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while changing my head gasket, the Haynes book said to remove my distributor. i did that. when i was done, i put it back in where it was before, and it didnt start, just shot out of the exhaust pipe and sounded like a shotgun. i adjusted that and got it to run, but now i cant see the timing mark with my gun. and sometimes the truck will run for a minute and die with a puff of smoke out of the carb. any suggestions???

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Looking for a LUV in NC. gimmie...

almost sounds like you got your distributer in 180 degrees off

Get some typewriter white-out correcting fluid and mark the pointer and timing mark on the pulley with it. Then you can see the marks in broad daylight, even in the sun. Then you can see if your close or 180 out.

I don't think that you can put the distribute in wrong. I know on my 77 I can't-only goes in one way.
However the timing could have gotten set when the #4 cylinder is at tdc on compression stroke, instead of #1.
The guy who had my truck before me did that and the only way it would run is to swith the #2 and #3 spark plug wires around.

Just a thought.

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77 2wd - Back on the road
05 Ford Five Hundred

"Love endures all things, Love never fails." - 1 Cor. 13:7,8.

When I had my head off I turned the engine while the distributor was off and when I put it back together it did exactly what you're describing. I put the engine at TDC and found where the rotor was pointed and rotated the housing so the cap matched and that's how it's been ever since.

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Richard Barnes Salt Lake, Utah
1980 Luv Mikado 4X4
http://geocities.com/luvtruck2004/

I have had to pull my head gasket several times....and not once did I pull out the distributor. I can't figure out why the haynes manual tells us to pull the distributor.

You have the long screwdriver type dist. dont you, if you do it should only go in one way, either that or mine is screwed up.

The dist shaft on a 76 and newer motor will only go in one way and you'd know if you had the body of the disti in 180 out. (The hose for the advance would be pointing toward the front of the truck) The shaft looks like a flathead screwdriver, but the flat bit at the tip is not centered so it will only fit the right way. If its a 75 and older motor I think they work similar, but I'm not certain.

I suppose you can get the cam 180 degrees out if you move the chain on the top sproket. I always wired the sproket to the chain and then got the cam lined up before bolting it back on to avoid this. Then as long as the bottom sproket didn't slip, nothing would be changed when it went back together. Even so, it seems that the crank should be in the right place for the mark to show up 180 out. #1 and #4 both fire with that mark in the same place.

One thing just to double check here, is that you are timing it with the vac advance disconnected. Having it hooked up will make the mark dance around and perhaps be sitting out of sight. Also do a quick check for obvious vac leaks, things not hooked up and so forth. Last but not least, you do have the gun on the right wire right? We've all done had a duh moment here and there, I burned a good 1/2 hour timing the #2 cylinder not paying close enough attention once.

If you can get something bright like white out in the pulley mark and around to the front of the pulley even, carefully look around the pulley with the timing gun and see if you can find where the mark is hiding. (Watch that fan) It might be helpful to know if it is running on a lot of advance or retard.

thanks for all the help guys. if i had the timing 180 off, then the mark would just be on the other side of the pully, opposite all of the markings on the block, right? i have the gun on the #1 cylinders wire. i think thats where its supposed to go. so to correct my timing if its 180 off, i would put the motor in TDC, pull the dist, and put it in the opposite side its facing? the Haynes book is DUMB!!! i blame them. i shouldnt have had to take it out at all. where could i get a shop manual?

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Looking for a LUV in NC. gimmie...

put motor on TDC comp stroke see where rotor is pointing That will be #1 then go by the fire order in your book knowing which way your dist turns.

If the dist can go inonly one way then it cant be 180 deg out eve if you turned the motor. If nothing more was diassembled.
Unless you put the mount on 180 deg off which put the vavuum adv on the oppisite side. This also can happen which will cause it to fire 180 out. The rotor will be in the same position but the wires will be off.

Sometimes when you get a rebuilt distributor they put the rotor shaft conectects to the weights(where the rotor goes in 180deg off) then just put motor to TDC where rotor points that will be your new #1 and start from there.
Im not a Luv expert but its pretty much the same. Unless you have like a chevy V8 dist hold down just turn it till it starts and then use the light to dial it in.

i think i fixed the timing problem...

i put the motor in TDC, and pulled the Dist. then i tried turning the rotor(keeping the vac. advance pointing away from the radiator) and putting it back in, and it didnt go. so i turned the crankshaft pulley one full rotation. now, i could put the dist. in the way i wanted. bolted it down, and tried to start it. HURRAY it starts!!! so i had a friend put the timing light on it and he told me he saw the mark at 4 digrees before 0. we adjusted the cap and got the mark to 6 digrees before 0 (right where its supposed to be).

so i guess somehow i messed up putting it in the first time. i still dont see how, but its fixed now. now, to find a working, NOT WARPED head...

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Looking for a LUV in NC. gimmie...

Congrats
I actually had a similar problem with a Oldsmobile station wagon that my Dad asked me to work on....but the problem the previous mechanic cut second mark into it and i didnt know it til fighting with it for two days and then found the other mark.