Question about distributor

[Valerian 0]

I'm new to VW's and have just bought a Corrado 1.8 16V as a project.

 

What i want to know is ....should the larger connector on the distributor be facing the front of the engine bay or the rear.

I ask this because at the moment the car basically runs like a pile of poo....if i turn the dizzy fully clockwise the running improves.

So i'm wondering if someone has put the dizzy in the wrong way up.

 

I've not had a great deal of time to look at the car yet....only other thing that springs to mind is the possibility that the timing belt has slipped a tooth.

[sciroccotune 0]

i doubt it would run if that was the case. likly that the timing is out, get a strobe on it to set it up.

[Valerian 0]

The dizzy is fully clockwise at the mo.....if i turn it anticlockwise it gets worse

[h100vw 0]

Normally the correct place would be in the middle of the adjustment. Please check that the physical timing of the engine is ok. Crank pulley springs to mind.

 

Gavin

[Valerian 0]

Won't run at all if i position it in the middle.....i'll check all the timing marks at the weekend.

[h100vw 0]

Something amiss there then, unless the leads are on incorrectly???

Gavin

[Valerian 0]

i believe the rotor turns clockwise when the engine is running ....is the correct firing order 1-3-4-2?

[h100vw 0]

Now your asking>>>

 

1342 is correct I think.

 

If you set the engine to TDC on number 1 then the rotor arm should poit to a notch in the dissy body, with the cap and dust shield removed.

 

Gavin

[Roger Blassberg 0]

1.3.4.2 is definitely correct.

 

Best wishes

 

RB

[Valerian 0]

Thank you for the responses so far but i need to know the answer to the original question which was :-

 

Should the larger connector on the distributor be facing the front of the engine bay or the rear?

[h100vw 0]

It is not possible to fit the dissy incorrectly, assuming the engine was set at TDC. There is an offset drive in the end of the exhaust cam preventing this. As I mentioned above the dissy would normally sit so the clamp bolts are in the middle of both adjustment slots.

 

Without making some special cams I think it would be impossible to have the car running at all if the dissy were 180 degrees out.

 

 

only other thing that springs to mind is the possibility that the timing belt has slipped a tooth.

 

A much more likely scenario, or possibly worse the crank pulley has spun because the bolt is loose/sheared.

 

You need to check the marks line up when you have set number 1 to TDC with a long screwdriver down the plug hole. Rock the engine back and forth to get the piston to the top before looking at the crank timing mark.

 

Shouldn't be more than a gnats tackle out. Take the cam belt cover off too, the marks should be obvious when you do.

 

Gavin

[flusted 0]

could be that someone has put the bolts in the wrong holes for the dizzy as theres 2 lots of holes

[Valerian 0]

Well i've been looking at the damn thing all day and still no joy.

 

I have checked the cambelt........ the top cam pulley mark and the crank pulley mark line up perfect.

 

The bolts that clamp the dizzy are in the correct holes.

 

I did find that the air filter was missing and that someone has cut a huge chunk out of the front of the airbox though.

So i drove 10 miles to get an airfilter and some new spark plugs .......fitted them but the situation is still the same.

It still won't run half decent unless the dizzy is turned fully clockwise.

If you set the dizzy in the middle it struggles to even idle.

By the way....the rotor turns anticlockwise.

 

My final thought is that the ECU or whatever you call it could be faulty.

I don't really know as i am a Nissan man and new to VW's.

 

I say it could be the ECU because the speed read out doesn't seem to be correct ....even when struggling to do 70mph the computer display says i am doing 15mph....also it rarely says i am doing more than 20mpg.

 

I'm rather stumped at the mo.

 

I even tried changing the drivers door handle (which is broken) for one the last seller gave me with the car but it had a different type of fork on it so i didn't even get that done....pffffft. :mad:

 

Any help here would be greatly appreciated. :cry:

[h100vw 0]

I have checked the cambelt........ the top cam pulley mark and the crank pulley mark line up perfect.

 

This doesn't mean that they are in the right place unless the piston of number 1 is at TDC. To check that you need to take out the plug and stick a long screwdriver down the plug hole. It is possible for the crank to have spun inside the cambelt pulley. I have seen this on a mates car. The bolt was pretty tight too.

 

Are you setting the timing using a light or just guessing? To set the timing you need to, IIRC, disconnect the fat red/black wire at the coil to stop the ISV working, adjust the tickover and then set the timing using a light. The arrow on the plastic belt cover should line up with the notch in the pulley.

 

Reconnect the red/black wire.

 

Gavin

[Valerian 0]

Ok ......with the cam and crank marks lined up the rotor in the dizzy also points to the tdc mark.

 

Yesterday i did take out plug number 1 and put a rod down the hole ....cranked the engine over so that no.1 piston was at TDC....but when i looked at the dizzy rotor arm it was pointing 180 degrees the wrong way....i'll check again in the next few days

 

Why is it possibe for the pulleys to slip though?

Most engines have a flat point on the crank or cam so the pulleys can't spin or be put on the wrong way.

 

Just emailed the previous owner and it seems the cambelt was changed 1000 miles ago by a garage in Chard.

 

reckon i've bought a right lemon.

[.Rich. 0]

It sounds to me asif the intermediate pulley is timed wrong hence distributor is out. Personally i would take timing belt off and retime it. Ensuring valve 1 is at TDC and the diss rotor is at the correct position.

 

I expect h100vw knows a better alternative though

[h100vw 0]

Ok ......with the cam and crank marks lined up the rotor in the dizzy also points to the tdc mark.

 

Yesterday i did take out plug number 1 and put a rod down the hole ....cranked the engine over so that no.1 piston was at TDC....but when i looked at the dizzy rotor arm it was pointing 180 degrees the wrong way....i'll check again in the next few days

 

Why is it possibe for the pulleys to slip though?

Most engines have a flat point on the crank or cam so the pulleys can't spin or be put on the wrong way.

 

Just emailed the previous owner and it seems the cambelt was changed 1000 miles ago by a garage in Chard.

 

reckon i've bought a right lemon.

 

No mate don't give up on it.

 

You are right they do get keyed to the crank but the crank bolts can and do sheared. They also become loose. The fact that someone has 'been in there' does make me think they did it wrong.

 

The other thing, if the bolt does get slack then the pulley rocks back and forth each time you start and stop the engine evetually this breaks the key off the pull allowing the crank to rotate inside the pulley. The timing then is incorrect between the cam and crank. Flat performance and pinking usually follow.

 

With the rotor being 180 out. The crank rotates twice for one turn of the cam shaft. So if you do the test again. Turn the engine another 180 and the rotor will probably then line up.

 

It could just be a tooth out on the cam? I retimed a Passat I have on loan last night, the difference is amazing.

 

Don't give up dude, we'll get to the bottom of this with you.

 

Mad-Axl, nice try mate and true with the 8valve engine. The 16V however, has a dissy driven directly from the camshaft, so no way to get that bit of timing wrong. The intermediate shaft just turns the oil pump.

 

Gavin

[.Rich. 0]

ah, thanks mate.. I recently changed the timing belt/tensioner and used an 8v golf haynes manual to help me. And there was no centre punch mark on my intermediate shaft so i spent ages trying to time it the same is it was when i took the old belt off.

 

Yet, after 5turns it would never return to the same position so i was getting extremely confussed because the distributor and the valves were always in the correct positions.

 

Anyway sorry for going off topic abit, but thanks h100vw.

[Valerian 0]

I did notice last thing yesterday that when the engine is turning over the crank pulley looks as if it is wobbling.

The power steering belt is also fraid and split.

 

thank you for your support and words of wisdom.

 

I'll let you know what i find at the weekend.

Would really like to get it done sooner but work is hectic and the

nights are drawing in.

 

ah ....and i also found it strange that it's a twin cam engine but only has one cam pulley :?

[h100vw 0]

That wobbling could be the clue.

 

You SHOULD make time to check the bolt is tight, if it has let go you could end up needing to replace a handful of valves.

 

The 16V is an interference motor.

 

That one pulley drives the exhaust cam which drives the inlet cam with a chain and sprocket arrangement.

 

Gavin

[Valerian 0]

I realy hope there isn't any damage to the valves.

 

This car was advertised as mechanicaly sound!!!

 

but then if the previous owner has been driving it around like this who knows.

 

There doesn't seem to be any smoke from the exhaust at all which is some indication that things are not too bad.

 

i'm not going to drive it untill this is resolved ....i'm in two minds to phone the garage that replaced the belt and give them a piece of my mind.

I'm hearing too many horror stories about garages and cambelt replacements lately.

[h100vw 0]

If a valve were bent, I doubt it would start, if it did it would be very very rough.

 

A good mate of mine spent a day sprinting 1/4s at Avon Park years ago and the belt snapped 10 miles from Newquay. He has always been a spawny git, he stuck a belt on it and got away scot free... :roll:

 

The belt he took off had loads of chunks missing out of it.

 

ANother mate bought a rough 16V golf off ebay. He tarted it up and wasn't bothered that it didn't run, as we had another engine we knew to be good if the worst happened. After spending a weekend messing about, he swapped the engine and the replacement fired straight up.

 

Sometime later I pulled the duff motor apart and it had bent valves. I bought a set from ebay and had intended to sort the head to sell on.

 

The head made it to TomB afetr he had some bad luck and it runs nicely in there now.

 

Good call on not driving it til you have time to look properly. I think you should get a new 'DX' crank pulley bolt ordered from VW and have that on standby. If you investigate the state of the crank pulley before thursday, VW will have time to get you one in for the weekend should you need it.

 

Cambelts are an easy job to get wrong. Done a few myself over the years and frightened myself when they ran badly at start up. Managed not to damage anything so far though.

 

Gavin

Gavin

[Valerian 0]

I've just taxed and insured it so it better not have anything serious wrong with it.......lol

 

my other car is a Nissan 200sx and i have an RS3100 Capri in storage.

 

I thought the Nissan parts were expensive but i can't believe how much more expensive the VW ones are.

 

The Carrado was driven 40 miles back here when i bought it and about 10 miles since then ......it stills seems fairly pokey even though it isn't running right....so fingers crossed.

[Valerian 0]

just a thought

 

If someone has connected the fuel injection pipes up incorrectly......would this cause a timing problem?

 

I've also noticed that some pr*tt has routed some of the pipes under the alternator bracket dangerously close to the belt.

[Valerian 0]

Still not had a chance to check the timing belt yet ....will be doing so in the next day or so