My new engine continued.....

Seat Alhambra. A long story, but basically I have a second engine to replace mine which went bang. Seat forum is useless with an average reply rate of 1 per millenium and there is no manual for this car.

The new engine has arrived with no distributor on it, with just a hole where it should be. I can also see the cog in the whole which will turn the rotor arm around. This cog is turned by one of the wheels which the timing belt runs around.

I understand that to get it tuned perfectly , I will need a diagnostic computer and to go into the car's ECU. However is there a general rule of thumb to get the distributor back on so the car at least runs.

Many thanks

 

mimic how it is on the dead engine..

 

Ahh....

Good point

But all the timing's out on that one as the sprockets have all moved

 

can you not mimic the distributor position?

 

If it's got a master spline or offset dog you can't go wrong, because it will only fit one way.
If it's a straight cut gear, you will need to line up the timing marks on the crank pulley on compression stroke. Once you have done that, drop the distributor in. Now note where the rotor arm is pointing in relation to the contacts in the distributor cap. The one it is pointing directly at (or very slightly passed) is number 1, so the HT lead from that one goes to number 1 cylinder.
If the Ht leads are on the new distributor you won't have a problem fitting them from then on as the length will prevent you from fitting them wrong, if not you will need to know the firing order and the direction the rotor arm turns.

 

I see

The new engine is at TDC as the timing belt has now been taken off. Can i assume then that if i put the distributor in, I can turn its sprocket (not the cam or crank sprocket i hasten to add) so that the rotor arm is pointing at No 1 plug - or does it need to be just past.

I understand that on most cars the plug normally fires just before TDC, but there are no timing marks on the timing belt covers on this one - only one mark denoting TDC.

 

You understand correctly, it does fire just before TDC, You're looking at 6 or 7 degrees though, which in the scheme of things when you are looking at where the rotor arm is pointing, it will look like it is directly pointing or fractionally after the contact on the distributor cap. You will certainly notice if you are a tooth out on the gears, as it will be either way before the contact or way passed it if that makes sense.

 

cheers - I'll have a go