# Distributor shaft turns so that the rotor is misaligned **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** toyota, pickup\ **Created:** [July 22, 2017, 2:35am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/distributor-shaft-turns-so-that-the-rotor-is-misaligned/106124 "2017-07-22T02:35:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dagnabit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@Dagnabit](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Dagnabit)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 2:35am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/distributor-shaft-turns-so-that-the-rotor-is-misaligned/106124/1 "2017-07-22T02:35:54Z")
While my engine is running my rotor suddenly turned to no longer be at the #1 sparkplug wire when #1 piston is tdc. It is 180 degress off. This causes a backfire and stalls. ---
**Author:** ![oldtimer-11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e79b87/32.png) [@oldtimer-11](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oldtimer-11)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 2:39am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/distributor-shaft-turns-so-that-the-rotor-is-misaligned/106124/2 "2017-07-22T02:39:46Z")
Did you, or anyone else have the distributor out? ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 3:20am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/distributor-shaft-turns-so-that-the-rotor-is-misaligned/106124/3 "2017-07-22T03:20:22Z")
If you had somehow spun your distributor rotor 180 degrees out, the engine wouldn’t run at all. It’d be firing on the #3 cylinder when the #1 cylinder was at the top of its power stroke (assuming a 4-cylinder) or the #4 cylinder when the #1 cylinder was at the top (six cylinder). What led you to believe it’s 180 degrees out? What are your actual symptoms? And, of course, what are the year and engine of your Toyota. And the truck’s mileage. You do realize I hope that the sparkplug fires every **other** time the piston comes top-dead-center rather than every time? And that the camshaft operates at half the revolutions of the crankshaft? ---
**Author:** ![CapriRacer](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/capriracer/32/22_2.png) [@CapriRacer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/CapriRacer)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 9:12am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/distributor-shaft-turns-so-that-the-rotor-is-misaligned/106124/4 "2017-07-22T09:12:50Z")
[quote=“the\_same\_mountainbik, post:3, topic:106124”] … You do realize I hope that the sparkplug fires every other time the piston comes top-dead-center rather than every time? And that the camshaft operates at half the revolutions of the crankshaft? [/quote] I hope you realize that SOME engines fire every revolution - one of which is on the exhaust stroke. I don’t know enough about the particular vehicle in question to say this is the case, but I wanted to point that out to any readers who are unfamiliar with that sort of set up that it does exist. ---
**Author:** ![keith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/keith/32/5518_2.png) [@keith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/keith)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 5:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/distributor-shaft-turns-so-that-the-rotor-is-misaligned/106124/5 "2017-07-22T17:29:09Z")
IF it has a distributor, it is not one of those engines. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 6:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/distributor-shaft-turns-so-that-the-rotor-is-misaligned/106124/6 "2017-07-22T18:37:09Z")
> [@CapriRacer](#): > > I hope you realize that SOME engines fire every revolution You’re right. There are some engines out there that fire two plugs at a time with one shot from the coil called “wasted spark” engines. These suck, but there are some out there. I don’t know what the timings of the “wasted sparks” are, whether they’re 180 degrees out (on the exhaust stroke of the other cylinder) or not. However, to the best of my knowledge, Toyota has never used them. ---
**Author:** ![Rod-Knox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Rod-Knox](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rod-Knox)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 7:01pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/distributor-shaft-turns-so-that-the-rotor-is-misaligned/106124/7 "2017-07-22T19:01:20Z")
The distributor turns at half the speed of the crankshaft therefore the rotor is near #1 at TDC on one stroke and at #4 on the next stroke at TDC. Number 4 is 180\* from #1. ---
**Author:** ![insightful](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/insightful/32/2732_2.png) [@insightful](https://community.cartalk.com/u/insightful)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2017, 8:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/distributor-shaft-turns-so-that-the-rotor-is-misaligned/106124/8 "2017-07-22T20:08:39Z")
> [@the\_same\_mountainbik](#): > > However, to the best of my knowledge, Toyota has never used them. Look closely…2001 Toyota: ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/2X/b/b729adb5d446f837e00d87e7243aaf2d980ffa04.png) Notice plug wires going to the left and around to the back bank. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2017, 1:53am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/distributor-shaft-turns-so-that-the-rotor-is-misaligned/106124/9 "2017-07-24T01:53:18Z")
The distributor will appear to be 180 degrees out at tdc as often as it is spot on. It alternates, that’s normal. That’s b/c in a 4 cycle engine the crankshaft turns a complete circle twice for every time the distributor turns a complete circle once. This isn’t to say the distributor isn’t 180 degree out, that could happen I suppose, but OP should make sure they aren’t mis-interpreting what they are seeing. At top dead center every other crank rotation the distributor is 180 degrees out, that’s just the way the engine’s ignition system works. My guess is that the backfires and stalling are caused by something else. What does your timing light say is happening?