You need to have the #1 piston on TDC on the compression stroke, with both the intake & exhaust valves closed. Then set your distributor so that the rotor is pointing to the #1 tower, then lay in your wires in clockwise per the firing order. The 2.8 firing order is 1-2-3-4-5-6. 1,3,5 cyliders are on the passenger side, 2,4,6 on the driver side. It is common practice to move one plug wire at the time from the old cap to new cap to avoid runninginto your problem.

 

are you gettin spark at the plug or dist.

 

It sounds that you have the exhaust/ intake stroke confusesd with the compression/ power stroke. The crank rotates 2 times to the cams 1.
Pull your #1 spark plug and put a thumb to the hole. Then have some one bump the motor over. When the compression blows air past your thumb that is where you want to line up the timing mark. If it goes around again it will be 180 degrees out.

 

The distributor was placed in the same position from the old one. Which was still running before the tune up. I still thinking in the back of my mind that I have jumped time. Just for the hell of it im gonna check the timeing chain this weekend. If thier is something else I can at least set my timeing gears and go from there.

 

Just as I thought it was something stupid on my part.(Head Up Azz).I did have the distributor turned 180 out. What was confusing me was there is three marks on the harmonic balancer so I spun the engine over to the largest split side and my #1 was TDC but my rotor bug pointed opposite. I feel stupid but still don't now how I got it out I cant remember turning the motor after pulling the distributor. Possibly one of my so called good friends. Thanks for everyones help and I am glad I was able to find assitance from you guys.[sm=headbang.gif]

 

Drinking and driving and working on cars are a bad combo.JK
I know a kid that was changing the timing cover seal in an olds with a V6 and he had so many others helping him. He must have been blessed with friends like them. Well he calls me to come help after its together because it wont start. He cranks it it just spins. I pop the cap off and have hime crank and the rotor stays still. Pull the distributer and he cranks and while looking down the hole (the dist is in the front in the timming cover) I notice the cam gear not turning. I shine a light and see that there are no bolts in the cam gear! Why they got removed for a seal in the cover to this day I do not know. That guy just got lucky with such wonderful friends to help him.[&o]