Hi everyone
My engine is running but I’m puzzled as my ignition cables are not fitted as it should be, it seems to be on the opposite,
180°
As it’s a 6 cylindres engine, from what I read it should be running the same way, but when I put the cables the way I see in the differents documents I found, the engine doesn’t start, and goes to an explosition…
does anyone has an idea?
and question, does my distributor can be switch, doesn’t seems but…
thanks for your help
I went through the same nightmare. Put the cables back in the order you initially found them. Look closely, and you will find, as you trace the order of the cables, at some point in the car’s existence, the distributor was probably changed, and the replacement was installed at exactly 180 degrees opposite. Follow my instruction and your car will run properly once again.
Mel R.
yeah but, sorry, not sure to follow you, I’m able to put them back at it was, but can I remove and reinstall the distributor at 180 exactly, or there just one way to put it on the engine side?
Remember that the distributor turns anti-clockwise and cylinders are numbered from the windscreen forwards. The ignition order is 153624 (easy to remember by 15 being too young, 36 too old and 24 just right).
I’m curious though, if your engine was running, what are you trying to correct?
cables are in good order and anticlocwise but 180° opposite
It is pretty rare around these parts for someone to find it unacceptable that their car is actually working without problems.
Well, when the engine is at TDC, rotor should be facing cylinder 1 on the distributor, right?
in my situation it’s on cylinder 6
If you wanna fix that, take the distributor off, turn it 180 degrees, and put it back on. Personally, I wouldn’t bother.
I’ve been told there might be, but I decided to just ‘let sleeping dogs (in this case cats) lie.’
yeah, but is it possible? does’nt seem on mine, but when I reoved it and look at ‘the flat screw’ end(french translation sorry) seems same size on both, but seems hard to plug…
btw, if I let this how it is, it changes nothing if I want to do the ignition timing with the strob lamp?
thanks a lot
Sounds like the engine has been rebuilt at some time and the distributor drive has been set 180 deg out. Common problem.
Yeah it should, and I have an S2 engine on an S3
wondering which degrees setting I should apply for the ignition timing
but, then, no possibility to change it without removing the engine then?
Use the best setting that the engine is happy with, the base settings for when the car was new are probably out the door now with the different fuel formulae.
Doesn’t work on the XK. Pinning out the distributor shaft would work, or dismantling the engine so the drive can be re-meshed to the crankshaft gear. Neither is worth it.
It doesn’t allow turning by 180° because the drive dog is slightly assymetrical. It will not engage properly. You need to look closely to see it.
To be clear, 6 is the frontmost!
8° static will likely work reasonably well to get it running. Nothing is happening if the wires are in the w orientation.
Robin_O_Connor and davidsxj6 are correct that the engine is timed from #6 cylinder.
Whenever I rebuilt an engine I would ensure that the oil pump/dist drive gear/shaft was installed CORRECTLY so the dist would install as it was from the factory.
Some (idiots) would simply drop the gear in and worry about the firing order later.
This really p!$$ed me off but it is a bit of a job to correct it.
Perhaps the easier fix would be to rotate both the camshafts by 180 degrees?
That is one hell of a «solution» to what is clearly a non-problem, Kirby!
An easier fix 
If it doesn’t look like this, never mind. As long as the sparks reach the cylinders in the order and time they should, it’s really not worth the trouble.
**
‘…not fitted as it should be’ is sort of immaterial, Courtier - the essential point is that the ignition sequence(!) is correct and the engine runs as it should…
The ‘different documents’ does indeed likely show the ex-factory set-up - and a PO just got it wrong when setting up the ign. With the engine set to TDC on the damper; either #1 or #6 is ready to fire, and he chose the wrong one - and had to turn the dist 180 deg to make the engine run…
In your case, to get the dist position ‘correct’; set the engine to TDC, disconnect plug leads from the lid, loosen the dist clamp - and turn the dist 180 deg. Now observe the rotor position, and place the #6 (frontmost cylinder) plug lead at that position on the dist lid. Then place the remaining plug leads counterclockwise in the ignition sequence (6-2-4-1-5-3) in the dist lid.
The rotor turns counterclockwise at half engine speed, firing the plugs as the cylinders comes into firing positions - the rotor points to that cylinder, and the engine is perfectly happy. In your case; the rotor points to the #1 (rearmost) as the coil fires, then moves to the following cylinders (in the ign sequence) - and rotor duly points accordingly as the coil fires. All perfectly correct - except your dissatisfaction with the dist orientation. Following the described procedure simply reorients the dist…
All this presupposes that your engine runs as it should - ie; that your set-up is correct, except for dissatisfaction with dist orientation…
Frank
xj6 85 Sov Europe (UK/NZ)
The theory is spot on of course, Frank, - but in practice there may be obstructions in the engine bay eg vacuum capsule fouling steering pump. The OP does not show a photo of how his set up is presently orientated. I tried a similar exercise to rotate by 30 degrees and then 60 degrees and move all leads round one and two positions but always came up against the fouling issue.
Frankie