spark plug wire debacle plus more..HELP!, plug wires and plugs now wont start Options

[thecleanoutking]

no help

[fiacra]

We've all been there. Or at least I have. Glad the attempts at witty repartee didn't totally drive you away. It's is not done with a mean spirit. There is a lot of people here with a well honed fund of knowledge and willingness to help out. Others far more knowledgeable than me will undoubtedly soon chime in. Be patient.

First off, if you have a 1974, and the engine has not been swapped, you have either a 1.8 or a 2.0. You can confirm with the serial number on the engine. As far as firing order it doesn't matter, they are the same across all 4 cylinder engines and all years. Not sure if you are asking for the position of the wires on the cap, or the routing of the wires. As far as where to put the wires on the cap, if you look at the rim of the distributor you'll see a small notch. That will line up with cylinder #1. In the picture of your distributor I see it at roughly 12 o'clock. From there go clockwise to get 4-3-2. As far as routing I'll attach some photos of my 1975 1.8 engine. It should be basically the same for all engines.

If it ran fine before you started to work on it then chances are something you changed or did is the culprit. Something else could have happened, but temporal coincidences are rare events. Not "never" events, but rare. Right off the bat I'd suspect either you have the wrong firing order, something is not properly connected, or you knocked something loose. Carefully check the lead from the coil to the cap and make sure it is seated at both ends. You should feel it click into place. Confirm the correct firing order. Look for any loose wires. Did you use the correct spark plugs? All those good? Check to make sure you have spark. If so, move on to see if you have gas. I'm spitballing right now because it is late at night after a long day, but work your way down the troubleshooting flow chart. Don't have a manual? Get one, borrow one, etc. Post your progress, ask every question, post pictures. You are sure to get the help you need.

Here's a picture of my distributor. You can clearly see the notch for cylinder #1 at 2 o'clock.



Some quick pictures of my engine bay. Hopefully you can see where the spark plug wires are running. I can get better pictures tomorrow if you need them.