Farmall Cub

I have a problem with the placement of the spark plug wire on my distributer. I'm not sure how they go. I know that the firing order is 1,2,4,3 but not sure how they go on the distributer. If one is on top then do they go clockwise or counter clockwise. The rotor goes clockwise.

fireing order is 1-3-4-2

#1 on the cap is to the left right of the top spring clamp while looking at it.

Go clockwise

next is 3, then 4 then 2

plugs start at the front of the motor 1,2,3,4

edited for dislexia. lol

there is a spring clamp towards the motor and another towards the outside. there is a plug opening on top of the distributer is that one or two plug wire

The number one plug wire tower is normally the one on top and slightly away or towards you from the engine.. Normally.

Keep in mind you are working on a piece of equipment that is probably 50 or 60 years old and could have been worked on by someone who installed the distributor out of time. If that is the case, there is no telling which tower is actually number one because instead of re- installing the distributor in time, the wiring sequence was adjusted to correct the mistake.

To verify which cap tower is actually #1, remove sparkplug #1 closest to the radiator and hand crank the engine until #1 cylinder comes up on compression. The timing pointer will point at the notch on the pulley.

Remove the distributor cap and determine which cap tower the rotor is lined up with. Only then will you know the true number one distributor cap tower.

The remaining wires are installed in firing order clockwise around the cap.

edit--

Dale Shaw wrote:#1 on the cap is to the left of the top spring clamp while looking at it

to the RIGHT--not Left

http://www.farmallcub.com/[ Sorry, direct links to manual section is not allowed. ]/index.p ... ls&order=0
It is ALL in the manual see above link

I was always confused ... so when I finally got it ... I did this : How To Understand Firing Order

Rudi wrote: How To Understand Firing Order

Visual training aids are like the adage "a picture is worth a thousand words"!

With YouTube and all the other sources of technical training available on the internet, technical education has come a long way.

Years ago I was working on a tractor that had a fireworks display going on under the hood in wet or damp weather... The plug wires were shot. This was a simple 4 cyl tractor so I pulled all the plug wires off with the cap and tossed them into the garbage can. The new cap went on then I routed the new wires in their proper sequence.

You guessed it, no start. If YouTube had been around and this was being filmed, you would have watched an hourlong presentation of me pulling my hair out trying to figure why I drove it in with crappy plug wires and now not even a pop.

About 45 min into the video which would include you seeing me hooking up the charger because I killed the battery, you would see me discover the distributor had at one time been removed and replaced 1/4 turn off.

For whatever reason this was not corrected and the plug wires were shifted one tower clockwise. Number one tower was now number 4 tower. No wonder it wouldn't even pop.

Learning from my mistake from then on before removing plug wires I always note which tower number one wire is is connected to.

Learn from my mistakes everybody, verify number one is actually number one. Don't trust distributor cap markings or position on equipment new to you.

As a side note, brand new equipment is not exempt from factory defects. A friend of mine who worked at an implement dealer found distributors mis aligned and the plug wires adjusted accordingly from the factory on brand new equipment. Imagine that.

Edited for left out word.

Hi J, Of course the best way to replace the wires, is one at a time. But, on the off chance that the distributor and drive gear have been removed then replaced in the wrong position, you can always bring the engine up to Top Dead Center, TDC compression stroke. Have an assistant tap the starter briefly with the spark plugs out. With your thumb over the #1 spark plug hole, compression will blow by indicating it just went past TDC. At that point, back the motor up by hand until the pointer lines up with the line on the crank shaft pulley. This is where #1 will be at the distributor. From there You will be able to determine which one the rotor point is aiming at, and you can proceed clockwise with 1,3,2,4, from there.

Correction, 1,3,4,2.