Re: Distributor Cap Positions

[trnsfrma@ix.netcom.com (Shawn C. Meze)]

At 08:29 AM 12/12/96 -0800, you wrote:
>  I have an '82 Scirocco which I drive daily here in rainy Eugene, Oregon.
>Recently, when I had to replace a fuel injection hose in moderately heavy
>rain, I got enough moisture in the distributor area to warrant the instant
>purchase of a new cap.  I put the wires back on as per the pictures in the
>Haynes (general Rabbit/Scirocco) manual, and had immense misfires.  I was
>finally able to get them on the right way (after seven or eight tries), but
>they were in the exact opposite (mirror) positions than in the picture.

Im a little confused as to how changing a fuel hose gets moisture in your distributor cap? Im sure you must have left out some detail, but thats cool. Im sure it happened or you wouldnt be asking. OK, Now, lets get down t
o bidnezz.

>  I was wondering: are the distributor cap wire positions - or even the
>firing order - different in Sciroccos than in Jettas, Rabbits, etc?  If so,
>is this indicative of all Sciroccos, just some, or just the II's?
>- Kyle Whelliston

This is a rare example to never use the picture as a reference to show where the wires go. In most cases, the manual would be accurate. Not this time! The reason is that firing orders are the same, but where they are on t
he distributor can be anywhere on a 360 deg pattern. The notion of 1-3-4-2 as being the firing order is now and will always be true for your engine. This is the kind of little useless info you can keep memorized in you he
ad forever. 
(There will be those brief yet proud moments when you remember it and get to put it to use, like me!) 

As a rule, when I replace the distributor cap, I always remove the old cap, with the wires still attatched to the old cap from the distributor. Before I do that, I find the #1 plug wire and track it to the cap for a refer
ence, in case I goof up the next part. (I havent yet) Then I put the naked new cap on the distributor and clamp it down. Then orient the old cap as if it were to be sitting on the distributor but off to the side. Then loc
ate each wire and swap them over to the new cap. Fire up the car and hear it purr. Always works for me, so far. 
Then there is the manuals way of doing it. Finding the #1 wire, setting the engine to TDC, looking at the rotor to see where its pointing, putting the #1 wire on the cap and then going to th rest of the firing order and p
utting the wired in the proper place. 

At this point in your game, it seems your firing order is kinda screwy. I hope you havent moved the distributor settings or you will also have to retime it as well. 
You can do this in a 4 step procedure to set the wires in the proper space. 
Put the #1 wire in any one of the 4 holes and then place the remaining wires in their respective spots. (In a clockwise pattern, plugwire 3 then 4 then 2, right next to #1.) Crank it, if it doesnt start and run, then rota
te all the wires one spot in a clockwise pattern. (Put the 1 wire where the 3 wire was, the 3 wire where the 4 wire was....)
the try it again. After 4 tries, it should run, or youve done something wrong. 
My but it looks like ive written a very confusing novel here. Hope it helps. 


Shawn
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