[Shotimes] Re: Need Help --- No Start --- Distributor? (ot)

[MonsieurBoo@aol.com]

The advice below is pretty near foolproof as long as you're sure you have  
the correct #1 cylinder.  I like the old-school way of checking  things.  This 
is a customary way of verifying actual TDC in Hi-Po  2 stroke engines (such as 
my Yammie RD400) where timing is critical to tenths of  a degree if you're 
running on the ragged edge ;-)  
 
If you really want to nail TDC you'll need to use a dial gauge with an  
extension on the finger, and a way to hold it in place over the plug hole so you  
can find the point of maximum needle deflection as you crank the piston through 
 its stroke.  
 
A considerably simpler though less accurate way is to fasten a pencil  or 
bic-type pen into the plug hole an arbitrary distance, but enough so the  piston 
will contact it when you turn the engine (by hand, natch!)  Now  bring the 
piston up to where you can feel the pencil just contact the  piston.  Put a dab 
of paint, white out, nail polish or ? on the crank  pulley rim where you can 
line it up with an under-the-hood landmark.   Now rotate the piston back the 
other way and all the way around till it contacts  the pencil again.  Put another 
dab of whatever on the crank pulley rim,  lining it up with the same landmark 
as before.
 
Now measure around the rim halfway between the two indicator marks and make  
a third dab on the rim.  If you line this up with your landmark, that  piston 
will be at TDC or close enough for further tweaking.  Then proceed  as 
described below.
 
Cheers,
Mark LaBarre
94 atx 135k
 
==========

If that  fails,you can remove the #1 plug.You need a helper for this.Put your 
finger  over the plug hole while a helper slowly turns the engine over.Top 
dead center  on compression stroke will be found when the #1 piston comes to the 
top.It  will kinda push your finger off.If not sure,try again and when your 
finger is  pushed off slide a small object in the plug hole to make sure the 
piston is  up.After you do this take your dis.cap off and the rotor cap should 
point at  #1.....then I would recheck my firing order