TO30 distributor removed

I had posted a while back about the timing on my TO30. I got some great advice. I finally got
around to try to crank it today.
I am alone so hard to move the engine over and watch for TDC, crawling back n forth, so decided
to move it a bit then take a picture. The picture showed I was close. So I checked all plugs gaps
and set the distributor, just opening points, on #1, all good.
I cranked and was trying to start, not just spinning.

Was the little bit I was off from the picture enough for it not to crank?

I was so close, like 17 on a date with the deacons daughter.

I just did a TO-20 a few days ago and royally cheated. Then again, I have enough tools to do it. You can statically repeat what I did and it will fire.
I pulled the #1 plug and inserted a compression gauge hose without the gauge. It makes a hissing noise on compression when being cranked over. If you stop at the first sound of a hiss, you are coming up on compression.
This way you know you are on the compression stroke and not the exhaust stroke.
Pull out the hose and either turn the engine with the fan belt or ever so slightly bump the starter switch while looking at the piston while it moves toward top dead center. (TDC) Now you can look at the flywheel marks and get the final alignment on TDC. I tried to mark the TDC indicator and could not do it through the tiny hole.
So, I placed a flat file on the front axle bolster and clamped it with a "C" clamp holding it about 1/4 inch from the crank pulley. I painted the crank pulley at TDC. I checked the points gap at .020 and changed the plugs out and gapped them out to .035 running the 12V system. If your still on 6V, I believe it is .025 plug gap.
12V is a hotter spark and a wider gap can handle that. Fired up the engine and using my over priced electronic timing light I advanced the timing light to reflect 7 degrees of timing and then adjusted the timing mark on the engine to TDC. If you have an electronic timing light with advance you know what I am in reference to.
No timing light? No big problem.
Got that piston to TDC? Back it off until the flywheel crank is showing 7 degrees. Now pop the dist cap and rotate the dist so the points have just barely opened. Put it together and fire it up.
No compression gauge? Use your thumb over the hole.

Thanks Bruce. I will try again. My initial thought was that (given the pic) I was close enough to TDC. At this point I don't give a hoot about timing it to 6 degrees at 400 rpm or the high end. If I can start it I will just let it sit an idle.

I will do the rest later lol. That will be the greatest (somewhat) achievement in my life as a retiree.

This is on a Z-134 but the principle applies...
My flywheel is marked from 30 degrees btdc rite down to TDC so what I did was roll engine over by hand with the handcrank till the flywheel mark of 30 degrees btdc was lined up with the bell housing notch..
Then I took an old welding rod and bent it so as to make a pointer , then took a small triangle file and filed a groove in the crank pulley ... Next I rolled the engine to TDC and added another notch in the pulley. This engine likes 30 degrees total timing at 2150 rpm so that is why I put a mark on the pulley at 30 degrees. I leave the pointer on the engine even when I'm done checking timing but I do make sure it hasn't moved before I use it again by comparing it to the flywheel marks .

This obviously is if you are using a timing light but would still save you the grief of having to peek into that small peep hole lol ,Hope this helps.

Will attempt at posting a picture here lol.

This is a better pic perhaps of the pointer lined up with the 30 degree btdc mark ... if you look to the top of pulley you can also see the TDC mark.


<image src="http://forums.yesterdaystractors.com/photos/mvphoto1835.jpg"/>

Very clever Sir

I really appreciate all the help. And maybe I'm a little slow, so please forgive me cause I'm more confused.

Let me say it as I see it.

I want to install a distributor, in a engine I have no idea what position it should go in.

I understand the concept of getting #1 piston in compression, hold thumb over spark plug hole and feel air movement pressure on thumb. That's compression.

I then look in the peep hole and see if I'm at TDC or on a TO30 DC. If not there I move the engine over till I get there. Put distributor in, line rotor to #1, make sure the points are just opening, and that should be the place it should start?

My confusion is the 6 degrees, or 30 degrees, or the BTDC.

I almost got her started with it on the pix I posted. Can I try to move the in place distributor a bit cw or ccw to get it to work?

I truly appreciate the help. I'm not inept, but this is simply confusing.

I will add three pictures for you .

The first is certifying that it's at TDC.. In your case you would
be lining up the DC mark on flywheel with notch in
bellhousing.

The second pic is showing you that the distributor has a black
felt tip marker line drawn designating the number 1 terminal.

Third pic shows rotor position in relation to the mark on the
distributor..

If you have these three things going for you and at this point
the points are just opening it should fire up for you.. it will most
likely be somewhat retarded and this is where once running
you could indeed rotate the loosened distributor CLOCKWISE
to advance the timing if needed. Distributor should be snug to
the point you need a good grip to turn it before trying to start.

Pull the plugs and get #1 cylinder on the compression stroke. Turn the engine until you line up the 6? BTDC (Before Top Dead Center) timing mark in the notch. Install the distributor with # 1 plug wire in approximately the 10:00 o"clock position with the rotor pointing at the #1 distributor terminal. Take a paper clip or a piece of wire and put I in the spark plug boot, holding in near a good ground. Turn on the ignition, Slowly rotate the distributor back and forth until you hear the spark snap. At that point you are statically timed. It make take you a few times to get it right but when you do, tighten down the distributor and when you start the engine check the initial timing and the advance with a timing light.