MTFCA Forum

Took the engine apart to inspect and repair some parts. Was looking at the distributor and wondering what I have to do to get the gears lined up correctly. The cap is marked 1,2,3 and 4, so that part is done. I know I need to set it on TDC. Then what?

What distributor do you have, and how is it equipped... manual advance, auto advance, both? Is your engine stock, other than the distributor, or does it have other modifications? 6V, 12 V? Modern high output coil, or standard issue coil?

My personal favorite way to set a distributor is *fling*!

First be sure you’re on the compression stroke...
Then the rotor should point near #1 on the cap and the points should be just about to open or close to it, at TCD.

TXGOAT2 wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 20, 2021 5:40 pm

What distributor do you have, and how is it equipped... manual advance, auto advance, both? Is your engine stock, other than the distributor, or does it have other modifications? 6V, 12 V? Modern high output coil, or standard issue coil?

Good point, re which brand you have. None of them really have a dedicated No 1 spot. Just because it was put back more or less in the same place, just placing the wires in marked holes, does not mean it is timed correctly. Some models require repeated removal and install to get the rotor/gear mash in the right place, once found, the No 1 wire could be in a different place.

Stock engine, 6V, Bosch distributor on an Atwater Kent housing, manual advance, and standard coil.

I numbered the cap so I do not make a mistake hooking up the plugs. If I am really lucky I will just have to hook up the spark lever to the dizzy and it will be oriented correctly. When running you just advance to a certain spot and leave it there. I should add, this is a cranker. No starter.

I think you will need to set the initial advance. You do NOT want the engine firing out of time or firing too early when trying to start it, either with the starter or with the crank. The cap should have a tab or pin or some means of making it fit on the dist. body in one position only. I would start with the engine's # 1 cylinder at TDC on the compresssion stroke. Then mesh the gears so that the rotor is pointed directly at one of the 4 contacts inside the cap and the attachment for the spark control rod is positioned about where it needs to be for the rod to be attached , with the spark lever all the way up. Make sure you know which way the distributor turns when the engine is running. Place the wire to #1 cylinder in the cap where the rotor is pointing and put the other wires in the remaining 3 holes in the proper firing order. That should be close enough to get the engine started. You will have to adjust the spark control linkage by trial and error. I think the distributor is designed to turn in one direction only, and it must be the same direction it turns when the engine is running. If the distributor outfit has been on a T engine already, that shouldn't be a problem. You can use a test light to determine exactly when the points open before trying to start the engine. They should just begin to open with the # 1 piston at TDC on the firing stroke when the spark rod is connected to the distributor and the spark control lever on the steering column is all the way up. (Retarded)

Thanks Pat. Appreciate your explanation. Hopefully put it all back together on Jan 6.

I believe these instructions are applicable even though you have a Bosch distributor.
Pages 8 -13 are the important ones.
Click on a picture to make it larger

Texas T website ( Birdhaven) has printable distributor installation instructions for their unit and is easy to adapt to other distributors!
Good luck!

Depends on if the arm for the timing lever is clamped on or part of the housing. The Bosch (009?) would be setup that way, with the clamped on arm.