Hello fellas… i’m new here… i bought a 84 firenza fwd and it has some firing issues… when first got it it was stalling on cold startup. from what i can find online the block from left to right is 1234 and the firing order is 1342. so i set the block to tdc and # was in the lower right corner of the distributor so i put #1 wire on there and the rest clockwise in the firing order. but on startup it doesn’t seem to be firing correctly… back fires through the carb and won’t start… any help would be great thanks

still fighting with this distributor… can’t find any info on which way the rotor cap is suppose to be pointing… on most engines the cap is supposed to point to the #1 cyclinder… i’ve tried that and nothing… yesterday i drove 5 hours to pick up a haynes manual and when i looked it said nothing about rotor cap placement…if anyone has an 84 2L FWD OHV engine in their car or knows where some info is on this please please HELP ME…. lol this car is so awesome and need to be on the road Thanks

Are you sure it's at TDC on the compression stroke? It could be at TDC on the exhaust stroke.
That would give you the hiccups you see.

i think so…#1 cylinder is at the top.and my three timing marks are at 0. can’t find any info on distributor and rotor cap placement..

This is Ron.Im a 1st gen owner since 98 in the family since 91.With out writing a novel on my knowledge I'll dig into and or show pics of some stuff.The firing order is right.Making sure it's o TDC and compression is imperative. The back firing is a Key tell tale of it doing its not timed right.It may require speaking the distributor once running,and a old school timing light!I haven't been on here in Forever,so I'll have to see if my pic posting will work using my Google photos.I have a 1985 type 10 cavalier all Stock 2.0 ohv with a 4 speed manual,sunroof factory! Color is yellow gold and it's a coupe.Mileage 198k stays garaged year round.I will follow up.

So i’ve done some thing since i last posted… so firing order is good… but now it is still stalling. seems to be getting to much air in the primary. went through all of the fuel system. i checked and fixed air leaks and can’t seem to find any more. changed EGR valve spark is good and compression…choke seems to be working. but here’s the kicker…when i start the car it runs for about 3 to 5 seconds and dies. if i stuff a rag in the primary on the carb and start it it runs like a champ… im stumped… i know a fair amount about cars but not a mechanic. hopefully someone knows what’s happening

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Hi john, I haven't been on here in long long time, however I did on a 85 cavalier type 10 and had issues with the TBI injection on it. If you can keep the car running long enough take a flashlight shine it at the TBI and make sure that it is spraying in a nice neat even cone pattern, I will be hard to do but it should be checked. If you see that it is dripping while the car is running and not spraying in a nice cone fan pattern that could be your issue. I had a similar issue on mine with it running funny stalling and other things. Hope that helps.