My distributor died. It ate the gear on the bottom.

I didn't mark it before I removed it. I have a new distributor and every article I find says to line it up with the mark you made when you removed. I didn't know...

So, how do I get this thing line up properly again?

1997 Cherokee 4.0.

 

bring no 1 cyl ut to top dead cenert on compression stroke and insert dist pointing rotor to no 1 wire on cap

 

If it ate up the gear, marking it probably would do not good.

You'll have to put the motor at Top Dead Center ( TDC ) and install the new distributor with the rotor aligned to cylinder #1.

Do not use above to do the job, it's truly an abbreviated version.

Get a Manual from Chilton and/or Haynes for detailed directions.


EDIT:
It is MANDATORY the motor be at TDC on the Compression Stroke.
This means the piston is all the way up in the cylinder and the intake and exhaust valves are CLOSED.