On most motors you can line the distributer up and make any point on the cap # 1 cyl and let the rest follow in the firing order. All of the points on the distributor are symetrical. On cars with the numbers actually molded in you MUST be very careful. On old VW's the #3 cylinder is slightly out of position so as to be retarded from the others. That cylinder always ran hot so Volkswagon's fix was to retard the timing on that cylinder so it would run cooler. It cut power a little too. If a mechanic didn't notice and instead wired the distributer up so the #3 spot on the cap went to a different cylinder (and still kept the firing order right) you would burn up the #3 cylinder. I may be wrong on the PRV and the unsymetrical positioning may be entirely due to the odd-fire arrrangement. In any case you must respect the numbering on the cap and make sure each wire goes to the right place. Not making the #1 position actually go to the #1 cylinder is going to cause you problems! I may have given the right advice for the wrong reason. Although the cap is keyed it is possible to stick the ignition wires in any position. BTW this is also why the gaps on the impluse coil are not symetrical either. David Teitelbaum vin 10757 --- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "content22207" <brobertson@xxxx> wrote: > > > Thought about this at lunch: > > Because of the odd fire sequence, PRV distributor must have an > asymetrical cam driving the hall effect sensor (pickup coil). In that > respect rotor position is somewhat specific to engine position -- for > example rotation between cylinders 1-6 is not interchangeable with > rotation between cylinders 6-3. Note however that odd firing pairs > would be interchangeable (4-1 6-3 5-2). Distributor positioning is > only limited to cylinders 1 and 6 by the hold down method (stud & slot > vs clamp) and clearance for the spark advance diaphragm. Note also > that the distributor cap is keyed -- it is impossible to misorient it > relative to the asymetrical cam. > > Bill Robertson > #5939 To address comments privately to the moderating team, please address: moderators@xxxxxxxxxxx For more info on the list, tech articles, cars for sale see www.dmcnews.com To search the archives or view files, log in at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dmcnews Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dmcnews/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: dmcnews-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/