DEOR

got spark and fuel, crank, no start...

Double checking my timing and when i put #1 cyl at , what looks to me, top dead center, my rotor button seems to be past 1, more between 1 AND 5 post.
When i rotate engine so rotor button is at 1 post, it seems that my piston is slightly lower then top.

How dead nuts does this need to be? Am i over thinking this?

cruiser54

If you're trying to index your distributor, it's very important. You really need a sacrificial dizzy cap to do this right. You cut a window into the cap so you can see the #1 terminal in the cap. The rotor's trailing edge should be .020" past the #1 terminal at TDC.

DEOR

great thanks for the info,

can you go into indexing the distributor a bit more.

setting timing is new territory for me.

CattyXJ

There should be alignment holes in the distributor. 2 that you can see when you take the coil off, and 1 underneath. Spin it so the 2nd hole on the top aligns with the hole underneath and drop a pin in it to hold it there. Turn the oil pump drive to 11 o'clock, put the motor TDC and it should drop right in and be perfectly lined up.

CattyXJ

cruiser54

Good info for 91 and later but irrelevant for a Renix.

To the OP: My post #2 is how you index the distributor on a Renix. It has nothing to do with your ignition timing.

Evil Drew M

Yes

OP - as cruiser just stated - when you are at TDC the rotor should be slightly PAST the #1 post. If it fired right when you reach TDC it would be too late - hence the purpose of timing advance.

The teeth on the distributor (at least on an HO) are pretty big and being a tooth off is pretty obvious.

CattyXJ

Didn't catch the year in any of that.

Evil Drew M

It is in his signature.

CattyXJ

Gotcha. Can't see that on the iPhone app.

cruiser54

Same size teeth on a Renix.