Distributor help!!!

so i went to replace the gasket at the base of my distributor and all is well till i put it back together and it ran really rough so i pulled it back out found tdc and tryed again. this time it would start at all. so after the 20th try now it runs but backfires under throttle. so im assuming im off a tooth. wtf? is there an easier way to do this?

nope, just keep advancing tooth by tooth and get a timing light.

i read you can't use a timing light? this i guess i should have said it's a 96. should i pull the distributor out again and just turn the crank a hair with a wrench? how would i advance it tooth by tooth?

IMHO, timing lights on a Jeep 4.0l are of marginal use at best. Timing is electronically controlled.

Now that you've spun the engine over after removing the distributor, find #1 TDC on compression. The rotor tip should be pointing pretty close to the #1 terminal on the cap. If you need to advance, or retard, the timing by a tooth or 2, you need to pull the distributor out of the block, rotate the rotor forward or back, then stab it back into the block. If the oil pump drive tab has rotated, you may need to reach down inside the block with a long flat blade screwdriver and spin. Remember that the camshaft drive is a helical drive gear, and that the distributor shaft will turn on the way out or in.

rotate the rotor forward? on these it says to lock it in place with a drift pin when you drop it in. the oil pump slot is lined up right at the 11 o'clock position. so when i drop the distributor in should i keep more counter clockwise then i have been? would that advance me a tooth?

Brfj666 said:

the oil pump slot is lined up right at the 11 o'clock position. so when i drop the distributor in should i keep more counter clockwise then i have been? would that advance me a tooth?

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Dunno which way. Try 10:45 or 11:15 on the oil pump drive. Just a skosh either way. Took me several attempts. Found the right slot at about 11:07.

thanks. i will try that. could my harmonic balancer be off? cause when the timing mark is on the 0 my rotor is past my number one plug. when i was getting my tdc i put a metal rod down the plug hole to see where the top was and when the piston is actually at the top of its stroke the timing mark is not lined up with the 0? can anyone enlighten me on this some more? should i just take my valve cover off and make sure the valves are completly closed to be sure im at tdc on compression and just ignore my timing marks?

Ignore the harmonic balancer, for the most part. Don't use a metal rod, at least, don't use steel, use a brass rod so you don't score pistons or cylinder. Me, I'd use a wooden dowel. Between you & a helper, you should be able to find TDC. Hold your finger over the plug hole to find the compression stroke.

ChiXJeff said:

Ignore the harmonic balancer, for the most part. Don't use a metal rod, at least, don't use steel, use a brass rod so you don't score pistons or cylinder. Me, I'd use a wooden dowel. Between you & a helper, you should be able to find TDC. Hold your finger over the plug hole to find the compression stroke.

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A drinking straw works well. Just be sure you're on the compression stroke. The rotor should be just a skosh past the #1 terminal on the dizzy cap.

thanks guys! finally got it. screw the timing mark and the way chiltons says to do it. just get it at tdc on your compression put the straw in and bring to it's highest point. that was way easier. now off to the overheating problem.