Hello All
1989 Vanden Plas V12 Lucas CEI ignition
following broken distributor removal and subsequent help from the membership my motor has now lost its ignition timing settings, can someone please guide me through how to find TDC and how to position the replacement distributor.
Thanks in advance
Bob

 

Bob
When the sun rises on the Australian continent, Grant will surely reply with the real deal. In the meantime, you can do a bit of prep:

• There should be a timing plate on the front of the engine just below the crank pulley that should, repeat should, match up with a mark on the pulley when cylinder A1 is at TDC. See if it is there.
• Any 4 stroke engine can be at TDC at the end of the Exhaust stroke and on the end of the compression stroke. You need to get your engine to TDC at the end of the compression stroke.
• To find the end of the compression stroke on cylinder A1, remove the plug from A1 (unbolt and push aside/raise up the aircon compressor if necessary, loosening the belt to help if needed - no need to disconnect the hoses).
• Then placing a helper's thumb/cork/similar over the plug hole, and using a socket with a long bar on it, place the socket on the crank pulley nut and turn the engine CLOCKWISE standing at the front of the engine looking at the crank pulley. Until the thumb feels compression building so you are SURE the cylinder is on the compression stroke.
• Then place a long rigid wire down the plug hole and carefully watch it rise as you slowly turn the engine. At it's highest point that is TDC; mark the wire. If you go over that point do NOT turn the engine backwards. Turn the engine forwards two complete revolutions and confirm it.
• If there is a time when the wire neither rises or falls as you turn the crank, owing to very slight piston movement across the TDC point, carefully note how far you turn the crank (eg by making a mark against something fixed in relation to the lever you are turning the socket with) between it stopping rising and starting falling. Then two more revolutions and once the wire stops rising, move the lever HALF the distance you measured between the stopping and starting of the wire's movement.
• This is now TDC on the A 1 cylinder at the start of its firing stroke.
• It may well be that this coincides with the 0 on the timing plate. If it does all good, you know you can trust the mark. If not, and assuming you have the plate in place and the marked line on the pulley, it should not be far away from the 0 mark, and you can move the plate to align the 0 with the pulley mark to get it accurate for future use.

Once this is done, over the Grant for what to do with the Dizzy/corections/amemdments/improvements!

 

Suns up, nudging 40c.

Here is what I wrote years ago.

Greg has nailed it, but twice the advice never hurt.

If 1A is NOT comfortable, ask. and I will go through using 3A instead, but you will need to concentrate more for that one, HA>

 

Thanks
Great stuff guys, looks pretty straight forward on paper!
Can you tell me the nut size on the crankshaft pulley to rotate the engine so i can check that I have the right size in my box before I get out to the car.
hopefully find time this coming wednesday, weather permitting
follow these instructions and it should start is my mantra, now which variety of encouragement juice do i choose.......

 

I think, repeat think, it is 1 1/8th A/F, but it might be 1 1/16 or 1 1/4 or even 1 inch.

 

Thanks greg I will take a good selection and then come home to get the correct one!

 

Whatever juice you can lay your hands on.

I FORGET, but 1 1/16 is a very dim ring, but that may have been the old 6 cyl engines.