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Rotor 180

To: triumphs@autox.team.net
Subject: Rotor 180
From: Ct54531@aol.com
Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2001 19:17:30 EDT
If the distributor has never been out -- and nothing else has been done to 
disturb the timing -- how can the rotor be 180 degrees out of time? We (and 
this is me whose learning curve has been very steep and my automotive 
neighbor who has been in the business all his life including 20 plus years as 
a mechanic in the past on cars that have points and condensers etc. In other 
words, even if I don't know what I'm doing, he does.)
The cam and the crank have never been touched (ok -- exposed the crank and 
loosened one bearing to free a piston -- but that's it). The timing cover's 
been removed and the marks are fine. The valve clearances have been set and 
none are stuck. The #1 piston is at TDC and we checked the valves in sequence 
to determine which stroke its on. All of that meshes perfectly. But - the #1 
plug is firing when the #1 piston is at TDC on the exhaust stroke. 
But - I swear - I've never touched the distributor. The closest I've been is 
pulling out the tach gear. That's it. I've not loosened the clamp bolt or 
anything else (that I remember) and still the rotor/spindle/cam is turned 
180. 
Is there an inadvertent way this could have happened?
More importantly, what's the least invasive fix. Does the driving dog mesh 
with the slot only one way? What about pulling the pin and turning the 
driving dog 180? Would that allow the spindle to be turned 180 without 
disturbing anything else? Must the entire innards be lifted and turned 180 to 
put things right?
I know. I know. It's not good to fix things without knowing why they went 
wrong but.....as I say, the learning curve has been very very steep over the 
last two years and it's entirely possible I did something way back when that 
I don't even remember. But I don't think so. As I said, I swear I never 
touched the distributor -- as much out of fear as common sense. But there's 
no other logical answer. Is there?
Oh - there's no tensioner on the timing chain. None. No pieces either. I've 
owned the car for twenty years and this is the first time we've been in there 
so I guess there's never been one. I'll replace it before reassembly. But the 
chain is fine with good tension.
Any ideas?

Jim

Jim

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