[AT] Rationale for firing orders

[Larry D. Goss]

Are you sure the distributors both turned the same way?

Just for kicks, I walked over to the book shelves across the room and
pulled out the Reader's Digest Complete Car Care Manual and its
supplement, and a couple editions of Chiltons.  Of all the makes and
models on the road with a straight four at the time of printing, (1981,
1983, 1987) only the small engine in one of the Ford Fiesta cars of 1971
had the firing order of 1-2-4-3.  All the rest, both domestic and
imported had a firing order of 1-3-4-2.  There were lots of models where
the distributor turned in different directions, so if you assume a
clockwise rotation when it's really rotating counter-clock it will look
like you have a different firing order.  

Larry

-----Original Message-----
From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
[mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of David Myers
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:13 PM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Subject: RE: [AT] Rationale for firing orders


--- "Larry D. Goss" <rlgoss at evansville.net> wrote:
> Dudley does a good job of describing what's going on
> in the engine, Rog.
> When it comes to 1-2-4-3 vs. 1-3-4-2 firing order, I
> remember being told
> by the professor in the Internal Combustion Engine
> course that used to
> be part of the mechanical engineering curriculum at
> Purdue, that
> designers tried to even out the stresses in the
> crank and camshaft by
> spacing the firing along the line of cylinders as
> far apart as possible.
> The firing order probably doesn't make much
> difference on an in-line
> four, but it does make a difference when you get
> into 6-, 8-, and larger
> engines.
> 
Larry, funny thing on the 4 cyl. firing order.  Early
Clark and Yale fork lift trucks both used Continental
F-163 engines.  One was 1-3-4-2 and the other was
1-2-4-3.  The engine turned the same direction, only
the distributor was changed to confuse the
weak-of-mind (namely me).  Now, even though one was a
Delco and the other a Prestolite, why the change?  Oh,
don't tell me it would only make matters worse. :-)
Dave Myers
Paw Paw, Michigan

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