New MSD style distributor

[john h]

Guys,
as part of my EFI conversion I got a new Billet dist.  It's locked out now and has an HEI style cap. I brought my engine up to TDC on #1 cylinder by feeling for the push of air. stopped cranking and rotated it back by hand to  O on the balancer.  I verified the piston is at the top of the stroke visually.  I then backed it up to 12* BTDC.  I pulled my cap and the rotor was sort of pointing at he #1 Cylinder but for sure at the #1 spot on the cap.  I dropped the new distributor in and to get the key to to drop into the gear, the rotor is basically pointing at #2 Cylinder.  the rotor only goes on one way, it has a circle and a square key.  What am I doing wrong?

John

[cudabob496]

where does the rotor point, when you have the balancer at zero?
rotor turns twice for every once the engine turns, so may be ok?
2 x 12 degrees equals 24 degrees on rotor. So pointing to #2 may
be correct.

[734406pk]

This line stands out, although i may be reading it wrong:

I brought my engine up to TDC on #1 cylinder by feeling for the push of air. stopped cranking and rotated it back by hand to  O on the balancer. 

Once you fell the push of air from the spark plug hole, (beginning of the compression stroke) you want to rotate the crankshaft forward clockwise to 12 deg BTDC.
Your post reads that you rotated the crank backwards (ccw) to 12 deg BTDC. This would be the wrong stroke (exhaust/intake) or distributor 180 deg out.

Once again, i'm not sure i am reading the post correctly??

[john h]

This line stands out, although i may be reading it wrong:

I brought my engine up to TDC on #1 cylinder by feeling for the push of air. stopped cranking and rotated it back by hand to  O on the balancer. 

Once you fell the push of air from the spark plug hole, (beginning of the compression stroke) you want to rotate the crankshaft forward clockwise to 12 deg BTDC.
Your post reads that you rotated the crank backwards (ccw) to 12 deg BTDC. This would be the wrong stroke (exhaust/intake) or distributor 180 deg out.

Once again, i'm not sure i am reading the post correctly??

I think I understand what you are questioning.  I moved the line on the dampner to 12* BTDC which is my typical base advance. 

[john h]

where does the rotor point, when you have the balancer at zero?
rotor turns twice for every once the engine turns, so may be ok?
2 x 12 degrees equals 24 degrees on rotor. So pointing to #2 may
be correct.

I did not check the new rotor when the mark was at 0*  I'm going to be using the EFI to control my timing. so I was supposed to set it to my typical base timing and then line up the reluctor and lock it down.   There seems to be no set orientation the distributor, the pickup can be anywhere, you just have to make sure the reluctor matches the pickup .  It seems weird that it would be so different than a mopar distributor.  The #1 post is about where the #8 post is on our standard distributor cap. (small block) I'm thinking it does not matter as long as I make that one #1 on the cap and wire accordingly.

Thanks guys.
John

[Chryco Psycho]

the drive tab on the shaft is obviously clocked differently from you dist so with everything set properly the rotor is 1 terminal off , you cannot hange this so eithe put #1 plug wire on the #2 termonal & wire from there or rotate the body of the dist so #1 is lined up with  the rotor correctly

[john h]

I wired everything up staying wit the normal #'s around the cap to the corresponding plug number.  it started right up and ran choppy at first by smoothed out when the computer caught up.  I guess it's alright.
Thanks for the the replies guys.  I will post an update on the EFI in the ongoing thread as I get it dialed in.


John

[Chryco Psycho]