My question may seem a bit short sighted for many, but i rebuilt a caprice engine to stock specs for a 87 caprice, however i changed from the stock ignition to a HEI distributer, there is the usual TACH, BAT, and the  C- GRD B+, along with the 4 pin plug that runs off the lower section of the distributer, vac. advance style.  pretty much a figure 8 engine to put in with a street tune to keep it running until i get my 350 running again.  It cranks, it spins nicely, wires, plugs, but no fire. anyone be able to tell me exactly what each wire needs to have running to it? since i changed the systems, im boggeld.

if i was u i would check my module that sits up under the distributor cap it has 2 screws that hold it down.when installing a new 1 make sure u put the grease on the bottom of the new 1 or you'll have problems down the road by it being a chevy product it will probally cost u about 10-15 dollars at the most .but anyway i would try that first.  

It would appear that your 87 is computer controlled. All those hook ups are to supply information to and from the computer. The computer needs this data to operate the Fuel Injection and some transmission functions if this has a 700R4. I suspect the engine is TBI/possibily a computer controlled carb.

It may have a roller cam which will quickly digest the distributor drive gear from a distributor meant to run with a flat tappet cam.

In the short term you need to return to the original computer operated distributor that accepts all the connectors. Otherwise it will never run right.

Bogie

actually the 87 has a computer controlled system on it, but i pretty much put in a hei esystem out of another car into it. i pulled a engine out of a 86, which was hei, and well it was computer controlled, but i put in the vac. advanced one, and it worked just fine.  to put it in more simple form, i basically fabricated a style that most figure 8 cars or cruser car racers would use, however, since i dont have the plugs to go to it, it would be nice to know what goes where on the 4-pin plug so i can fab up a hook up to the older hei. or i may end up yanking out an older system and try to go that route.  

and i forgot to mention, i have a couple 700r4's and a couple 350th's and 400th's and the transmission isnt a 700r4 for some odd reason.  but until i can pin-point the exact style, all i got to go on now is the transmission is labeled "403" with a "G" under it. all of its hook-ups matched my swapped in engine. so that wasnt any problem at all, and the computer in the car reads the check engine light, but when the key is cranked and everything on, it turns off, so im both lost, dazed, and confused over this thing.  this thing has thrown me for more loops then my past 4 chevys. and i also have 3 pontiacs. and this CAPRICE, is the most difficult.  

If you can tell me what that distributor came out of. year, make, and engine size, I can get a wiring diagram, fax it to you, or just let ya know what those wires are for on that four pin connector. Let me know.  

The 4 pin plug from the dist. plugs into the cap  

I think some of those distributors had another plug off the other side that got plugged into a harness on the car. That is what I think Lucian is wondering about. I could be wrong.