VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1946-1948 help with 48 chevy

today i replaced the points, condenser and distributor cap on my 48. i think i must have not got wires on correctly. my service manual shows the firing order but i dont know where to put the #1 wire. the cap only fits on one way. can someone give me assistance on putting wire on cap. the front clip on the cap would be a good starting point if someone can guide me. i also need to know if they go on clockwise or counter clockwise. also i removed flywheel cover and still cant find the ball for timing. all i see are numbers like part numbers. can someone help me locate that ball and describe what it looks like. is it on the area next to the teeth or is it in the recessed area. I am still having trouble with backfiring upon acceleration and it gets better if you use the choke. please help i am frustrated. david

The standard position of the # 1 plug wire is above the locating tab on the cap. That does not mean that yours will be that way. It is best to determine Top Dead Center (TDC) or when #1 is near the top of the compression stroke. There are a bunch of methods to do that. Look at the valves when turning over the engine, holding your thumb over the spark plug hole in the head and noting when it gets blown away (from the hole), check the timing mark on the flywheel (can also be 180 deg. out of time), slowly turn over engine and occasionally probe piston position with screwdriver, wire or ?. Once TDC is determined the set the #1 plug wire to match the position of the rotor. In addition you can consult most repair manuals as ignition timing is covered in nearly all of them.

The firing order for the spark plug wires is: 1-5-3-6-2-4 and the spark plug wires go in a clockwise position on the cap.

if you bring the timing mark to the pointer as Chipper stated the rotor will be pointing at either #1 or #6 terminal on the cap. 50-50 chance of wiring it right the first time.

Thanks for info on plug wire placement. I now have that figured out. However i removed flywheel cover and was unable to find the timing mark which has been described as a bb size ball in flywheel. i need help in locating that. is it on surface just below teeth or in recessed area beyond teeth?

The timing ball is on the front face of the flywheel ring gear, just above the teeth looking up from the bottom of the flywheel. Try timing your engine with a timing light since the neon bulb in the timing light should make the shiny ball stand out if your timing is correct.

The ball is near the teeth but a little toward the center.

There is an window opening in the bell housing just above the starter.
It is an oval shaped hole with a pointer in the center that looks like a nail. When the number one piston is up in the top of the cylinder the ball will appear in the oval window(either TDC or off tdc because the flywheel turns two revs for one rev of the rotor) You MUST have the #1 cylinder at TDC (both intake and exhaust valves on number one cylinder will be closed! Then pop the distributor cap off and find where the rotor is pointed, that is where and when the number one sparkplug should fire. Plug the wire for #1 sparkplug in the distributor cap as close to that point that you can. Now you should be able to hook up your timing light to the battery and to the #1 sparkplug and with the car running, I am an optimist about the engine starting and running! NOW (shine the timing light directly on the timing window of the bell housing) and set the timing to where it is best by moving the octane adjuster on the vacuum advance clamp.
I hope I didn't mess you up worse than you were before.

Now why don't you save us all some time typing and make yourself happy by buying a shop manual for your car, like all of us have done. You won't regret it.

Of course you are a VCCA member aren't you?

Check his profile......his VCCA number is 41028.

JYD
Yep I did! Otherwise I would have put the Mike Marketing sales pitch, (the True Value of being a VCCA member) on him.

You know, that BOD Mike that may still have a hat or two to sell!

:vcca:

thanks for info on timing. i have a maintenance manual for the car but there is no information about timing in it. I appreciate your patience on this. i am a vcca member.

I have found that Keith Hardy's web site is a good place to look up Shop Manual information if a hard copy isn't handy.
I hope the information was useful.

as usual i got great information for assistance. I am more of a tinkerer so sometimes it takes a while for the information to sink in. now i have a plan and will work it next weekend.
thanks for everything
DAVID

Dont worry if you get a manual or not. If ever you have a question on your 48 just list it here or drop me a PM. I have LOTS of experience on the 216 in my 47. I also have an extensive library with lots of pics I could email you to help.
Just PM me with your Email. I know how frustrating it can get!

Hey: Don't let these cracks about the shop manual put you off. One of the first things I did when I got my car was to get a copy, and these old manuals are not nearly as informative as more modern manuals. The information that you will find in these manuals is often incomplete or too vague to help you through your issue without a little help. The very best thing you can do when changing the wires it to do it one at a time (something to keep in mind for next time) but the advice relative to finding tdc and assessing against rotor position is good to know anyway. Good luck and keep the questions coming.

I usually remove the clutch cover under the car and clean the front of the flywheel carefully with solvent. I then mark the ball with white paint or chalk. Then it's easy to see when using a timing light...

Hey Guys,
I've been out of town for a few days and just sat down to see what is going on here at the chat site. I thought Mack might want to read through his post of December 28, to see if he wants to offer up a revised version of one of his parenthesized statements. Mack brings a wealth of knowledge to the forum but I could not resist a little good natured jab.
I would have brought the quote to my post but I am not too savvy at this.

Mike

thanks for the help guys. today i got plug wires back in correct position, found timing mark and got 48 going again. i must say that the shop manual (maintenance manual) that i have leaves a lot to speculation. however you guys filled in the blanks. the number 1 plug wire goes in the distributor cap in the second hole clockwise from the front clip. the membership in this club and the info available on this site are a real treat.
david

David,


Glad to hear you got her running again!! Did you find out what the back fire issue was about?

no. i am still working on it. i thought i would remove valve cover and see if anything looks bent, broken or out of place. there is a new loud clicking noise around number 1 cylinder. any hints on what i should look for.

A valve could be sticking. The adjustment screw may have loosened up. Check clearance on those two valves. The cylinder may be "missing".

will do. thanks

would you mind looking at the valve adjustment procedure described in this website and see if you think it is good way to proceed? i am more of a tinkerer than a mechanic so i need good instructions.

http://www.speedprint.com/deves50/valveadjust.php

It will work. I use the turn and adjust method cause I don't have to take off the distributor cap or look at timing marks. Works for me but have been doing it for decades so it might not be for you.

#1 intake valve is the one that frequently sticks. Its the second valve from the front. Watch push rod with engine running and see if it wobbling. You can squirt some light oil on the valve guide. This can be done by going through the coils of the valve spring. Also pouring something like Marvel Mystery Oil thru the carburetor with the engine running at a fast idle will do the job and on all the valve guides.
Valve sticking is common on these engines. It caused by the gas in the tank going bad (usually after it gets over a year old)....it causes a varnish to forn on the valve stems.