Thread: Reftting a Dizzy to engine

Well it depends of course. If the dissy has a skew gear drive your dissy will rotate as you push it down. Use a texta to mark no.1 firing point on the dissy rim, relative to the rotor button centre. Determine how much the dissy rotates on install and pre set it accordingly.

If it is a points dissy you can set the points to open at the correct timing mark. Rotating the engine past the timing mark with either a test light on the points or the coil lead organised with a gap to metal, you can get the timing spot on before you start.

With electronic dissies, set the pickup teeth to match up exactly at the timing mark, then check afterwards with a timing light.

Also you need to be sure you are on TDC firing, either observe the valves either side of TDC, use a hose against no.1 plug hole (and apply mouth to hose and blow) to test for closed valves, or put your finger over no.1 plug hole as the engine is turned to TDC and feel for compression.

Originally Posted by Ean Austral

Gday All,

Havent done this sort of thing for about 20 yrs , but am fitting a new distributor to an engine that has been rotated whilst the old one has been removed.

So #1 to T.D.C ✓
insert dizzy and position the rotor towards #1 piston. with most engine's the distributor is driven by spiral bevel gears and the rotor must be first set further back so as it enters the mount it turns into the required place
drop dizzy down and ensure that the oil pump drive engages. some of the slots are off to one side in the oil pump and they can only drop in at one point.
lock down then set timing with the timing light. do the points gap first, before setting the timing

Would I be correct with this. ✓

Cheers Ean

Distributor Installation Practices - Shaft Play And Depth - Circle Track Magazine.
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Ean, check to see if the oil pump drive is centered in the hole at the bottom of the dissy hole. They (the hexagonal shaft) usually has a push on locating washer to stand the shaft upright and centered.
Then as Bee-Utey says find the #1 spark plug lead in the cap and put a corresponding mark on the alloy dissy body, texta or file a small mark.
Then find TDC on #1 piston on the firing stroke, both inlet and exhaust valves must be closed, check as Bee-Utey said.
Now fit rotor button and turn to mark of #1 spark plug lead on body of the dissy. Slide the dissy into position and note and measure how far the tip of the rotor turns from your mark. Then remove the dissy and turn the rotor back to the mark and then past the mark the same distance you noted and measured, Mark this spot with say 2 filed groove marks or texta. With the rotor button tip pointing at your second mark slide the dissy back in and the rotor will rotate to the original single groove mark.
That should be the correct timing at Zero TDC.
With these marks permanently in place whenever you have to remove the dissy you just line up the crank TDC mark on the Damper and check your rotor button is facing #1 spark plug lead, when reinstalling just line up the second mark and bob's your uncle, Regards Frank.

Thanks for he replies, but there is 1 slight problem,


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This is the dizzy that came with the motor, I cant find any marking on it as to cylender #'s ,so I fitted the dizzy as said then just put the HT leads to each cylender in the firing order using anti clockwise rotation, as the manual says this is the rotor ratation.

I haven't had anything to do with this type of dizzy before as the coil is incorperated in the dizzy cap. I did google the brand but couldnt find anything. I found a picture of a 289 dizzy but the position of the leads is 180 degrees opposite to how I have it. On mine #1 HT lead is front right but that pic is rear left.

I am confident I have the firing order correct just unsure if #1 on the dizzy cap is not the one I have started on.

Hope that makes sense.

Cheers Ean

Ean, probably easiest to unplug the leads and chose which socket on the cap you will use as no.1 and start from there and connect the leads as per the firing order as you go , rotating the body as required to line up the chosen socket as no.1 cylinder - this of course is once you have determined you are at TDC.

Originally Posted by loanrangie

Ean, probably easiest to unplug the leads and chose which socket on the cap you will use as no.1 and start from there and connect the leads as per the firing order as you go , rotating the body as required to line up the chosen socket as no.1 cylinder - this of course is once you have determined you are at TDC.

Yes, this is basically what I did, but didnt explain myself correctly.

So as long as I start on #1 TDC, and the rotor lines up with this on the cap, then just install the leads in the correct firing order from there.

Cheers Ean

Your distributor is likely a copy of the Chevy HEI distributor used during the 80's, made by AC Delco. I've met a few over the years.
Cap:


ACDelco Distributor Caps D336X - SummitRacing.com

Originally Posted by Ean Austral

Yes, this is basically what I did, but didnt explain myself correctly.

So as long as I start on #1 TDC, and the rotor lines up with this on the cap, then just install the leads in the correct firing order from there.

Cheers Ean

Correct, as Beeutey said its a HEI dizzy with coil in cap so should give good spark although there are a lot of chinese copies around.