Distributor / Plug Wire / Rotor Question

[patzim]

Changed plug wires on '77 911S. Marked distributor when pulling old wires and replaced exactly, with new. Car runs far worse than before. Checked and re-checked wire order and confirmed 1-6-2-4-3-5.

Further checked to locate position for wire #1 using distributor notch / rotor at TDC. Discovered that old wiring order was not correct and that wire 2 was actually sitting over rotor / notch at TDC.

Went ahead and changed to what I thought to be the right way with #1 over rotor at TDC. Set others per 162435. Car still runs terrible, backfires, and belches rich exhaust.

Where is true #1 / TDC?
Any reco on what's next??

Thanks Pat

[sammyg2]

Here's what I would do:
Pull #1 plug out and screw in a compression gauge, the kind with the flexible rubber hose. They are less than $20.
With the car in neutral and the parking brake on, crank the engine over by hand with a breaker bar.
Watch the compession gauge and the crank pulley. As TDC on the crank pulley (what is it, Z1 or something like that?)gets close the gauge will show a small climb, prolly only a few PSI.
That will tell you where the compression stroke on #1 really is. Either that or you could pull the driver's side upper valve cover and roll the engine to TDC on the pully right after the #1 intake valve closes.
Then you either pull the dizzy and align it with the mark, or take the short cut like the last guy did and just follow the firing order with the wires.
It it were me I'd make it right and re-index the dizzy so the rotor lines up with the #1 line.

[patzim]

Sam,
Good Feedback. Thanks for your time. Who'd of thought that a simple wire swap would have become such a hairball. . . Off to buy a compression gague.