Distributor Question.

[85_BMW_318i]

Hey everyone i am new to this forum.

I just bought a 1985 BMW 318i. The distributor cap had exploded and under investigation the distributor rotor was broken. I replaced the rotor and cap with new parts and ran it and the knotch inside the rotor had chipped off and it was free spinning, i replaced the rotor again and the same thing happened so i epoxied the rotor on and threw the hap back on and it ran fine for 30 or so mins. It stalled and under investigation the metal leads on the inside of the cap were ground down to plastic. So i figured that maybe the thing that the rotor sits on was bent so i looked it it closely and it seemed that that was the problem. I went to the junk yard and was looking for some BMWs to maybe get another distributor from, all the 318s were missing theirs but i found a 320 and the distributor looked almost exactly the same. I removed it and took it home then i removed mine and wondered how it set in place. I installed the 320 distributor and put it in. I put a new cap and rotor in it and started it up. It didnt start up, i rotated the distributor to the position i thought i pulled the old one from and it started, its idling badly, i turn it a little more and its better but still not right and i turn it a little more and its worse. I know i should have marked the exact position of the rotor before i took it out but i didn't.

2 questions

1. Is the 318 and the 320 distributors the same?

2. How do i adjust the distributor properly and get it in the right position?

Thanks
Adrian

[flatlander]

First...I would recomend buying a manual. After that, you need to get the engine lined up so that the number one piston is a top dead center on the compression stroke...you look to see that both valves are closed...then mark the distributor housing where the number one plug wire is with the cap on...then drop the distributor into the hole so that the rotor lines up with your mark...The timing won't be perfect but should be close enough to start so that you can fine tune...good luck.

[coolbear1]

cylinder 1 is the one in the front. you heve to bring the piston to top dead center on the firing stroke. you have to line up the hash marks on the harmonic balancer with the marks on the timing cover. Then thereis a small mark on the rim of the distributor that designates TDC cylinder 1.
This all has to line up for the timing to be correct. If I remember correctly the E30 4 cyl. uses a impulse generator in the distributor and a TCI ignition with vac advance, very simple and straight forward system.
I would tyhink that if the impulse generator fits into the 320 distributor the same way, it should work.

[adabeamer74820]

go to www.bmpd.com they sell original bmw parts for descent prices, buy a new distributor and put it on there. dont put anything from any other type of car on there even if it looks similair it can still be different.