Side mount distributor timing poof

[soaked]

Hi All,
I've come up with a suggestion to verify the correct timing marks when installing a side mount dist.
Im refering to it as "poof"
While holding a finger over a spark plug hole, watch the rotor, as you turn the starter over. It will "poof" compression past your finger. Your job is to identify the rotor location when it does, and mark it with a sharpy pen. Your mark doesn't have to be perfect, but close. You want to find the group of flywheel marks, with the aprox rotor position. Once you have marks, they time with the cylinder had your finger on.

This dist is near #2 , and has two marks on it. I moved the flywheel so the 20 deg mark went out of view, and marked it, then pried the flywheel the other way so the 0 deg was out of view., and marked a second line. So the space between the lines is where the timing marks can be seen.
If your rotor isnt close enough, pry the flywheel up or down a little, or poof again to get a more accurate mark.
Im chuckling as I write about poofing, but it works.
Try it on your 8n, the #2 location is easy to see, its pointing right at you.

Practice helps the learning curve to mark the rotor.

John

 

[Jim.ME]

(quoted from post at 14:44:55 03/11/21) Hi All,
I've come up with a suggestion to verify the correct timing marks when installing a side mount dist.
Im refering to it as "poof"
While holding a finger over a spark plug hole, watch the rotor, as you turn the starter over. It will "poof" compression past your finger. Your job is to identify the rotor location when it does, and mark it with a sharpy pen. Your mark doesn't have to be perfect, but close. You want to find the group of flywheel marks, with the aprox rotor position. Once you have marks, they time with the cylinder had your finger on.

<img src="https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cvphotos/cvphoto81102.jpg">
This dist is near #2 , and has two marks on it. I moved the flywheel so the 20 deg mark went out of view, and marked it, then pried the flywheel the other way so the 0 deg was out of view., and marked a second line. So the space between the lines is where the timing marks can be seen.
If your rotor isnt close enough, pry the flywheel up or down a little, or poof again to get a more accurate mark.
Im chuckling as I write about poofing, but it works.
Try it on your 8n, the #2 location is easy to see, its pointing right at you.

Practice helps the learning curve to mark the rotor.

John

"poof" = confirming compression stroke. Glad to hear you got this principle. If you decide to use a timing light to see the marks you put on the flywheel with the rotor pointing at #2, be sure you put the light on #2 (or 3) not #1(or 4).

I may have missed something here, it wouldn't be the first time and likely won't be the last. I am not trying to find fault, just trying to figure out what is different here; other than you are looking at #2 cylinder and the set of timing marks which are 180 degrees from the #1 cylinder marks; from what people have been told for years about how to determine if the rotor is pointing at #1 cylinder on the compression stroke (by holding a finger over the #1 plug hole to find the compression stroke then check (or properly point) the rotor, check points, etc.)? And when the rotor points to #1 you will find that set of marks on the flywheel.

Over the years I've "poofed" #1 on many brand and size engines to check distributors and timing marks. If you "back" an engine up to locate timing marks, I continue back past the marks another 20-25 degrees, then go forward in the proper rotation to bring the marks back into alignment so any slack in the gears (or chain) is removed before marking and checking things. Also #1 is normally used since many engines only have one set of timing marks, so only #1, or its companion cylinder will be on compression when the marks line up.

 

[soaked]

Hi Jim.ME,
Thanks for the post. I didnt mark the flywheel, only the dist, or a place on the tractor as a way of narrowing down where the rotor is when it poofs.
I dont remember ever reading about what I was trying to describe. So it may be my ignorance. I've read lots of posts giving the usual info too.

Feeling compression building on #1, then looking for marks, are the basic manual steps.
An inexperienced person hitting the start button, feels compression, and lifts the button, may zip past the good marks, and end up on the marks for 2 & 3.
Doing the poof Im trying to describe, is
mark the rotor position on the dist rim,on a poof, then return the rotor to that spot. The factory flywheel marks marks you find now, are "proven" to be the correct marks.
If a dist was put in with the flywheel marks ment for 2 & 3, ( and rotor on #1) poofing with #1 spark plug hole, will identify the correct marks. So you wont try to start and waste your time.

 

[JMOR]

(quoted from post at 23:29:46 03/11/21) Hi Jim.ME,
Thanks for the post. I didnt mark the flywheel, only the dist, or a place on the tractor as a way of narrowing down where the rotor is when it poofs.
I dont remember ever reading about what I was trying to describe. So it may be my ignorance. I've read lots of posts giving the usual info too.

Feeling compression building on #1, then looking for marks, are the basic manual steps.
An inexperienced person hitting the start button, feels compression, and lifts the button, may zip past the good marks, and end up on the marks for 2 & 3.
Doing the poof Im trying to describe, is
mark the rotor position on the dist rim,on a poof, then return the rotor to that spot. The factory flywheel marks marks you find now, are "proven" to be the correct marks.
If a dist was put in with the flywheel marks ment for 2 & 3, ( and rotor on #1) poofing with #1 spark plug hole, will identify the correct marks. So you wont try to start and waste your time.

etting that cleared it up for you, Jim.?

 

[soaked]

Hi JMOR,
So eyes are glazed over. I'm not comunicating. Sorry. Try this:

Put a sharpy mark on the dist, where the rotor is pointing, when it poofs.

The mark represents the cylinder you removed the plug from, on its compression stroke.

The mark is only good, when the rotor is lined up on it.

When the rotor is lined up on the mark, the correct flywheel timing marks for that cylinder, will be in the timing window.

Good so far?

 

[Jim.ME]

(quoted from post at 10:18:22 03/12/21)

(quoted from post at 23:29:46 03/11/21) Hi Jim.ME,
Thanks for the post. I didnt mark the flywheel, only the dist, or a place on the tractor as a way of narrowing down where the rotor is when it poofs.
I dont remember ever reading about what I was trying to describe. So it may be my ignorance. I've read lots of posts giving the usual info too.

Feeling compression building on #1, then looking for marks, are the basic manual steps.
An inexperienced person hitting the start button, feels compression, and lifts the button, may zip past the good marks, and end up on the marks for 2 & 3.
Doing the poof Im trying to describe, is
mark the rotor position on the dist rim,on a poof, then return the rotor to that spot. The factory flywheel marks marks you find now, are "proven" to be the correct marks.
If a dist was put in with the flywheel marks ment for 2 & 3, ( and rotor on #1) poofing with #1 spark plug hole, will identify the correct marks. So you wont try to start and waste your time.

etting that cleared it up for you, Jim.?

Each to his own. I got it now, but I think I'll stay with old school finding compression on #1 cylinder, confirming rotor is pointing at #1 in the cap, and locating that set of flywheel (or other) timing marks, which I will clean and mark for use with a timing light.