I recently rebuilt my engine and it was running OK... i sent it to the shop to have them adjust the valves and they were also going to replace a leaking oil gasket. The shop decided they would have to pull the engine to fix the gasket so i decided to bring it home and do the work myself. When the car was returned it would no longer start so i replaced the starter.

Now it will turn over but not run after it starts.

I am not sure if the distributor is in the right position on my cramshaft. I got these directions from the autozone website.

"To be sure that the number one cylinder is on its compression stroke, observe the rocker arms to see that they are both moving. Then, rotate the crankshaft one revolution until the rocker arms for the companion to cylinder number one are both moving at TDC (top dead center). Align the timing mark and install the distributor with its rotor pointing to the number one spark plug cable in the distributor cap. "


I need to know if that means i position it on the number six piston or if that is wrong...what is my companion cylinder?

 

Bring #1 up to TDC on the compression stroke, then check the rotor position. Install the distributor so that the rotor is pointing directly at the #1 wire on the cap.

Are you sure that the wires are run correctly?

 

Cylinders 1 and 6 will come up to tdc at the same time, so they are companion cylinders. But 1 will be at tdc firing and 6 will be at tdc exausting, and vice versa. So what the website directions are saying is that if #6's valves are both moving when the mark is aligned with the timing tab, it's exausting, so #1 must be in the firing position.

But that's a little complicated. When the intake valve on #1 starts to close, it's coming up to fire, so just bring it up till the mark alignes and rotor should be pointed at #1 plug wire.

 

Exactly.. and if you get it wrong.... just take the distributor out and flip it around...