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

[Scrufdog]

did you mark where the distributor body lines up to the intake manifold? Thats critical too.

 

[BOTTLEDZ28]

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.....

This is why I use the hose from a compression tester with a balloon on the end.

 

[great white]

This is why I use the hose from a compression tester with a balloon on the end.

Interesting idea. Would get the job done.

They're not the "lubricated type" of ballons, are they?

 

[wrager]

It's not absolutely necessary to have the engine at TDC on #1 compression, if you did carefully mark the dist body and rotor. I just installed a new dizzy (old one had a ton of play) last week. Motor was actually pointing to number 6. I just made sure to install it carefully to hit my marks. Started right up, no codes.

 

[bjones]

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.....

I have never had that happen (thankfully) but I will stop doing this immediately. I like my thumb :I

 

[Tripp]

Just coming back to wrap up this thread. I got the new distributor in and had the timing fine tuned by my mechanic. The new part cleared the engine code, and the truck runs awesome now.