Afternoon all.
So I had to replace the engine in my blazer. Being the first Chevy motor I had pulled, did a quick clean, and put back in, I missed putting a new gasket on the distributor when i put it all back together, and had a hideous oil leak. I pulled the distributor and put in the new gasket and gooped it up. Now however, I think I either put the distributor back in slightly off, or I have no clue whats goin on. The truck will start, and idles a little high, but a timing light on it show that it's runnin about 50 degrees btdc....any help would be much appreciated thanks,

 

Definitely sounds like the timing is off. The timing should be set to 0 degrees, but only after disconnecting the timing wire (brown or brown with black tracer) on the inside of the firewall, right of the transmission tunnel, behind/below the upper edge of the carpet.

 

I had the connector in the passenger compartment disconnected, learned that trick already . Engine was running fine before i pulled the distributor. The distributor was the only thing I pulled out, and with the tab for the oil pump it only goes in two ways, what should be right and 180 degrees opposite. I bumped the motor around with the ignition until i had the timing mark @ 0, and tried to make sure the rotor button was pointed @ the number 4 position for the cap, but she definitely isn't in the right spot at the moment.

 

It is quite easy to get a distributor in 1 tooth off and get the oil pump drive to fall into place properly. Does the #4 position on the cap corresponds with the #1 cylinder?

 

according to what the manual says for the 93 4.3l, the timing is supposed to be set at tdc on the #4 cylinder. so that's why I went to that well. I'll try pulling the distributor back up and adjusting it back a tooth off the cam gear, maybe I'll get lucky and she'll drop in for me.

 

What kind of manual are you using? My references (Mitchell1 & AllData) state #1...

Does the mark on the crank align with TDC for the #1 cylinder? If so, then time to the #1 cylinder, not #4.

 

Sorry, not looking to pick a fight my first day. When I replaced the timing chain on the engine, the Haynes (#24070 82-93 s10 & s15 p/u 2 & 4 wd) shows to put the #4 cylinder @ tdc for the timing marks to all line up. Since that puts the mark on the balancer @ 0 on my timing marks, I figured that was the best thing to use sorting this out. Timing light attached to the #4 plug wire gives the reading instead of #1 as well.

 

Not sure if the #4 cylinder comes up at the same time as the #1, but I am sure that I wouldn't trust what Haynes or Chiltons manuals say over the references I use. They (Chiltons & Haynes) are known to have false information.

Since the method you have been using evidently doesn't work, do you want to keep following it or give something new a try?

 

I'm up for suggestions. That's why I'm here. Like I said, I'm getting ready to pull the distributor again, and see if I may have just jump a tooth or something on the cam gear on my way down.

 

I'd see where you are first by turning the motor over to TDC #1 on compression. Then look at the distributor rotor and see how far off of the #1 position it is. Move as necessary.