Pulled distributor to check gear. Now engine won't start. 1997 5.7 VORTEC

[Tripp]

OK guys, as the title says, my truck won't start. I pulled the distributor out to check the gear and MARKED the distributor's original location with a sharpie before removing it. I marked the rotor and distributor body as well as the plate the rotor screws onto before removal.

What I DIDN'T do was put cylinder #1 at top dead center (TDC) on the compression stroke. Which is what I've been told I should have done before removal. Now, I'm guessing that I have screwed up the timing. because the engine cranks but does not start. Is it possible that I turned the camshaft, and subsequently opened the valves on another cylinder?

Tomorrow morning (or technically, this morning...) I am going to try two things.
First, I will add about a gallon or two of gas (Because when I parked the truck last it was running pretty low)

If that doesn't work,

Then I will get a breaker bar and socket and turn the harmonic balancer until Cylinder #1 is at TDC in the compression stroke and I think (I'm hoping) I will be able to tell if it's at that point by feeling inside the cylinder with my fingers to feel if the valves are closed and the piston is standing proud.

If this doesn't work, then to my mechanic it goes!

Any advice for a young blood guy like me, trying to fix my truck? Thanks guys.

 

[Big D]

http://www.gmtruckcentral.com/articles/distributor.html

 

[bjones]

^ Bookmark this link and site. Excellent info for L31 Vortec owning DIYers who want to learn. I've used this site quite a bit over time.

 

[Tripp]

, thank you guys so much for the quick responses...
Now, as for checking the position of the valves, is removing the valve cover the only real way to do that?
If so, is removing the valve cover difficult? And I'll need a new gasket for it, correct?

Edit: I'm reading my hayne's manual about rocker arm cover removal. It doesn't seem that hard. Just time consuming.

 

[bjones]

Driver's side cover is a bit of a pain cause you have to slide the AC bracket forward to clear the cover to get it off. I do it all the time to mess with this or that under the cover. If you DON'T want to pull the cover, the other way to do it is as you turn the motor put your finger on the #1 plug hole and feel for the pressure as you head up to #1 TDC (that's a trick my Dad taught me early on). You can also buy a TDC finder that goes in the plug hole and stops the engine turning when the piston comes all the way up in the cylinder.

Checking valves though, you have to pull the cover. I can't really see a way around that.

And no, unless the gasket on the cover is absolutely done with, you can reuse it. Just clean the oil off the gasket and top of the head and tighten the cover bolts from the center out so the cover doesn't come down **** eyed on the head. Works fine for me.

 

[badazzbulldog]

you dont need to remove valve covers,pull number one spark plug and bump the starter till you get a puff of compression out of the plug hole look at the timing mark should be at tdc mark and set dist in as it says by the article posted

 

[BOTTLEDZ28]

^^what he said. No need to remove the valve covers. You will feel air pushing out the spark plug hole as the engine is bump started. As soon as you feel and hear it, look at the timing marker. Then manually rotate the engine until the timing marker lines up at the TDC mark. you can now proceed to reinstall the dizzy the correct way.

Just a FWIW, but I tend to do a lo of my own by myself. Setting up TDC can be tricky by yourself so what I do is remove the gauge from my compression tool and install a small party balloon in its place. I then thread the hose into the spark plug hole and position the other end(with the balloon) in a spot where I can see it through the windshield as I bump start the engine. When the balloon start to inflate, I know I am now on the compression stroke of that cylinder and can now bring the engine to TDC. Kind of a crude way to do it but it works when you are by yourself.

You should also disable your fuel pump prior to do this procedure. Removing just one plug from your engine will not disable it from starting on you.

 

[great white]

you dont need to remove valve covers,pull number one spark plug and bump the starter till you get a puff of compression out of the plug hole look at the timing mark should be at tdc mark and set dist in as it says by the article posted

Safety note: DO NOT PLUG THE SPARK PLUG HOLE WITH YOUR FINGER!

If you stick you thumb over the hole feeling for compression it can be "sucked in" if it's on a compression stroke.

Everyone thinks this is an urban myth, but I'm here to tell you I've seen it in person.

A colleague was working on a no start problem in the shop once a couple bays down from me. One guy was bumping the ignition and the other had his thumb over the spark plug hole. The guy bumping it went just a little bit too far and buddy wasn't fast enough to pull his hand away in time.

Well, if you look at a spark plug and you look at your thumb you can see there's a pretty significant difference in size.

The engine didn't care and his soft squishy thumb went in to the spark plug hole.

Everyone in the shop dropped their tools when the scream came out. Peeled his thumb like a banana.

After another soul piercing scream, He passed out when they pulled his thumb back out of the hole.

Buddy eventually came back to work, but man was his thumb F'd up.

No one bumped an engine with the starter again for several months after that.....

 

[slippy3002]

I too know someone that it happened to as well and his thumb has no feeling anymore. The thumb looks ok from surgery, but still not perfect.

Sent from Robl@nd

 

[Scrufdog]

There's no way you could have accidentally turned the camshaft, unless you turned the crank, and thats nothing that is accidentally done, it takes force. More than likely, you forgot to plug something back in, or something in the distributor isnt lining up. Are you sure the plug wires are installed correctly, in the proper firing order, starting on the proper cap post?