This has been over a month now, and I am sick of working on this thing! It just died all of a sudden on me like I shut the car off, was able to coast into a parking lot. Fuel pressure gauge on the car showed normal, so I knew it was spark. Pulled the distributor, which was stock, and the gear was completely gone on one side and very worn down around the rest of it. So I replace the cap, rotor and distributor, setting the timing marks on the car, no start. I try rotating the rotor 180*, no start. I try the procedure again, making sure to get the oil pump and rotor perfectly lined up, nothing, 180*, nothing. Replace the plugs, still nothing. Fuel pressure gauge broke now somehow (pintle in the middle broke off) so I can't check fuel pressure now. I am at a loss here as to what to check at this point, I need to get this car back on the road ASAP, as it is my daily. Any suggestions?

 

give us some more information on the truck and also check out the 2 help links on my signature maybe they can help you out

 

you gotta pull #1 spark plug.bring the cylinder to tdc compression stroke by hand (confirm compression with finger over plug hole while turning crank ). aim to #1 with the rotor button or a little ahead of it (should be marked on cap or manual) .if it doesnt go all the way down pull it back out and use long screwdriver to turn the oil pump shaft to where it looks like it will line up.turn motor over by hand a little to see if rotor button moves back and forth across where #1 on cap should be.it could be one cog off and not start.

 

https://blazerforum.com/forum/tech-a...-timing-24373/

https://blazerforum.com/forum/tech-a...agnosis-23038/

https://blazerforum.com/forum/tech-a...not-run-37897/

 

Yeah, I got a new distributor and had a hard time getting it timed up, I can't remember at this point if the timing marks on the distributor did jack to help me, it seemed 180 degrees off, but in reality it was 1 or 2 teeth. Make sure to follow the procedure and make sure the timing is correct.

 

So is a scan tool required to get the timing set on this thing enough to get it to even start? Can a timing light or anything else be used to check where the timing is at, that way I can quit guessing blindly at the exact timing position?

 

A scan tool is not required to get the distributor installed in proper time to the cam/crank, that process is described in the first link DySfUnCtIoNaL posted above from the tech article (DIY) section.

A scan tool is required to set the CMP Retard though. If the CMP Retard is off, it will not prevent the engine from running and may not even cause any problems with the operation of the engine, but could increase wear on the distributor drive gear.

1st step is getting the distributor installed correctly. The engine should run at this point.
2nd step is find tuning it by setting the CMP Retard to zero with a capable scan tool. Sets the alignment between the cam and distributor gears.
A possible 3rd step, if necessary, would be to do a CASE Learn. Tells the PCM the exact variance between CKP & CMP readings for precise spark control.

 

So if I am getting the distributor rotor lined up exactly at the '6' when installed, while the 2nd timing mark is exactly at the notch at the compression stroke of cyl #1, and fuel pressure checks out good, and it still doesn't start then I would need a scan tool to fix it at that point, correct? I'm tired of messing with this thing, I have never had this much trouble diagnosing or repairing anything on any vehicle before!

 

You need both of the timing marks on the balancer lined up.

Also, do not over look the possibility of a balancer that has a slipped outer ring. It has happened in the past on more than one occasion. To see if this has happened, find top dead center #1 on compression manually and look at the timing marks. If they aren't anywhere close, then the outer ring on your balancer has slipped.

 

So what's the best way to find tdc manually? A long screwdriver in the spark plug hole while turning crank on compression stroke until it is sticking out at the highest position?