Packard Forum Index » Pre-War (1899-1942)

Can anyone tell me where the #1 cylinder is on the distributor of my car I was putting on new spark plug wires when someone walked up to talk about the car and now I cant remember.

Here is a diagram applicable to the eight's. If the distributor was installed with the rotor in the correct spot it will be at approx the 8:00 position -- maybe slightly closer to 7:30 -- but there is no guarantee a previous oil pump removal might have been reinstalled with the gear a tooth or so off. To be really sure there is no error in gear position you need to place #1 in compression with the timing mark at 6 degrees and see where the rotor lines up.


EDIT: The posted diagram from the 40 160-180 service manual and also is in the 39 Service Letter for 1940 models was incorrect and removed. A correct diagram is shown below in a later post.

Be sure to note Howard's If the distributor was installed with the rotor in the correct spot comment as it is just as likely that it could be any one of them.

To be safe, I'd further follow Howard's instructions and render #1 on TDC of the compression stroke and see where it 'points'. Chris

Well the problem has been solved. I had a mechanic friend of mine come over to look at the car and what we discovered was that the factory diagram of the wiring of the spark plug wires is TOTALLY WRONG. Since my distributor rotates counter clockwise. I have enclosed these photos to help anyone else out there who might have a similar problem. The first photo shows the location of the #1 cylinder on the distributor by having the wire removed. The second photo (and I do not know why it attached sideways) show how the wires are routed to the distributor.

Attach file:

---

  (64.56 KB)


  (180.60 KB)

You are so right and my apologies for the confusion. While #1 location is correct I should have realized and had it sink in sooner something was off with the CW rotation. The diagram from the earlier post was removed to avoid giving wrong info to the next person who might find the post with a search.

So far the factory drawing from the 40 160-180 service manual and the 1939 service counselor detailing 40 models seem to be the only incorrect ones. 40 AEA drawings available at the PAC site are correct as is this 41 diagram and the later factory drawings.

I have a question for those familiar with the 38-39 320 Super eight engines. Diagrams (including AEA) show those as having CW rotation. Did they? If so and the drawings were just copied over like was done for some postwar Clipper info that might explain why the 40 356 drawings are incorrect

Here is the correct diagram for the 40 and later engines.

Attach file:

---

  (56.40 KB)

Oh man we were almost ready to pull our hair out on this one! I kept thinking I followed the factory diagram why did the car not start? Then when my mechanic friend came over the first question he had was how does the distributor rotate then he pulled of the cap and had me crank it over he said-Mike this distributor rotates counter-clockwise, I think that diagram is wrong. Then the search was on for which contact on the distributor was for cylinder #1. When he found it he had me crank the car over-fired rights up.

The diagram posted by HH56 is correct, it includes an arrow which shows counterclockwise rotation.

Yeah same diagram as factory other than orientation....