I need help installing my distributor I think. I have just finished a rebuild of my 93 2.5l. CAn't seem to get the timing right so the damn thing will run though and the manual I have is crap for help with the distributor. What I need to know is with the #1 piston at TDC where should the rotor be pointing? The book I have says straight down (6 o'clock) but that isn't working. I have double and triple checked the base timing between the cam and crank, and it is correct. I also know that I have spark and I have fuel, and I can hear it trying to catch, but it just isn't quit there. I am hoping to avoid taking the distributor off 30 times and trying every config possible.

Ah....................OK
You can install the distributor any way you want as long as the contact on the rotor points at the prong on the cap for the #1 cylinder.

The reason the book tells you to install it like that is for clearence for vaccum advance I assume. (note I have never worked on a 2.5) Just line everything up. If you have spark and you have gas at the right time how can it not run

Originally posted by syko
Ah....................OK
You can install the distributor any way you want as long as the contact on the rotor points at the prong on the cap for the #1 cylinder.

Not on the fuel injected engines.. They have a cam position sensor built into the distributor..


originally posted by syko
The reason the book tells you to install it like that is for clearence for vaccum advance I assume. (note I have never worked on a 2.5) Just line everything up. If you have spark and you have gas at the right time how can it not run

the 93 also do not have vaccum advance..

now to answer the question the #1 plug wire should be at the 4:30 position.. since you have the distributor in already you should be able to rotate it counterclockwise about 45 degrees

Originally posted by hy_desert_4wheeler


Not on the fuel injected engines.. They have a cam position sensor built into the distributor..




the 93 also do not have vaccum advance..

now to answer the question the #1 plug wire should be at the 4:30 position.. since you have the distributor in already you should be able to rotate it counterclockwise about 45 degrees

Well I guess I put my foot in my mouth..................That new fangled fuel injection stuff I don't understand. j/k

Thinking to self *why didn't I see that said 93* Just tell me to shut the fawkup and go away............. SORRY:rolleyes: ;) :D

can't rotate the distributor when installed due to that stupid hold down bracket that is part of the houseing, dasically uou only have about 1/4 of a degree in any direction you can move it when it it bolted down, I can take the bolt out, but then loose any way to held the distributor down. You guys with me so far?

It has to point at the #1 spark plug port on the distributor cap...on your engine it may not be at the 6 o"clock position so point it at #1 and set up your firing order to follow spec from #1 and so on

okay lemme make sure I am getting all this straight When the timing marks are aligned (dot to dot) then the crank is adjusted to the zero timing mark. the number one cylinder should be TDC compression stroke right? Whis would mean that the rotor should be right one the number one cylinder plusg wire? Tha all sounding right? So if I find a way to hold the distributor down I can just turn it a few degrees back and forth till I get in tune.

well I didn't know it was possible but it appears that all my problems came from the distributor being installed backwards!:rasta: Given that the hold down bracket was aligned with the only hole down there, I am not sure how the damn thing was backwards but out of desparation I reversed the order of the wires on the cap and sure enough the damn thing fired up and hummed like a new engine. :massey: :jeep: :beer: Thanks for all the help you guys gave me. Now it's time to break it in so I can beat it on the trail some before I loose the transmission or transfer case!

Yeah, Jeep in their infinite wisdom designed the 2.5L distributor to be non-adjustable, all the above comments are spot on for any normal distributor, but the 2.5 is stupid that way, it's either 180 off or dead nuts.