plug wires

[74chev4x4]

How do I tell where I need to put the number 1 plug wire on the dist cap?  pulled all the plug wires off and not sure now?

[ccz145a]

normally it is between 4-5 o'clock as you look down from the top of the engine. but that is just convention, it could have been anywhere. best way is to remove #1 plug and turn the engine over untill you see the piston then look at the distributor rotor.

[jaredts]

turn the engine over untill you see the piston then look at the distributor rotor.

I forget things and get confused easy, but...this doesn't sound right.  You have to be sure you're on the compression stroke and I don't think you can see the piston through the spark plug hole.  There are dozens of ways to do this, I just haven't heard look for the piston before.  Am I losing it?  Put your thumb over the hole and feel for the air rushing out on the compression stroke is a quick way.

[Lt.Del]

Crank her til you see the timing mark on the balancer lined up with the timing tab.  Or does it go by the tab twice for each firing stroke?

[choptop]

I believe the mark goes buy twice. Did you pull the distributor out? If your just changing the wires, normally its the one on the front right side closest too you as you are looking at it from the front of the truck.

[78silver]

Plug fires once every two rotations of the crank on the compression stroke.  Seeing the piston or aligning the timing marks only give you a 50\50 shot at the piston coming up on compression.  Jaredts has it right - when you feel the compression on number one (or see it on a compression tester) - rotate the crank a bit more to align timing marks or move piston to top of stroke.  Distributor rotor will point to the terminal for the number one plug wire. 

[74chev4x4]

ok cool, thanks 78 silver!