Valve Adjustment Confusion

[Vintage914Racer]

I pulled the engine out of my car this winter and started embarking on a valve adjustment. I've adjusted the valves a handful of times on my track car, but have never done so on the street car. I've never had an issue on the track car, but the street car is throwing me for a loop.

I found the mark on the pulley and distributor easily enough for TDC, but when the engine should be TDC for cylinder 1, it is actually on TDC for cylinder 4. When I spin the engine so that it is on TDC for cylinder 1, the distributor rotor is exactly 180 from the notch where it should be pointing for Cylinder 1 TDC. Am I losing my mind? Could some error in assembly years ago be throwing things off? The car has run just fine for 10 years.

The image below shows where the rotor points when at TDC for cylinder 1. It is 180 from the notch where it should be pointing.



Here is the crank pulley.

[boyt911sc]

Check the valves @ Z1 for cylinder #1, they should be closed @Z1 (TDC) and the distributor rotor pointing directly to the scribed mark for cylinder #1. How did you do your valve adjustments? Are you certain that you made the adjustments for #1 cylinder at this position? Looks like you're 180° off.

Tony

[Bob Kontak]

That is right on - if you are adjusting cam timing and you are measuring intake valve lift at overlap top dead center.

Ain't I funny?

Now, let's think. The crankshaft moves two complete revolutions for every single revolution of the distributor.

The firing order is 1 6 2 4 3 5.

You simply have it backwards and are assuming the engine is in the fire position for the wrong (1 or 4) cylinder.

[Vintage914Racer]

I have not adjusted the valves yet. My concern is that when the distributor points towards the notch and the crank is at z1, signifying cylinder 1 should be at tdc, the valves are compressed and open.

Based on the distributor photo, the engine should be at tdc for #4, no?

[Bob Kontak]

OK - Fair enough. #1 cylinder is the drivers side rear most cylinder. #4 is the passenger side.

Is that how you are looking at it?

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by Vintage914Racer

Based on the distributor photo, the engine should be at tdc for #4, no?

Absolutely.

[pete3799]

Where is the plug wire for #1 cly. located on the cap?

[K Sykes]

You've got three possibilities

1. All is set up right and for whatever reason, you aren't reading where the valves are right (double check you are looking at #1, not #4)
2. The wires might be on the distributor wrong (good catch by the earlier poster that thought of that)
3. Someone rebuilt the engine and did the cam timing backwards.

Occams Razor says, 1, followed by 2, with three highly unlikely.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by pete3799

Where is the plug wire for #1 cly. located on the cap?

Wonder if his track car is the 914? Is the firing order backwards relative to the rear of the car?

[Bob Kontak]

Hope this is it. Snagged the pic from Samba.

[Vintage914Racer]

This is on a six. Both of my 914s are sixes. I'll have to check and see if the plug wires are off. As my original post explains I've done a valve adjustment on a a six a number of times. This doesn't mean I'm overlooking something, but I'm guessing it is #2 or #3 above as K Sykes suggests.

[john walker's workshop]

that rotor is at #4. you must have the #1 plug wire over there.

[Bob Kontak]

A six cyl in a 914 places #1 at the passenger front side of engine.

Just let me know you know what I am talking about and I will shut up.

[Bob Kontak]

Are you working on a 914? If so, you don't even say what car you have and you are in the 911 tech forum.

[rwest]

Since you have the engine out and can see everything nicely, why not just visually make sure the rocker is "off" cam and adjust every one possible and then turn the crank some and so on? I actually do it that way all the time, it probably takes longer, but I know it is done right, I just draw a diagram and check off each valve as I do it so I haven't missed any.

Rutager

[Vintage914Racer]

Bob, I know what your are saying and am aware that the engine sits the other way in a 914. Facing the fan side, cylinder on is the one closest to me on the left.

I just confirmed that the #4 wire is on the #1 position on the distributor and vice versa. So, this confirms its 180 degrees off, but why would it be like this?

[GaryR]

Originally Posted by Vintage914Racer

Bob, I know what your are saying and am aware that the engine sits the other way in a 914. Facing the fan side, cylinder on is the one closest to me on the left.

I just confirmed that the #4 wire is on the #1 position on the distributor and vice versa. So, this confirms its 180 degrees off, but why would it be like this?

Someone installed the dizzy 180 degrees off and then put the wires on off by the same 180.. no idea why anyone would do it but it has been done MANY times...

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by Vintage914Racer

Facing the fan side, cylinder on is the one closest to me on the left.

I just confirmed that the #4 wire is on the #1 position on the distributor and vice versa.

Got you.

Cripes, I don't know what the reason is. Have the cams been put in on the opposite sides? Is this possible?

However, the valves open and close in the same cadence so if the correct cam (left and right) orientation, maybe they are flipped 180 degrees.

Bigger brains than me need to step in.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by GaryR

Someone installed the dizzy 180 degrees off and then put the wires on off by the same 180.

Ahhhhh - I am working it too hard. This sounds right.

[pors1968]

Because somebody mixe the fire order on the cap .His dist was 180 off and start firing order on 4cyl instead.