95 S10 4.3 with the horizontal dist cap. Rebuilt engine, set timing, and set the rotor to fire on # 1 tdc compression stroke. No fire. Book shows that this dist rotor is to be set pointing at #6 that is stamped into dist housing with @ 1 tdc compression. Is this right, old school told me to set rotor to fire # 1 as I did. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

not to sound like a smartass or anything , but have you tried like the book says ?

 

Yes, still no spark, I checked the cranksensor, which is new, and the sensor is getting 9.8 volts on all three wires. No savvvvvvvvy.

 

Set it to point at the 6. That 6 isn't labeling the #6 cyl, it's the mark for #1 cyl on a 6 cyl engine. If you set the cap on the distributor and look at the post/follow the wire that lines up with that 6, it's the post for the #1 cyl.

 

Thank you midnightblu, I understand all that. I dont understand why it is not firing on any cylinder and it is probably something simple. If it was difficult I probably would be able to find the problem. I am probably making it more difficult than it is. Thanks and any ideas You guys have I will appreciate.

 

Did you line up both timming marks.........When i changed my intake gasket it took me about 6 hours of setting the timming. I kept reading the book not realizing that there are two timming marks . Finally read a fews post and figured it out.

 

I know that there is also an 8 stamped into the dist housing, but the book, as I understand, says not to use the 8 but the 6. What other timing marks are you referring to. I have read the book several times, and it can be confusing, because this engine has the EDI ignition and not the HEI, it also has the central fuel injection, which is called a spider, what a mess. Thanks

 

From what I understand after reading post after post is the on the distributor cap you may or may not have a 8 and 6. The 8 is for V8 engines and the 6 is for the V6 engine. There also may be two timming marks on the harmonic balance on the crankshaft.

There is on mine which I didn't realize until read every post i could find on every forum i could find.

Since you have the 4.3 v6, and more than likely have two timming marks. I believe that you need to pull the distributor and roll the engine over by hand clockwise until the two marks on the balancer line up, mine were at about one and five o'clock, this should be TDC on the number one cylinder either on the compression stroke or exhaust stroke. I pulled the spark plug on the number one cylinder and listen for air to rush out. Pop the distributor back in and the rotor should point to the 6 on the cap, if it doesn't it may because of the oil pump drive isn't lined up right. Which is a PIA to line up, at least on my blazer it was you need a long standard screwdriver and a mirror, I used the camera on my cell phone. Put the cap back on and try to fire it up, I got lucky and it fired right up, if it doesn't you probably didn't get it lined up on compression stroke and you lined it up on the exhaust. if this happens roll the engine over until the rotor is opposite on the 6, pull the distributor again and put it back in and line it up with the 6 again and put it together. it should fire up.

I don't know for sure if it will work but it made sense to me when i read it and tried it and it worked.

 

Hey guys, I understand what you are saying. I put # 1 on tdc compression stroke and the mark on the balancer was lining up with the mark on the front cover and rotor is pointing to the 6 on the dist housing. But, this makes it fire on # 1 when it is suppose to. This engine is not firing on any cyl and I dont think it has anything to do with the timing, although the timing is right and it should be firing, and if it was firing, it would be firing in order. But, it is not firing on any cyl, so something else isnt right. Any ideas will be very helpful. Thanks

 

Do you have spark coming out of the coil? Pull the coil wire from the dissy and ground it to check. I had the coil go out in my '01 while I was working on it. It was fine when I pulled eveything apart and not fine when it was back together.