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How hard is it to change a distibutor on a 99 4.0L

newjeepowner

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Roseville, MI
Sounds as if my bearing on my distributor is taking a crap. Makes a noise when cold and goes away after it heats up. Noise is definatley coming from distibutor. Has anyone changed one lately? How much and where can buy one?
 
Couple of other recommendations, once you have the cap off, use a black fine point magic marker to mark the seated position. When you remove the retainer bolt and pull the distb out put two fingers UNDER the dist and your thumb over the rotor then lift straight out as said, use a second color, red, to then mark the removed position. You will only be able to do one side as your palm will be blocking the other. That way with two colors you won't get them confused.
Put some vasoline or assembly lube on the O rings before you slide the new one back in. Also clean the area around the dist before you pull the old one out, don't want to dropping any crap in there...
 
You don't NEED the engine at TDC on cylinder one, but it would make it easier. Make sure its ont he compression stroke too, or else you'll be 180 degrees off. If you mark how the old one came out, you can drop the new one back in the same way and be good to go.
 
I started tonight. I pulled wires off and marked them. Then I took a few pictures of location of rotor and marked the area when the rotor tip was with a green paint marker. I called around to order a new distributor. Does not look like I will have my parts until Sunday.
 
Blue XJ said:
You don't NEED the engine at TDC on cylinder one, but it would make it easier. Make sure its ont he compression stroke too, or else you'll be 180 degrees off. If you mark how the old one came out, you can drop the new one back in the same way and be good to go.

If I wanted to get the engine to top dead center. What would be the easiest way to do this? Remove #1 spark plug and stick a pencil into hole and turn engine buy hand until pencil comes all the way up? Is there timing marks on the harmonic balancer? Which cylinder is #1?
 
newjeepowner said:
If I wanted to get the engine to top dead center. What would be the easiest way to do this? Remove #1 spark plug and stick a pencil into hole and turn engine buy hand until pencil comes all the way up? Is there timing marks on the harmonic balancer? Which cylinder is #1?
SO, did you not read this link?:read: :read: :read:
 
3/4" wrench on the crank turning clockwise while somebody watches the piston in cylinder #1 through spark plug hole. when it's at top dead center, look where the rotor on the distributor is pointing, and put the new one in the same way.

everybody was scaring me with all kinds of stuff on here to when i asked about it, but it was ultra straight forward and simple. basically one of those..."put it in the way you took it out" type deals.
 
newjeepowner said:
yeah, i read it. Seems like a pain removing valve cover also. Looking for something easier.

Sometimes you spend more time looking for easy than just doing it. The fore mentioned 'mark the old one' pull it out, put the new in with the same marks is about as easy as it gets....
 
Thank you everyone. That was very easy. Marked the spot where the rotor was pointing and again when the distributor was pulled. Went right back to the same spot on first try of installing the new distributor.
 
newjeepowner said:
Thank you everyone. That was very easy. Marked the spot where the rotor was pointing and again when the distributor was pulled. Went right back to the same spot on first try of installing the new distributor.

Super, nice when it works ay...
 
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