Before servicing the vehicle, refer to the precautions in the beginning
of this section.
Remove or disconnect the following:
Negative battery cable
Distributor cap and position it aside, leaving the ignition wires connected
Fig. 1: Exploded view of a typical side mounted
distributor
Fig. 2: Exploded view of a typical end or inline
mounted distributor
Distributor electrical connector(s) from the side of the distributor
Using a wrench on the crankshaft pulley, rotate the crankshaft to position
the No. 1 piston on Top Dead Center (TDC) of the compression stroke; the crankshaft
pulley mark should align with the timing indicator and the distributor rotor
should point towards the No. 1 spark plug wire tower position of the cap.
Using chalk or paint, mark the position of the distributor housing on the
cylinder head. Also mark the position of the distributor rotor in relation
to the distributor housing.
Remove distributor hold-down bolt(s).
On distributors attached to the end of the cylinder head (or inline with
the camshaft), remove it by pulling it straight outward.
On distributors attached to the side of the cylinder head (or perpendicular
with the camshaft), slowly pull it outward while watching the rotor. These
distributors are gear driven and as you remove it, the gears will disengage
inside the engine, causing the rotor to rotate. when the rotor stops moving,
stop pulling outward. Re-align the distributor body-to-cylinder head matchmark
(do not push it back in to do this, simply rotate the body to align the marks).
Place a third mark indicating the new rotor position-to-distributor body relation.
When installing the distributor, align this mark and the body-to-head mark
to properly position the distributor.
Inspect the O-ring on the distributor housing and replace it, if it is damaged
or worn.
