LM318b where is position 1

"I have twin chrysler 225 LM 3

"I have twin chrysler 225 LM 318b v8 left and right rotation engines in an Australian built Halvorsen 30 ft cruiser.

I inadvertantly pulled out all the ignition cables to service them and now can't figure out what goes where. Yes, I know, I will mark them in future. But right now, please get me out of this fix.

The information I found in these posts is helpful, but I do not understand the information in the manual or printed on the inside of the ignition cover relative to the actual position of things on the engines.

I think that the piston numbering system for both engines is:

- propeller end -
8 7
6 5
4 3
2 1
- belts and water pump end -

What I need to know is, how do I tell on the distributor cap which is 12756348 and 18436572 (Right and left respectively)?

I have some cables still attached on the right engine (makes me very confused when I compare to the manual), but all cables are off on the left engine.

If you could indicate in a mock diagram (as above) I would be greatly appreciative.

I am not a mechanic. If the engine was made of wood, I would have no problems

Hope you can help.

Regards,

aAron"

"The front left plug is always

"The front left plug is always # 1 on a Chrysler. The wiring order in the distributor cap for the reverse rotating motor is opposite for the "normal" rotation. Just use the same hole on each as # 1, then set up the wires as:

Normal rotation: 18436572

Reverse rotation: 12756348

Jeff"

"Thank you for the reply; just

"Thank you for the reply; just two things:

Front left plug viewed from the rear or the front of the engine?

I get the rotation issue, but do you mean just pick any hole and make that # 1 and carry on from there (reverse and normal respectively)?

When you do that sort of thing for a living, it all makes sense; but for us poor buggers, it is still a black art.

Thanks,

aAron"

"Standing at the back, or dist

"Standing at the back, or distributor end of the motor, look forward. Plug # 1 will be at the front left.

Use the hole at about 10:00 o'clock for # 1 plug wire.

G'day Mate!

Jeff"

"G'day,

It's funny

"G'day,

It's funny reading that word in an American accent (I presume you are American, otherwise, whoops, sorry, mate).
Thank you for that invaluable information. The poor thing has been sitting there waiting for me to stop sweating.

I read about the 10:00 o'clock position in another post and had a look at the inside of the distributor. There is a large triangle notch punched out of the metal base plate inside, pointing at about 1/2:00 o'clock. That and the position of the leads really threw me off, as I thought the punch-out pointed to #1 cylinder.

Why don't they just do simple things, like label and number cylinders, sockets, firing order, rotation indicators? Must be run by Masons.

Thank you so much for your help. This forum is brilliant. Given the number of replies you have posted, they should change the name of this forum to "Fast Facts from Fast Jeff".

If I can help you with something in my sphere of influence (Educational Design and Computing), please don't hesitate to ask...

aAron."

It's still true: Never me

It's still true: Never met an Aussie I didn't like!

Fast Geoff

"When cylinder #1 is at TDC at

"When cylinder #1 is at TDC at the start of the power stroke, the distributor rotor should point to cylinder #1. This is true for both rotation types. Make sure that the reluctor roll pin is in its correct groove.
Have fun,
Dave"

"Thanks for the reply,
Unfort

"Thanks for the reply,
Unfortunately, you are dealing with someone who knows nothing about engines.
I know what TDC means, but how do you know it is in that position? What indicators are there?
Reluctor roll pins in correct grooves sounds more like a Pimp jive talking (I am such a honkey, I know...)
My fear is that I will get it all wrong, so I will do the right thing and get a knowledgeable motor engineer-type person to have a look for me.
If my Dad was still alive, I would have no problems. I should have asked him about reluctor roll pins before he shuffled off this mortal coil...
Thank you for your help anyway.
As a matter of interest for all of you guys, I am an educational designer working for a Technical College in Canberra, Australia. Co-incidentally, just this week I have been assigned to the Automotive section to design interactive and online teaching and learning resources. One of my ideas is to have an animated engine that provides details of all components, firing order, etc. So hopefully, if the project takes off, you might get to see some very useful animations that even dumbos like me can understand. Will keep you posted.
Thank you so much for helping, it all adds up and is slowly making sense (except for reticulated groovy rolling pins... or whatever)
aAron"

"Aaron,
I am not an expert, b

"Aaron,
I am not an expert, but I have tinkered w/ my twin Chrysler LM318 engines for about 16 years. I am going to post more than you wanted for two reasons: Others might find it useful now or later. Also, I am starting an engine rebuild project and I need a record in the ship’s log so I do not forget.
The Basics:
This applies to a classical Chrysler direct drive twin-engine installation. As viewed from the rear of the boat (the flywheel end of the engine) the port prop rotates to the left (CCW) and there is an “L” encoded into the engine nameplate model number. The starboard prop rotates to the right (CW) and has an “R” in the engine model number. The #1 cylinder is at the upper left of both engines. The left bank has the odd numbered cylinders and the right bank has the even numbered cylinders (like GM - not Ford). Both distributors rotate CW.
The port engine (which I call standard rotation because it is the same as a car engine) has a firing order of 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2.
The starboard (reverse rotation) engine firing order is: 1-2-7-5-6-3-4-8.
Finding TDC:
One way to find #1 TDC is to remove #1 plug and poke a coat-hanger wire into the hole while rotating the engine by hand. I use a dull screwdriver (so it does not nick the teeth) and cog the engine one flywheel tooth at a time using the timing hole in the bell housing. The piston comes to TDC twice in the 4-stroke cycle. To distinguish between the beginning of the power stroke (which you want) and exhaust-intake stroke (which you do not want), take a hose and blow into the #1 spark plug hole. If it flows freely, you have the wrong TDC and need to rotate the crank another turn. With some cams, you may have to blow just before or after TDC to get free air flow.
Prestolite Electronic Distributors:
In a marine environment, these distributors frequently get very rusty on the inside. Then the flyweights stick and the engine will not develop full power. If you ever get inside to clean it, be very careful about how you re-assemble it. On the shaft, just below the rotor, is an 8-lobed iron piece called the reluctor. It is keyed to the distributor shaft w/ a small pin made by rolling up a thin piece of sheet-metal. Hence, it is called a roll pin. There are two grooves inside the reluctor. You must use the correct groove. Last spring, I missed the mating grove in the shaft with the roll pin and almost destroyed an engine. Hence, my comment about being careful.
Also, after assembly, you must adjust the gap between the reluctor and magnetic pick-up coil. Chrysler Service Bulletin # 249 dated 9 Jun 77 says that the gap should be 0.006 to 0.0075 inches as measured w/ a non-magnetic shim. That tolerance is impossible to hold because the bearing clearance of the shaft is much more than that. This tight tolerance is necessary because the OEM ignition module is so marginal (particularly at high RPM). I STRONGLY recommend that anybody w/ a 1970s vintage Chrysler electronic ignition upgrade to a modern aftermarket, USCG approved system. Also, there are much better coils on the market.
Buying Chrysler Marine Parts:
For some unknown reason, Chrysler parts catalogs refer to the damper pulley end of the engine to distinguish directions of rotation. Thus, my port engine (standard rotation – code L) is called CW. The starboard engine (reverse rotation – code R) is called CCW. That is exactly backwards from the conventions above.
I hope this is helpful,
Dave"

"Wow, thanks a million, this i

"Wow, thanks a million, this is really helpful. You are right about the rotation issue, as I found some documents that contradicted each other. Having you guys out there with this knowledge is really important, and a forum like this is the perfect place to sort out this information. I will be sure to get this info to my mechanic.
Thanks again,
aAron"