craiso

Hello all.
To catch you up, recently the passenger side motor mount bolts sheared and destroyed the distributor. When I pulled out the distributor it moved, and I am sure that when I put the new one in it was not correct. Thus, the first time I cranked it over it wanted to run, but it only sputtered and died. I pulled it out again and moved it to the next position it would seat, but now it is clearly out of time. What do I need to do to correct it?

cruiser54

With #1 spark plug removed, turn the engine over clockwise using the 3/4″ front crankshaft bolt.

You will see the degree marks on your front cover and you will see the timing mark on the balancer. Mark them with chalk or white-out.

While turning the engine over, put your finger/thumb over #1 spark plug hole. As the mark on the balancer approaches the marks on the front cover, if you are coming up on #1 TDC, pressure in the cylinder will push on your finger. If there’s no pressure, you’re at #6 TDC and need to crank the engine over until you see the marks coming together and you get pressure. Set the mark on the balancer to the 0 mark on the front cover.

cruiser54

Then this:
http://www.angelfire.com/my/fan/dist_index.html

cruiser54

And, here's a reminder about motor mount bolts!!!!! From Jon Kelley aka 5-90 @ www.kelleyswip.com



This is a known issue.

1) Unless you're going to get silly with the skinny pedal, 2xSAE8 screws on one side won't be a huge problem. You'd be better off with three, but if you don't get silly you'll be okeh.

2) The Brown Dog engine mounts use two or three additional holes on each side, and spread the mount/clamping force over more of the block. This is invariably a good idea, and I'll probably be doing it as I refit my 88.

3) The primary reason that the screws snap is because, sometimes, the screw holes in the block aren't drilled & tapped deeply enough. This causes the screw to bottom out in the hole, so you end up torquing against the bottom of the hole instead of stretching the screw (as you're supposed to do. Not your fault - you aren't doing anything wrong.) The screw is not stretched properly, and the head is not butted up against the bracket, so there's some room to move there. Vibration then causes wear cycles on the screw, which generally leads to rupture.

The easy/cheap fix? When you replace the screws (3/8"-16x1.25", as I recall,) put two flat washers under the head before you screw it into the hole.

The check? Take a feeler gage (.003" to .005") and try to slide it under the head of the screw. You'll be able to get under the corners (look at the hex head, and you'll see that the surfaces curve toward each other slightly) if it's a standard hex head - if it's a flanged hex head, you should not be able to get under the head anywhere. If you can slip the gage under the head, you have a problem. If you can touch the shank of the screw, you have a big problem!

In no case should you reuse the screws after you take them out - they'll be stressed under the head, and you'll have a significant reduction in strength. Replace them outright, putting washers under the head as I mentioned before. The washers will make up for the slight lack of depth in the hole (two of them will be about 0.125" or so,) and allow the screw to be preloaded properly.

craiso

Thanks cruiser54 . I am not seeing the degree marks on this engine. On my '91XJ you cant miss it.

cruiser54

Have to be there.

craiso

I found them. I could see what looked like the top of the piston through the spark plug hole when the marks lined up. I could not get a finger in the hole to check for pressure. Got everything back together, and no start. I got a few puffs of what sounded like when a spark plug is removed. The distributor was a wobble to it as the engine is turning. Please see the link below.

craiso

I have the valve cover off. Does anyone have a picture, or can describe which valve springs are to be compressed. I am looking at this:

4) Rotate the crankshaft using a socket wrench with a 19mm socket until the notch on the crankshaft pulley lines up with the "0" mark on the timing cover (below). The valve springs on the no.1 cylinder should be relaxed and the valves closed. This will indicate that the no.1 piston is at TDC at the end of the compression stroke. If the springs are compressed, the valves are open (end of exhaust stroke) so you'll need to rotate the crank pulley another 360*.

My question is how many times does the crank need to go around to find TDC?

craiso

I have the mark on "0", there is a valve spring compressed on the number 2 and number 3 cylinders. I can see the top of the piston on cylinder number 1. The rotor is pointing directly at the engine (12 o'clock). Is this the correct configuration?

craiso

It is fixed. By repositioning the distributor as follows:
6) If not, remove the distributor retaining bolt from the block, pull the distributor out until it rotates freely, and rotate the distributor body until the rotor lines up with a mark made exactly 3.0cm clockwise from the edge of the cam position sensor's rubber plug (bottom). This will be just past the no.1 plug wire terminal in a clockwise direction. If you've got it right, the "ears" of the loop for the distributor retaining bolt will be either side of the threaded hole in the block. You should not need to cut the "ears" to correctly position the distributor unless you've installed an aftermarket camshaft.
Note: The distributor will rotate as the distributor gear meshes with the camshaft gear.
It took a few tries to get it right, but I took a chance put it back together and it started. I still do not understand everything about the TDC position, but it is fixed. Thanks for all your help.