I yanked out my old distributor making sure to mark where the rotor was. Problem is that the new distributor's coil isn't even close to the same position when installed. So...yanked it out. I want to set the number 1 piston at the top compression but don't know the easiest way to do it.

Any tips you can give me would be appreciated or if I'm doing this completely wrong let me know the right way.

I already tried turning the engine to get the distributor to drop in with the rotor in the marked position with no luck..so now I can't even put the old one back in where it was.

Thanks.

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Tommy

Cats...the reason God created water.

75 Camaro
78 Camaro
80 Camaro
81 Trans-Am
87 Iroc-Z28

Any piston comes to TDC twice during one four stroke engine cycle. One of those times both valves are open so no compression will build in the cylinder. The other time both valves are closed so compression will rise as the piston squeezes the air in an increasingly smaller space.

You are looking for the time that compression is building. Remove the number one spark plug and place your finger over the hole. Rotate the engine and watch the timing mark. When you feel the air pushing out of the spark plug hole then stop rotating the engine when the timing mark on the balancer is at about 10 degrees Before Top Dead Center. Now install the distributor with the rotor pointed at the number one spark plug wires and fire it up.

Have a timing light ready so you can make a fine adjustment.

You can rotate the engine by "bumping" the starter, but the preferred method is to turn the crank by hand with a breaker bar. You can use the crank snout bolt, but a better method is to use a special tool that bolts onto the balancer using the same holes that attach the pulley.

Good luck.

Thanks Mike!