distributor install question

[BerniniCaCO3]

Hey-- this still isn't clear.
I positioned the engine at O degrees, top dead center, cyl #1 on the compression stroke.

I dropped the distributor in, which ended up with the rotor positioned exactly half a cylinder counter clockwise from cyl #1 (toward 3?)
I later learned that it should point at cyl #1, at 10 BTDC.
So in fact, maybe it is right. (1/2 cyl ccw at tdc = spot on at 10 btdc)
I won't be in a position to check for a while.
Do you know if this might be the case, in fact?

Or, if it's off, what symptoms would manifest? Would I definitely notice in some detail in performance?

[gadget73]

If you can get the timing correct according to the timing light, its fine. You can go a tooth off one way or the other and still adjust for it with no problem. If its bottomed out against some part and still can't be adjusted to the proper point, then you have to try again.

[BerniniCaCO3]

OK. Something was said about some other problem arrising (there's a sensor that picks up off the distributor gear, that will be off...?) But yes, I was able to set timing correctly as it was.

[sly]

that pick-up is aligned with the distributor housing (it's inside the dizzy) and being a tooth off won't hurt as long as you can get the timing set right. It should run fine.

[BerniniCaCO3]

OK, cool!
If it were even slightly a problem, I'll try to reset it more exactly. But if the gear is aligned with the housing, and both are matched in timing to the crank, and everything's fine, then I won't mess with it further.

[gadget73]

you just can't hop the plug wires around to make up for a mis-aligned distributor with this system. On a breaker point or Duraspark rig, the #1 position was totally arbitrary. You can make it anywhere you want as long as the wires go in proper order. There is no cylinder ID or anything like that with those systems but the SEFI system needs to know which cylinder is being fired to get the injection sequence correct.