Date:         Sun, 29 May 2005 01:31:38 -0400
Reply-To:     tabe johnson <xtabe@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         tabe johnson <xtabe@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Finding TDC revisited
Comments: To: oldbus@GMAIL.COM
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

First of all, I would use something soft like a piece
of wood dowelling, not something that can scratch the
cylinders.

Anyway, get your pencil (or whatver), stick it in
#1 spark plug hole, then crank the engine slowly until
the pencil starts to move out of the hole.  When the
pencil stops moving, that's close to TDC, either on the
compression or exhaust strokes.

If you need to find TDC more exactly, you can make a mark
on the pulley when the pencil reaches a certain point.  Then
crank the pulley backwards until the pencil is in the same
place.  Make another mark on the pulley.  TDC will be exactly
half way between the two marks.


tabe johnson/87 westy/vancouver bc



---> Date:    Sat, 28 May 2005 19:40:32 -0700
> From:    Mike Jeffrey <oldbus@GMAIL.COM>
> Subject: Finding TDC revisited
>
> I know that this has been discussed before, so my apologies for
> bringing it up again. I'm installing my distributor and need to find
> TDC on #1, so I went back through the archives to find the correct
> method. Engine is 2.0 aircooled (1983 Vanagon).
>
> Most of them speak of finding the compression stroke on #1 by putting
> one's finger over #1 spark plug hole while rotating clockwise. Once
> that has been identified, place a dowel into the spark plug hole and
> watch it go up and down - the high point is TDC.
>
> Seems this wouldn't work on a vanagon engine, with the pistons laid
> out sideways? When I place anything into the hole it moves side to
> side when I rotate the crankshaft back and forth, and eventually gets
> jammed.
>
> I saw someone mention the 'squeeze' method using some flatstock -
> place some thin metal into the spark plug hole, rotate clockwise until
> the metal is squeezed between piston and head. Makes more sense to me.
>
> So, if this method is correct, is the squeeze point (plus a tiny
> fraction of a rotation to make up the thickness of the metal feeler)
> TDC? Are there better, alternative methods?
>
> Also, when rotating the crankshaft by hand using the flywheel, there
> are definite easy and hard sections, even with all of  the sparkplugs
> removed. Do these easy/hard sections correspond to any TDC position?
>
> Many thanks for your help, with this and with all of my other questions so =
> far!!
>
> Regards,
> Mike J.
>
> PS - what lubricant should I use on the distributor shaft when
> installing? Looks like it had some sort of graphite paste on there?
>
> ------------------------------
>
> End of vanagon Digest - 28 May 2005 (#2005-438)
> ***********************************************
>


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