Ford 3000 spark plug wire placement.............

[Tupperville]

I have found top dead center in the timing hole cover and checked it twice to be sure.

The "zero' timingmark is directly below the arrow above the hole.

According to information I researched regarding spark plug wire placement, the rotor should be pointing to the terminal marked #1 on the top of the cap but it is pointing towards the block no where close.

1. Could my distributor that far out of place?

2. Should I pull it and place it where the rotor is going to point to the #1 on the cap?

3. Should I just put the #1 spark plug wire to be the next in line with rotor rotation which is counter clockwise?

Any information would be helpful.

 

[a49deere]

Are you TDC on compression stroke? Or exhaust stroke? What does pointing towards block mean?

 

[Tupperville]

Are you TDC on compression stroke?

Not 100% sure it it's the compression stroke but the timing arrow on the block above the timing cover hole is pointing at the "zero".

I removed #1 cylinder spark plug and and dropped a long zip tie down into cylinder and put a reference line on it and turned the engine by hand and the zip tie dropped a bit so yes I believe I was on TDC.

Everything I read tonight states the rotor should be pointing to the number one terminal on the cap but I am not.

The cap seems to be where it was when I bought the tractor as the back of it is shiny and the front facing the sunlight is faded.

Now will moving to the 15 degree mark put my rotor pointing to the #1 mark on the rotor cap, I don't know.

I can't see the rotor when turning the engine by hand and it was getting dark.

I have to go to the other side of the tractor and rotate the engine by lifting up on the fan belt or pulling it down.

 

[sotxbill]

Since its a 4 stroke engine, it will show zero or tdc on the exhaust stroke and also on the compression stroke. SO if your on the exhaust stroke, the rotor will point 180 degrees away from NO. 1 cyl... Turn the engine over one full turn and it then line up with no 1 cyl at zero degrees or tdc. (top dead center) on the compression stroke.

 

[a49deere]

Has this tractor been running or are you trying to get it running? You will probably need help, but you need to turn engine over with you finger over #1 plug hole (Plug hole closest to radiator) and turn over until you feel strong pressure! then use your zip tie to get exact TDC. You could also remove valve cover and repeat and watch valves to see that they are both closed as it approaches TDC on cylinder #1

 

[Tupperville]

Since its a 4 stroke engine, it will show zero or tdc on the exhaust stroke and also on the compression stroke. SO if your on the exhaust stroke, the rotor will point 180 degrees away from NO. 1 cyl... Turn the engine over one full turn and it then line up with no 1 cyl at zero degrees or tdc. (top dead center) on the compression stroke.

I never considered that the flywheel will show "0" degrees, if that's what your saying, on the exhaust stroke as well.

So if I turn the crank until the "0" degrees shows again, the rotor should be pointing to where it should be as the #1 on the rotor cap has been marked with a line on the side of the distributor.

I never realized that rotating your engine even just a little, can put the timing marks out of view.

 

[Tupperville]

Has this tractor been running or are you trying to get it running? You will probably need help, but you need to turn engine over with you finger over #1 plug hole (Plug hole closest to radiator) and turn over until you feel strong pressure! then use your zip tie to get exact TDC. You could also remove valve cover and repeat and watch valves to see that they are both closed as it approaches TDC on cylinder #1

I bought the tractor in July at a Kubota dealership.

I made the mistake of ordering new parts which turned out to be costly for me as I been trying to disgnose the problem without considering the new parts were the problem.

The old spark plugs were a "Wega" brand which I thought was odd, those are plugs popular in south america.

 

[Tupperville]

Are you TDC on compression stroke? Or exhaust stroke? What does pointing towards block mean?

What I meant was the #1 on the cap points in the direction away from the block whereas the rotor today at "zero" degrees was pointing at the block almost the opposite direction.

 

[a49deere]

What I meant was the #1 on the cap points in the direction away from the block whereas the rotor today at "zero" degrees was pointing at the block almost the opposite direction.

SO, was it running when you bought it?

 

[Jim.ME]

I never considered that the flywheel will show "0" degrees, if that's what your saying, on the exhaust stroke as well.

So if I turn the crank until the "0" degrees shows again, the rotor should be pointing to where it should be as the #1 on the rotor cap has been marked with a line on the side of the distributor.

I never realized that rotating your engine even just a little, can put the timing marks out of view.

A piston of a four stroke engine comes to TDC once every 360 degree rotation of the flywheel. Starting from the piston at TDC (0 on the timing marks will show on the flywheel at this time) of the exhaust stroke, the exhaust valve is just closing and the intake valve is just opening. This often referred to as the valves are on the rock. As the piston goes down the exhaust valve has closed and the intake valve has opened allowing air/fuel mix to be drawn into the cylinder. As the piston reaches bottom and starts up the intake valve closes (the exhaust valve is already closed). This builds compression. Based on design and rpms, ignition will occur a few degrees before the piston reaches TDC after the 360 degree crankshaft rotation. The timing marks (0) will show again when the piston reaches tdc. The piston now is moving down in the power stroke from the burning fuel/explosion. Near the bottom the exhaust valve opens and pushes the spent gases from the cylinder. At TDC the valves are again on the rock,0 is back in the timing window, and the four strokes will repeat.

The 0 will appear once every 360 degree rotation, but is only right for firing the #1 cylinder every other rotation. A number on a cap or picture of where the #1 wire is in a manual is not the deciding factor of where the #1 wire goes, the compression stroke and the valve position determines where the distributor and cap need to be.

You need to be sure the piston is TDC on compression, then determine where the rotor is pointing to be where #1 should be.

 

[Tupperville]

SO, was it running when you bought it?

Yes, it was running long enough to be driven on the float and backed off the float at my uncles farm.

 

[Sean in PA]

Yes, it was running long enough to be driven on the float and backed off the float at my uncles farm.

Did you make note of the plug wire positions on the cap before you removed the originals from when it was running?

 

[Eman85]

I never considered that the flywheel will show "0" degrees, if that's what your saying, on the exhaust stroke as well.

So if I turn the crank until the "0" degrees shows again, the rotor should be pointing to where it should be as the #1 on the rotor cap has been marked with a line on the side of the distributor.

I never realized that rotating your engine even just a little, can put the timing marks out of view.

Yes as stated this is a 4 stroke cycle engine. The piston is at TDC ( 0 degrees) both at the top of the compression stroke and at the top of the exhaust stroke. The wire tie method will indicate where the piston is but now which stroke it's on. When this tractor ran was the number 1 cylinder spark plug wire on the cap where you say it's marked #1?

 

[Tupperville]

A piston of a four stroke engine comes to TDC once every 360 degree rotation of the flywheel. Starting from the piston at TDC (0 on the timing marks will show on the flywheel at this time) of the exhaust stroke, the exhaust valve is just closing and the intake valve is just opening. This often referred to as the valves are on the rock. As the piston goes down the exhaust valve has closed and the intake valve has opened allowing air/fuel mix to be drawn into the cylinder. As the piston reaches bottom and starts up the intake valve closes (the exhaust valve is already closed). This builds compression. Based on design and rpms, ignition will occur a few degrees before the piston reaches TDC after the 360 degree crankshaft rotation. The timing marks (0) will show again when the piston reaches tdc. The piston now is moving down in the power stroke from the burning fuel/explosion. Near the bottom the exhaust valve opens and pushes the spent gases from the cylinder. At TDC the valves are again on the rock,0 is back in the timing window, and the four strokes will repeat.

The 0 will appear once every 360 degree rotation, but is only right for firing the #1 cylinder every other rotation. A number on a cap or picture of where the #1 wire is in a manual is not the deciding factor of where the #1 wire goes, the compression stroke and the valve position determines where the distributor and cap need to be.

You need to be sure the piston is TDC on compression, then determine where the rotor is pointing to be where #1 should be.

It sounds like from what your saying it takes two rotations of the flywheel to get 1 TDC compression stroke.

I will try again today to get TDC in my next revolution and pull the cap to see where the rotor is pointing.

 

[Jim.ME]

It sounds like from what your saying it takes two rotations of the flywheel to get 1 TDC compression stroke.

I will try again today to get TDC in my next revolution and pull the cap to see where the rotor is pointing.

Yes, in a four-stroke engine the compression stroke only occurs once in two rotations. Ignition occurs on the compression stroke. That is why you need to be sure you are on TDC of the compression stroke when checking where the rotor points and #1 wire belongs.

 

[a49deere]

It sounds like from what your saying it takes two rotations of the flywheel to get 1 TDC compression stroke.

I will try again today to get TDC in my next revolution and pull the cap to see where the rotor is pointing.

yes, as I stated in reply #5 It's not really that difficult! Remove all plugs, rotate engine until #1 cylinder(closest to radiator) with finger over hole starts to push air, confirm you are at TDC by looking at flywheel to verify 0 deg. Also check with tie wrap in cylinder to get exact TDC. Then rotor should be pointing at #1 plug wire port on cap, if not Distributor is not installed in correct location. You stated it ran when you loaded it on "float". Was it backfiring or running somewhat, ok?

 

[Tupperville]

So early today I decided instead of turning the engine over by hand then crawling underneath everytime to see if I was close I just removed the rotor cap and kept turning the engine clockwise until the rotor was close to the marker line I put on the distributor base.

On the second try I, looked and could see some numbers and letters, turned it a bit more and I was at the number "5".

It was then just a matter of putting the plug wires in the proper order.

The distributor was in the same place as when I bought the tractor.

This indicates to me there two sets of numbers on that flywheel but thats my obversation.

 

[Jim.ME]

Was your mark on the distributor 180 degrees from where the rotor was pointing before? Did you turn the crankshaft one rotation? The distributor turns at one half the crankshaft speed. One 360-degree revolution of the crankshaft will turn the distributor rotor one half of a rotation (or 180 degrees).

 

[Tupperville]

Was your mark on the distributor 180 degrees from where the rotor was pointing before? Did you turn the crankshaft one rotation? The distributor turns at one half the crankshaft speed. One 360-degree revolution of the crankshaft will turn the distributor rotor one half of a rotation (or 180 degrees).

I never marked the bottom pulley to determine how much the flywheel turned.

I was watching the rotor.

I would say the rotor turned 1/2 a revolution because as I stated yesterday the rotor was pointing at the block at the timing marks.

Could Ford have used one flywheel with different timing mark locations for different tractors?

One other obversation, when I checked if #1 was at TDC which it was, the piston closest to the driver was near the bottom because I just happen to have the spark plug out and used a long white zip tie and marked where the spark plug seats.

 

[Jim.ME]

If you say the rotor turned half a revolution, then I would say you turned the crank one revolution and are seeing the same marks you saw before you turned the engine. Again, the rotor turns at one half the engine's speed/rotations.

They could have used one flywheel in several places, but having the marks in a different location would make it a different part number. They wouldn't put timing marks for different engines all on one flywheel.

Forget about where the other pistons are, it only will confuse things. Concentrate on #1 cylinder to set the timing.