Distributor Shaft Alignment, Small sector to Left/driver side? or Right/pass. side? Options

[Gatornapper]

Haynes Manual, page 65, Fig. 3.6, referenced from page 64, Pp. 6, #7: "install it so that.........an angle of 12 deg. .......with the small sector facing towards the outside of the car."

On my 914, the small sector is on the left.

If I'm reading this correctly, this is ambiguous and does not clarify it "the outside of the car" is the Driver's side or Passenger side.......

Can someone clarify this please? Or am I missing something (not the first time...).....

TIA,

GN

[injunmort]

I think you are missing somethings. that drive and its orientation is determined when installed. you can take that out and rotate it, put it back in and all you have done is change the clocking of dist. the engine needs to be at tdc, compression on #1. verified by timing marks on fan/flywheel. then you can pull the drive out, orientate it to where the distributor shaft teeth mesh with the drive shaft sockets. turn the shafts so the rotor points at cylinder #1 and drop back in. there is no ,fixed position on the drive sprocket it slide in with slots oriented wherever you put them. depending that it was right before or you didn't mess with it is not enough, you need to completely static time the engine and this is part of the process.

[Gatornapper]

Again, bro - I totally get that. The dizzy driveshaft can be installed in a number of positions.

But is not the position of the dizzy driveshaft as originally installed and correct for TDC on #1 in the photo in Post #2?

If so, does that not position the rotor as it is shown in the pic on Post #25?

I have not touched mine ever. And a month and a half ago, the car was running perfectly. And had been running fairly well from when I first started it after 14 years in July. Of course before starting it I completely rebuilt both the fuel and ignition systems. And a couple tablespoons of Marvel Mystery oil sat in the cylinders for a month before I even cranked engine. It started immediately after 14 years - AND - NO SMOKE!

But I never removed the dizzy until after the engine totally quit running about Nov. 11th. I had no reason to touch it.

I do not want to touch the distributor driveshaft.

Now, I guess I could rotate the dizzy (NOT the driveshaft) 90 deg. counter-clockwise and then have #1 firing on the dizzy cam lobe to the left of the one it fires on now. But it seems to me that would change nothing but the position of the #1 cap tower in relation to the engine orientation.

Again, right now #1 is firing on TDC exactly - both shown on static light and timing light.

I'll take a pic tomorrow of my dizzy cap orientation for #1 plug wire.

Thanks.......

GN

I think you are missing somethings. that drive and its orientation is determined when installed. you can take that out and rotate it, put it back in and all you have done is change the clocking of dist. the engine needs to be at tdc, compression on #1. verified by timing marks on fan/flywheel. then you can pull the drive out, orientate it to where the distributor shaft teeth mesh with the drive shaft sockets. turn the shafts so the rotor points at cylinder #1 and drop back in. there is no ,fixed position on the drive sprocket it slide in with slots oriented wherever you put them. depending that it was right before or you didn't mess with it is not enough, you need to completely static time the engine and this is part of the process.