distributor wires

[firey914]

I was wondering how the distributor wires go on the distributor.

I've been looking around on forums for a diagram or a picture or something, I just can't seem to find anything.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks
vmills

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

The spark plug wires (I assume you mean these?) obviously go on the distributor cap, but their exact position depends on how the distributor driveshaft is installed. There is a "stock" orientation, but sometimes people put them in at a different orientation.

So the first step is to check out how the distributor rotor's position (determined by the driveshaft) relates to the cam position. Rotate the motor until the rotor points toward the left-front of the car. There should be a little scribe line on the edge of the distributor body that shows this position. Line up the TDC mark on the fan with the notch in the fan shroud, or line up the notch in the side of the flywheel with the upper notch in the transmission bellhousing. (You'll obviously need a mirror to check this.) Then pop off the driver's side valve cover and check the rocker arms for the rear-most cylinder, which is cylinder #1. Both should have just enough slack in them to feel.

If they do not, then try rotating the engine so that the flywheel mark is visible in the bottom bellhousing notch. Check the #1 rocker arms again. If one or the other is open, rotate the engine another 180 degrees until the flywheel mark is at the top or the TDC mark on the fan is, and check again. If no go, try another 180 degrees. (If you never have slack on both rocker arms, something else is wrong. Double-check that you're rotating the engine the same direction each time.)

Anyway, now you know you are at TDC for the #1 cylinder. Put the distributor cap back on. Hook the plug wire for the #1 cylinder to the distributor cap tower closest to where the rotor is pointing to now. Going clockwise around the distributor, follow the firing order for the motor: 1-4-3-2.

So the next tower gets the #4 plug wire (that's the right-front cylinder), then the next gets the #3 wire (right-rear cylinder), then the last one gets the #2 wire (left-front cylinder).

The center one, of course, goes to the coil.

--DD