Distributor Timing

[TroubleBound]

Car randomly stopped starting. Replaced spark plugs and wires. Worked fine for 2 days, stopped starting again. Replaced rotor button and distributor cap, worked fine for 3 days, then stopped starting again. I tried again today and it did start, but it ran like a crappy lawnmower and took 10 secs to turn over all the way, then turned off when i hit the gas. I came across this link, http://www.240sx.org/faq/articles/timing101.htm, and now i am wondering if i was supposed to install my rotor button in a certain position (tdc cyl#1) before re assembling the distributor and such? Cause its acting all crazy like and idk why, or why it is being intermittentish.
Is that what i need to do? I ave been outside trying but i am the only one here and turning the key with the cap off to move the rotor isnt proving to be very easy with one person, i get in and out and its never lined up. Any other way to move it to the right position if that is what i need to do? Thanks

[SX APPEAL]

You have to turn the engine by hand with a wrench to get it in the right position, it'll never just stop there by turning it over with the key. reread that article you linked to.

The rotor should only fit on the distributer shaft one way. Just so long as its pointing in the 8:30 position with the engine at TDC compression on cylinder #1 you're good to go. If not, you need to reset the timing as per the article.

[TroubleBound]

Okay awesome, thanks for the help and quick reply, i guess now i will look for a 27mm socket to fit the front main pulley.
Oh and how can i tell if it is on the compression stroke, or will it automatically be that way since the rotor is about to ignite the power stroke when its at 8:30?

[tyrodtom]

I've got a 90 240 also, you can't install the rotor button wrong. As long as you got that bolt back in it, it's correct. No matter how hard you try, you can't put it on wrong. That's true unless you took the whole distributor out, or loosened the distributor body base. There's no reason to do either to just replace a cap and rotor.

Even if it was installed wrong, would it run fine a few days and then foul up again ? It wouldn't run at all .

And that goes for your other measures too, if the problem continues, it means you're looking at the wrong things.

You need to give a much better decription of your problem for anybody to help. Otherwise you just get a lot of suggestions, that will result in you throwing new parts at it till the problem goes away. That can get expensive fast.

[SX APPEAL]

Easiest way is to pop the valve cover off and look at the cam lobes, on TDC compression, the lobes of the cams on cylinder #1 will be pointing almost directly away from each other. Other than that you've got a 50/50 chance.

Should look like this:

[TroubleBound]

Awesome thanks for the replies guys i am 95% positive this is my problem, as i went out and screwed around some more and it was close to TDC cylinder #4, so i tried starting it and it does start consistently now but still runs like hell. So knowing that, i will go by a 27mm socket and line it up better, should do the trick. And as i am lazy mofo, i will take the 50/50 chance until i get lucky, it won't kill my car if im wrong right? I super appreciate all of your help sx appeal i ave been trapped in my apt for a week i want to fix my car and leeeaaaveee.

[SX APPEAL]

No it wont kill the car. tyrodtom is right though, unless you pulled the distributor out when you were changing the cap and rotor for some reason, all the timing should still be correct as it was when the car used to run fine, so all of this might just be a wild goose chase. 240's have timing chains, not belts, so they can't just "jump" timing like some cars do, its either set factory correct or the chain breaks and you've got bent valves, nothing really in between.

[TroubleBound]

Agggh now i am confused again. I know i did nothing to mess up the timing at all, it should be fine. But i thought even with the timing set correctly, i am supposed to install the distributor cap with the rotor button at tdc cyl#1. Are you saying that so long as my timing is correct, it shouldnt matter what position my rotor button is in when i put the cap on and start it? If that is the case then i will be needing a new distributor...

[SX APPEAL]

Yeah, like what was posted before, you can only install the rotor in the right direction, it physically will not go on the the shaft any other way. Sounds like timing isn't your problem. I was under the impression you had altered it somehow, my mistake.

[gaehrings13]

You can use the starter to get you close to the second line on the crank pulley from the left (standing in front of motor.)... if it passes just turn it by hand with the belts (grab the belts hard and turn it the way you want it to go).. If you want to see if your on the compression stroke, just take it out the spark plug put a grocery bag in the hole and pack it tight. It will pop out when your on compression stroke. Then just get your rotor pointing directly at spark plug 1 wire when you have the dizzy stabbed.. I've done it like this a million and 1 times lol.

As for not cranking. Check for three things... Spark, fuel, Compression... if your missing spark you need to make sure your getting a signal from the dizzy to the ecu. More than likely your dizzy is bad.

Oh well hope I helped.

[TroubleBound]

Definitely did help gaehrings great idea with the grocery bag! I completely forgot my bro has an old KA i pulled out of my project last year sitting in his garage a few counties over, so he's going to pull it today and if its a Mitsubishi i can swap it with mine and hopefully that will be that, because i am suspecting now that it is the distributor giving me problems. Now that i know the correct reinstallation process though replacing the distributor shouldn't be bad.