so today i got a new distributor cap a new rotor and spark plug wires

i get home i turn off the car let it cool down for a bit and then i put everything new in and for the wire placement i followed a chiltons manuel and i go to start the car and it just cranks and cranks and one of the times it backfired or something o and its a 1987 gl wagon does anyone know what this could be

All I can think of is that the wires are in the wrong order. Or that the coil wire is not working.

how are the wires supposed to go?

definitely got the wires in the wrong place, in the manual, there are 2 pics, one for the ohc(EA82, what you have) and ohv(EA81). The cylinders are the same order, but the wires go to different places due to the disty being in the back on the driver side on your motor. I would check and make sure you looked at the right pic

The new cap should have a "1" on it identifying the terminal that goes to #1 cylinder. Using this as a starting point, and if you know the firing order and which direction the distributor turns, you should be home free.

i have actually seen aftermarket caps that have been numbered wrong on the terminals since other makes(nussan)used the same distributor.

 

the terminal on the capclosest to the master cylinder is #1,just to the right of the screw/clip that holds it on. rotation is counter clockwise and firing order is 1-3-2-4

 

the #1 on the motor itself is the front passenger side, 3 being in the rar, and 2 and 4 being on the driver side, 2 in front, 4 in back

sounds dumb but make sure they gave you the right cap and rotor . . . napa's given me the "non-denso" type when i needed the denso fitting unit, there are a few different types for our model car

chris

yeah, there are other caps that fit, I found that a certain Toyota cap and rotor fit perfectly and work identically, as thats what my car had on it when I got it

i took the plugs out and i think 1 and 3 are wet so there's no spark there am i right because i really dont know

if i am do they need to be replaced

looking at the engine from the front

 

left front plug #1

right front plug #2

left rear plug#3

right rear plug#4

 

is your cap numbered?

 

looking at my cap like a clock:

wire for #1 is at 1o'clock on the cap (again facing the front of the engine)

wire for #2 is at 7 o'clock

wire for #3 is at 11 o'clock

wire for #4 is at 4 o'clock

MilesFox made a comment about the position of the wires. I think he is saying that the wire for #1 would go in about the 2 o'clock position of the cap. Then going counterclockwise the rest of the wires are installed.

 

It has been some time since I have have looked at the disty wires for that engine and I seem to remember that #1 was at about the 7 o'clock position. It sounds like I am incorrect going from what MF stated and I have been 180 out on things before.

 

When replacing plug wires it is a good idea to just transfer one wire at a time from the old cap to the new one. That way you know for sure what goes where.

see my previous post's edit

coug's got a good memory

Well, going by your edited post Audio_File I'm not sure about my memory. It looks to me I'm 180 degrees out of phase again. They told me this would happen when I got older.

Well, going by your edited post Audio_File I'm not sure about my memory. It looks to me I'm 180 degrees out of phase again. They told me this would happen when I got older.

Depends on where you're standing in reference to the engine Cougar... standing at the fender and standing in front of the engine will rotate things by 90*

Well, going by your edited post Audio_File I'm not sure about my memory. It looks to me I'm 180 degrees out of phase again. They told me this would happen when I got older.

 

i think it has more to do with the amount of 10-40w in your blood than age

too many different engines to remember!!

chris

looking at the engine from the front

 

left front plug #1

right front plug #2

left rear plug#3

right rear plug#4

 

is your cap numbered?

 

looking at my cap like a clock:

wire for #1 is at 1o'clock on the cap (again facing the front of the engine)

wire for #2 is at 7 o'clock

wire for #3 is at 11 o'clock

wire for #4 is at 4 o'clock

yeah it has numbers i have to go look at it to see if there the same but i put the wires in and nothing happend

Depends on where you're standing in reference to the engine Cougar... standing at the fender and standing in front of the engine will rotate things by 90*

 

The reference point is important alright. I am assuming that 12 o'clock is at the rear of the engine and 6 is at the front. If the reference is the other way around then I guess my marbles are still intact. Sadly, I think I am wrong though.:-\

I am assuming that 12 o'clock is at the rear of the engine and 6 is at the front.

 

correct

btw glwagonman, your disty may not be the same as mine, again there are two different distributors used commonly in our car, one is a nippon denso, i believe the other is a hitachi (?)

at any rate, double check that you have the correct parts (make sure it fits and seals tightly) because the numbers on the cap won't mean anything if the cap is wrong, and my cap may be different than yours.

chris

If the plug wires are in the proper position and things are still not working then have you checked to make sure the new disty parts are exactly the same as the old ones? Also pull one of the plug wires from the plug end and insert an old plug, if you have one, and place it on a good ground point of the engine. Then see if you are getting spark to it.

i put them on like that and nothing happend so i dont know what to do

Alright, it is time to fall back. Remove the center wire on the cap and connect a spare plug on it. Place the plug on a good ground and see if you get spark there. If you do, then you most likely have the wrong cap or rotor for the disty.

ok so im just going to put all the old parts back in and if i get it to run if i do im going to work at it from there

Ok. Keep us posted on what you find.

ok so i put all the old parts back in and she starts on the first turn of the key so i turn her off and put in the new parts in one by one and when i get to the cap i get nothing so it was the wrong cap the whole time so i have to go back to advance auto parts and see if i can get the right

Thank you all very much

Case solved. "Elementry my dear Watson". Good deal.