1993 Chevy Cheyenne 4.3 won't start. Replaced Distrubutorcap

Tiny
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  • 1993 CHEVROLET TRUCK
I resently replaced the distrubutor cap. On my 1993 Chevy Cheyenne. That has the 4.3 V6. While replacing it. I got a couple of the wires in the wrong place. And the guessed at it a few times. With no Luck. After that I came in and looked up the firing order which was 1, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. CC. I put it in that order and still no luck. I have tried gapping the plugs, starting from different spots with the #1 wire. Trying it clockwise, I tried putting the old distrubtor cap, and router back on. And my truck will still not start. I have been messing with it now for a week. Can someone help me please?
Wednesday, January 10th, 2007 AT 12:16 PM

17 Replies

Tiny
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Ignore the screw head marks.


https://www.2carpros.com/forum/automotive_pictures/30961_firin_ordor_2.jpg

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Thursday, January 11th, 2007 AT 6:07 PM
Tiny
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But isn't that the same thing I have allready tried. You have the #1, on the drivers side correct?
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Friday, January 12th, 2007 AT 7:00 AM
Tiny
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It may be what you tried. I'm just saying recheck it. If it ran good before the work it should now. Installing wires is a little like proofreading your own work. No matter how many times you look at a misspelling, you don't always pick it up. Just trying to cover the basics first.

I'm trying to make sense out of a quick sketch I made at work yesterday. When I looked up the wiring placement it seemed to contridict another diagram. This is what I "think" I have :oops:
The number one is the left (driver) front on the motor. On the cap, it is the the front side of the cap, first position cc from the screwhead.

I'm assuming there is spark happening and the plugs are not fouled out.
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Friday, January 12th, 2007 AT 7:37 AM
Tiny
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New plugs, new wires, new router, new distrubutor cap. Plugs are gapped, to 0.045. The #1 plug, is on the drivers side closest to the front of the truck (grill, headlights). Then going back 3, 5. Then 2, 4, 6 on the other side. Correct. I have that and worked on doubling checking that and the placement on the distrubutor cap for 2 days in a row. And the #1 plug, wire. On the distrubutor cap, goes closest and facing the #1 plug on the engine correct. And I have done that and put them in order of 1, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. And tried in Clockwise and CC. I have even tried starting in all 6 different positions on the distrubutor cap just to see. After I messed up the order of the wires, I didn't go right away and check the firing order, I was stuburn and guessed at it a couple times first. And even got it started, and it kept backfiring. And even started to catch on fire. One person told me it might of jumped timing, but I ddin't think that was really a logical possibility.

Thank you so much just the attempt at help, means alot to me. I have spent so many hours out there. And it has been really frustraiting.
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Friday, January 12th, 2007 AT 11:10 AM
Tiny
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Have you brought the number one cylinder to top dead center and aligning the rotor to the number one position on the cap?
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Friday, January 12th, 2007 AT 12:32 PM
Tiny
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Doesn't it get off of TDC, every time you crank it attempting to start it? And also is that neccessary, since we didn't take off the actually distrubutor.
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Friday, January 12th, 2007 AT 12:37 PM
Tiny
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Yes it would.

I understand what was done, I'm not ready to jump into things that are dependent on basics.

Doing this will verify that you indeed have the number one cylinder firing at the right time. Say you put the rotor on backwards?

Since this problem wasn't present prior to your work, it means:

An ironic thing happened that we don't know yet but will be dependent on basics that should get checked.

OR

There was somthing you did to get you in this pickle.
Good techs have the ability to no get overconfident and question themselves from another angle.

Anyways, pull the number one plug out. Take a screwdriver with a long handle and measure how deep the piston is and mark the screw driver with elect tape or what ever. Bump the starter, recheck and remark if it came up higher. Continue this until the piston drops. You should have a good idea of where the highest point is by the lowest point on the screwdriver. To fine tune it, you can manually spin the motor over with a socket and a breaker bar on the crank.

Once you have it there, check your rotor position.

Make sense to do this to you?
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Friday, January 12th, 2007 AT 1:01 PM
Tiny
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So I want it at its lowest point, not its highest? So when the screwdriver is in the most so to speak
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Friday, January 12th, 2007 AT 1:04 PM
Tiny
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Before you do this take the cap off, take the rotor of and spin it 180 degrees, put back together and crank it.

No,
I knew I shouldn't have worded that way, sorry.

The closest point to the tip of the screwdriver, yeilds the highest point of the piston.


https://www.2carpros.com/forum/automotive_pictures/30961_tdc_1.jpg

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Friday, January 12th, 2007 AT 1:06 PM
Tiny
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Ok I have it in TDC. And the rotor, is facing the #1 spark plug on the D-cap. Still nothing.
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Friday, January 12th, 2007 AT 1:40 PM
Tiny
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The plugs aren't fuel soaked and are sparking?
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Friday, January 12th, 2007 AT 1:53 PM
Tiny
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Plugs keep getting fuel soaked YES!
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Friday, January 12th, 2007 AT 2:53 PM
Tiny
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Good, well logical anyways.

As long as they are sparking, we know the firing is right, we know it's getting fuel, timing wasn't touched, logically it may be fouled plugs at this point.

You may not like this, but none of this is much fun when the truck don't run. At this point, pull all the plugs one at a time and either replace them, or dry them, clean the area between the electrode and arm with a very fine sand paper, emery cloth etc. To remove any fouling, regap, re-install and hopefully. Start the truck motor up.
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Friday, January 12th, 2007 AT 3:59 PM
Tiny
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That would be a good answer and something we already thought, and actually first just replaced the distrubutor cap and wires, and it woudln't work so we thought it might of fouled the plugs. So we replaced them and set the firing order back.
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Saturday, January 13th, 2007 AT 5:05 PM
Tiny
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This truck was running before you changed the cap wasn't it?
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Saturday, January 13th, 2007 AT 5:12 PM
Tiny
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Yes it was, was actually pulled up to a different spot to change the cap and stuff.
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Saturday, January 13th, 2007 AT 6:10 PM
Tiny
ABBOTTALLAN
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My sons cheyenne did same thing after changing distributer, I messed with it for weeks finally took it to repair shop and it was the map senser.
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+1
Monday, April 16th, 2007 AT 10:05 AM

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