Re: Spider missing (distributor replacement) - long

["Jason Arrington" <JARRINGTON@domain.elided>]

Having just had this same problem last month, here's a quick distributor
replacement primer for a Bosch injected spider:

1. Remove the plug wires from the old cap and place them on the new cap
in the same order. Easiest way to make sure you don't mess up the wires.
Set the new cap with wires up on top of the valve cover, out of the
way.

2. Remove the old distributor. I was able to get to the bolt (yes,
there's only one) with a 1/4" ratchet and extension, without needing a
special distributor wrench. YMMV. I think it was a 10mm bolt, but I may
be wrong.

3. Remove the mounting plate from the old distributor and place it on
the new. Don't tighten it yet.

4. Line up the "P" mark (I think - someone PLEASE correct me if I'm
wrong) on the crankshaft pulley with the timing pointer. The timing
pointer is on the driver's side of the car by the crank pulley. The best
way to do this is to find TDC on cylinder 1 by removing the spark plug
on cylinder 1, and placing a pencil down the spark plug hole. Then
rotate the engine (I did this by putting the car in gear and turning the
front tire) until the pencil is at its highest point. This will get you
close enough that you can clean off the pulley until you can see the
mark. It's a good idea to highlight the mark with a paint pen once you
find it. Make sure the mark is lined up perfectly with the pointer. 

5. Set the new distributor in place, making sure the o-ring is
positioned correctly. Rotate the rotor until you feel it click into
place and you can no longer turn the rotor. If the rotor is now pointing
to the rear of the car, you are at TDC of the exhaust stroke instead of
the compression stroke and you need to rotate the engine. Repeat step 4,
making sure the pencil goes all the way down then back up. The rotor
should now point (roughly) to the front of the car. 

6. Bolt the mounting plate down, but don't tighten it onto the
distributor yet. The distributor (not the rotor) should be able to
rotate freely. 

7. Rotate the distributor so the rotor points to the alignment mark on
the distributor housing. Tighten the mounting plate so the distributor
can no longer rotate.

8. Re-attach the cap and start the car. If you have a timing light,
it's a good idea to check the timing to be sure your distributor is
correctly positioned. If everything works right, you can now re-install
the distributor cover (or not) and go for a drive!

Good luck, Dave.

-Jason Arrington
jarrington@domain.elided
'87 Spider Quad
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