-ho-ho's!!!

 

No, this does not mean that your distributor is bad. It means that the tech that worked on your car timed the distributor 180 deg. out. To fix this you need to roll the engine, by hand, to top dead center on the #1 cyl. Pull the distributor out just enough to turn it.Then clock the distributor to the #1 firing possition. Slide the distributor back down. Also you need to check and make sure they have the other wire in the correct place after to reclock the distributo.

 

?????

 

thanks for the responses, i understand everything except how to hand crank the engine. how do you do that? also, i put in a new vacuum advance with the wires and spark plugs, and now my engine is missing pretty bad and there's a lot of exhaust. i put in the shims (3) from the previous vacuum advance, do i need to redo the timing, that's the only thing i can think of, i tried adjusting the fuel inlet needles (their at 2 turns out right now) but still missing. thanks in advance

 

To manually turn the motor, you can put a socket on the crank/balancer nut and turn clockwise.

Now stop and take a deep breath. Stop tweaking everything at once and work through it methodically or you will never get it all figured out. All you changed was plugs and wire right? Stop trying to tune the carb and focus on what you changed if everything was working ok before. Have you put a timing light on the car? What is your timing like at idle? Have you moved the dizzy? Have you made sure you do not have any vacuum leaks?

 

Stop and regroup! First step get the distributor timed correctly, wires on the correct pug and distributor cap. Then start the engine at idle check your timing. Set your timing to the factory spec. Then you if you meesed with the carb. then you have to ajust the carb. back to, 5 inh20 at idle, if it is a 4 bbl. then you should be ok.