I need to replace the distributor in my sons '92 LX and I would like to know, do I really need to have the #1 at TDC? Is there a better way? Mark how the old rotor sat in the housing and match it up with the new one? Any feedback would be appreciated.
If you were just pulling the old one and putting it back in, marking the shaft and block where they meet and popping the cap off and marking the housing where the rotor is pointing works pretty well, but if you are putting a new one in, it might be pretty hard to mimic it exactly. In that case, I would try to turn the motor so that the rotor was pointing straight at a known terminal (#1, for example). When you put the new distributor in, just make sure to have the same exact position and you should be fine. Be SURE to reset the ignition timing after you have it all back together, it can float a lot more than you think, even if you think you have the distributor back in the right place.