timing issue

[milehighbear]

Got a question and i think i already know the answer. On the 93GL i just got i think it has the timing belt screwed up on it. When you look at motor from front, the cylinders are 1-2-3-4. The firing order is 1-3-4-2. When you look at the distributor. Ok, when your looking at the distributor, you have two plug ins on top and two on the bottom. Ok, the two top ones are suppose to be 1-3 with the first one number one. Bottom two are 4-2 with 4 in back and 2 in front under number one. Ok, now, the way mine is is one is on the bottom in the front position. Two is on top in front position, 4 is on top in back position, and three is on bottom in back hole. so the firing order is 1-2-4-3 and one is not in hole it is suppose to be in. Im thinking when they put belt back on after they put head back on, they screwed it up, but believe it or not, it is actually running pretty good. Would this mess up anything being out of order when i go to get it emission checked. It starts right up, it shuts off when you turn key off. What do you think. I figured i would take it over and try and go thru emissions and see what happens. Here's another thing, i think valve guides in it are a little week. When i first start it up it smokes a little, then clears up. Apparently when they put new headgasket on, they milled head down so it was flat but didn't build head afraid it would then put pressure on rings and would later need the engine rebuilt. So, i put heaveir weight oil in it 20-50 and put bottle of bardahl stop smoke which is suppose to sort of seal around valve guides a little. I also sprayed bleach into the back tailpipe to get rid of the soot that has built up in there and it worked pretty good. My main concern is the way timing order is and position of number 1 plug wire.
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thom
Lifes too short, dont blink. You only get one chance at it
1993 Festiva L-Cut inhalf and made a small truck out of it. When i need A/C, i fold back window down and open door windows.
93GL-Not going to cut this one. Gonna leave it looking like a Festiva(besides, wife threatened to cut me if I cut this one)

[milehighbear]

Well, since i didnt get any suggestions or comments on the timing guess i'll just go ahead and re-do timing belt and eliminate the question myself

[milehighbear]

NoNameKid, thank you for your thread on checking timing belt and all it contains. This will help me emensly.

[milehighbear]

Ok, im a happy camper now. Followed NoNameKids instructions, charlieZ and also iglutz and the book and got the timing belt right and the plug wires are where they are suppose to be. The belt was way off thats why they had wires wrong. Thank you guys for the good threads.

[CharlieZ]

Milehighbear

I just went to the garage and took this picture. Your problem is solved but maybe it will help someone else.

Charlie Z

[milehighbear]

Ty charlie. When i took the belt off and changed it the first time, and put it back on, it wouldn't start. Then i looked at you guy's thread again and saw the little note by festivagt about the crankpulley key being at the top. So i put it the right way, then moved the camshaft so marks were at 12 and 3, put it back on. Put it together, turned key and the puppy started right up. I turned the camshaft and had my finger in number 1 til pressure pushed finger out and then turned crankshaft back and forth till i had piston at tdc. We used to do that back in old days. This is my first fwd car i've ever worked on so i'm learning. Again, ty for your notes and pictures.

[Levitan]

Hey MHB,

Glad you got that running! Sorry I didn't get in on the diagnosis end of the conversation, but I have been away for a minute.

While reading your original thread, I knew things were wrong at the distributor cap. I'll pass a tip along to help you or others that seems to work for me when trying to figure out where the spark plug wires go. Guess you could call it "Reading a Book Rule." All wires go in the order of reading a book. At the spark plugs, 1-2-3-4, left to right. At the distributor, 1-2 on top, then 3-4 on the bottom. Upper left= 1, upper right= 2, lower left= 3, lower right= 4. Firing order is counter clockwise, 1-3-4-2.

[nonamekid]

Glad to hear you got your car fixed and the guide was useful. I don't check the repair help forum very much due to some past issues, otherwise I would have got you some answers right away.

[milehighbear]

thanks guys. The threads helped alot and i've kind of made this car "My learned on Car" so i can do things on it i wouldn't on the Grey Ghost. Course already having learned how to change front and back bearings, idle arms, ball joints, sway bar bushings and brakes on Grey Ghost cause i had to, i still have lots to learn about these fwd cars and efi part of them. So thanks and i may need some more help if i run into something i can't finger out.

[sanjeet]

Hello

I usually clip a strobe light around the plug lead nearest the dizzy then I use two golf tees to seal of the vacuum lines (while the engine is running at the distributor) you will need to re-adjust the idle and to do that use the taco on the dash, manual is about 750rpm, make sure you have identified the correct marking for TDC, and I have cut a chunk of metal off the carburetter bracket to get to the idle adjusting wheel, strobe the timing as close to 1deg for maximum performance, pull of the golf tees and replug into dizzy then reset idle speed.

This is for the carburetter version and my Festiva really gives its best at these settings, the plugs are very important and when replaced or regapped the timing needs to be rechecked

[sanjeet]

had a look at my manual and its the plug next to the timing cover, that is opp the dizzy end