Distributor drive gear

[Davemate]

Why does it matter that the dizzy drive gear is installed as per manual.
If it's just thrown in the cam will still turn it and as long as the oil pump drive is lined up then the oil pump will work. The dizzy can only fit the drive gear one way which would mean that the rota arm can only line up in a curtain place when at TDC,on mine that's not the place that the manual states but does it mater where number 1 is on the dizzy as long as the firing order is then followed from the new position of number 1
Or am totally wrong and it really does matter

[Nick Jones]

You are right really - it doesn't much matter provided the outer body is in the right relative position - ie the rotor arm points at the #1 spark plug pin in the cap when the engine is a compression stroke TDC on ~1.  You can even pick the most convenient pin on the cap to start the firing order from.

The potential issues are that the position of the distributor body might be inconvenient (eg vac advance clashing on the head) and you might end up with a rather chaotic plug lead layout.  Factory position is chosen to prevent this.  Other than that, if it runs on all 6 and you can set the timing without the distributor clashing on something - it'll do the job.

Going back to your original issue:

Have you been setting the timing with a strobe, or static?  I ask as the strobe can sometimes give away problems with the distributor advance mechanism.  Things like you can see the timing jumping all over the place at idle, or it never returns to the same spot after you've revved it.

The basic check of the distributor is to take the cap off and turn the rotor arm in the direction of rotation.  It should move a few degrees and you might be able to feel two stages of springing.  It should return freely to it's start point when released and you should not find any more movement when try and turn it the other way.  Any unsprung "float" here is likely to give wandering timing at idle.  If it's sticky or stiff then you may get all kinds of random effects.

Nick

[Davemate]

I'll leave the dizzy drive as it is for now then
I've been useing a snap on strobe light, you turn a dial to the setting you want and once the engine is running TDC Mark lines up with the timing mark and is bang on and steady.