Club 80-90 Forums

I am having problems refitting my distributor after rebuilding the engine. Noting is going according to book.
So this is a 2l CU engine....
I have checked and checked that I am at TDC on number one (while the rocker covers were still off I watch the valves, I felt for compression and check the timing mark on the fan, I even stuck a screwdriver into the plug opening to feel the top of the piston) and the angle of the distributor drive is correct according to Haynes (and more importantly according to sarran1955). Yes the “small half” is away from the mounting bolt.
I then align the rotor arm with the notch on the distributor body.
And then... try and fit... but I can’t... the vacuum unit is hitting the fan housing. I have to rotate the body anti clockwise about 20 degrees. I have looked at the photo I took before and the vacuum unit is near the fan housing.
The drive must be in the wrong place.. but it looks correct.
I then started looking on the wiki and the first photo I find has the distributor in the same place. Good start.. Then I notice that the vacuum hoses are connected the other way. On mine the “cone” side was connected to the idle pipes and the flat (closed to body) side was connect to the LH carb.
I just know I am missing the blindingly obvious.. Please some one point it out!!

Here's a piccy from a post earlier this month.

Many thanks. I now know 2 things. 1. My vacuum setup was defiantly wrong. 2. why my coil to dizze HT lead is so tight... my coil is on the bulk head next to the control module.. this will now change... ( i have just realized this is shown in the "intro" photo in Haynes... I had just never noticed )

Asw wrote: 2. why my coil to dizze HT lead is so tight... my coil is on the bulk head next to the control module..

The above picture is wrong the coil should be on the inner wing next to the ignition module.

Check you have set the engine correctly.
Turn the engine so that the mark on the pulley lines up with the 0 mark on the timing scale (not the centre of the crankcase).
To make sure, turn the engine either side of the timing mark the valves on number three cylinder should be rocking, number one cylinder valves should be stationary. If number one valves are rocking turn the engine clockwise one turn, check again and set the mark to 0 deg.
The distributor drive should then be like this.


This is how it should look.

thanks for the info. I'll leave my coil and getter a longer lead!
Think I have found my problem. When instilling the dizzy the book tells you to align the rotor are to the mark on the body. Should the mark be opposite the connector for the hall sensor?