Oh..and just pushed UP on the sensor plate arm and heard the injectors "screaming". Jack

I don't know what you mean here. If the rotor was not pointing at #1, you need to move the wires around on the cap until #1 lines up with the rotor - or you need to re-index your distributor - but since you haven't had the distributor out, I don't think you need to re-index your distributor.

The rotor only goes on one direction - make sure it's correct.

The cap only goes on one direction - make sure it's also correct.

Well I have had the cap on 2 different ways, which surely accounts for how hard it was to fasten the clasps on it. It sits well on there now.

I'm feeling like I screwed something else up.

I have no idea why the rotor was not pointing at #1 before; it does now on TDC. But I did manually turn the rotor to the notch in the distributor which points it at #1.

Jack

Hang on; just read in bentleys about what the spark looks like, and mine was not a strong blue but more of a "yellow orange" spark, as they say.

J

This is not possible if the rotor is installed correctly. You should be able to move the rotor a little with the advance, but it should spring back into place.

Gunter - wasn't there someone recently that pulled part of their distributor out with the rotor? Could Jack have damaged his distributor with the broken rotor?

I finally saw the notch on the underside of the cap which fits into the notch on the front part of the dist. and now it seats perfectly. But still no start.

Rex, I know what you mean about the rotor springing back; but I definitely was able to move it ccw a good 100 degrees, from about where the 2 wire is to the 1.

thanks for helping, hope I didn't screw up the dist. JH

Your rotor is not installed correctly or it's broken. You already showed us the underside of one rotor so you know the problem. The plastic ridge in the bottom of the rotor must go into the notch on the distributor shaft. It takes alot of force to push it down into place sometimes and you have to rotate it as you do to engage in the slot. Yours wasn't in the slot so you were able to rotate it. It also means your rotor wasn't pushed down enough and will cause problems putting the cap on.

-Andy

Got it!

Andy, your comment about the notch on the underside of the rotor helped me figure out that I had the rotor on 180 wrong. Absolutely moronic, but there you go.

Thank you all for helping me with this silly issue, but my goodness I've learned a lot.

This thread is officially closed.

Jack

But wait, there's one more thing. In the course of this process I have an entry for "stupidist things you've done" thread. I'll enter it here so that those who followed this thread can get even MORE amusement from my antics:

As I was reinstalling the sparkplugs, one came out of the socket and fell down inside the top end. Using my handy mirror I could see that it was <i>right</i> there. So I stuck one finger down there, then another and...you guessed it. My fingers were hopelessly stuck in the port. Wife and daughter were gone, I was already hot and pissed from the whole thing, and somehow my fingers immediately swelled to 3x their normal size.

Hurt like a muther to try to pull them out.

The fix? I pulled out the dipstick and dribbled oil on my fingers and voila! Success #1 for the weekend. Good thing I was on the right side of the car.

Jack

Jack:
I am getting worried about you.
Some people do more damage to their cars by simply not knowing what they are doing.
I suggest a lot more reading/studying/searching.
The 2 clips for the distributor have a different length and forcing them over the cap that is misaligned (Not seated in the cut-out) is asking for it.
If your rotor was not down in the notch of the shaft, you most likely damaged the carbon pin in the cap.
Get a new rotor and check the cap for damage.
The felt plug inside the shaft under the rotor needs to come out, then a few drops of oil are dripped into the hole and the plug is replaced.
That lubes the mechanical advance.
The distributor should be serviced properly.
Did you read my post on this?
Friendly advise:
You seem mechanically challenged; have the distributor serviced by a professional because distributors are the heart of your engine, very important and very expensive.
Set the timing dynamically with a strobe light.

Thanks Gunter. You're right, I am mechanically challenged but a fast learner. This situation really made me mad because it was like getting lost right after getting those directions from someone who added, "you can't miss it".

I did read your advice on servicing the distributor and will do so this weekend--already ordered another rotor and cap from PP, so thinking what you were thinking there. Will set the timing, too.

But I will most likely keep doing these things; I am fortunate enough to afford a new engine/car if I screw something up. So like a lot of people (most, probably) on this board, I find the challenge and eventual success very fulfilling. Of course, I wouldn't attempt any of this stuff without this board and the helpful advice of people like you.

In the process of trying to figure out this really simple issue, I read somewhere around 100 posts, learning a lot of other things which will help me out down the road, I'm sure.

So I will take your advice on servicing the distributor but will not take your advice on continuing to do things myself, screwing up occasionally, then getting it right. I hope you're not offended by this and maybe, just maybe, some other mechanically-challenged newb will search on this post and not have to go through the 2 days of intense personal frustration and disappointment.

Kind regards,

Jack