I just replaced a head gasket on my 93 loyale. When I restarted the engine it would not idle. I could feel some spark bleeding off the plug wires. I changed the wires and have not been able to get it restarted since. I have checked the timing several times, reinstalled the old wires and replaced the plugs,reset the distributor and adjusted. I have fuel in the throttle body and spark out of the wires. The engine coughs and hesitates but never tries to start. Every thing I have seen notes that the timing is 1 3 4 2. 1 and 3 on the right bank. Is there another firing order? I have turned the engine and everything stays in time. When you set the distributor, do you line up the marks and set it? Or do you line up the marks, mark rotor position and set it to the mark since the rotor turns when installed. IE back off the rotor one tooth when installing to compensate the gear rotation? The engine according to the sticker is a pfj1.8.

Thank you for any suggestions.

Bring the 3 marks on the Flywheel around to visible in the window on the back of enigne. Line up the center one with the pointer.

 

Now with the disty removed, you will see a small dot on the gear(not the pin) and a small hump on the base of the disty shaft. Line up the dot and the bump, and drop the disty straight in with letting it turn until the gears engage (it will turn a bit as the gears mess)

 

This is the factory proceedure for installing the disty. Other way to do it, but this works pretty much all the time.

 

Now, as far as firing order.

 

It is 1-3-2-4 (you have 4 and 2 swapped)

I did as you sugested even though it does not make sense. If you line up the center of the three marks then install the disty how do you know if you have it 180 degrees out? I installed the disty still would not fire. Rotated the engine one revolution to the center mark,installed the disty and still a no go.

My first post actually had a typo as far as typing but thank you anyway for clarifying the firing order.