It has been years since I received a car that ran on two cylinders instead of four. After searching for a while, the exhaust manifold turned out to be crooked, causing false air to be sucked in.
At that time a lot of people knew about the problems with the manifolds. Often the problem of the seal was with the rear cylinders, number four and three. This science caused a kind of Pavlov reaction. If there was a car with a similar problem, it would be in that crooked manifold again. The carburetors and the intake manifold were dismantled again. The exhaust was then removed and then the exhaust manifold. The manifold was checked and found to be perfect. The exhaust gasket was also perfect, just like the intake manifold. Everything was reassembled and extra checked. The engine was started and again two cylinders did not participate. Wasn't the ignition sequence 1 4 3 2? No it wasn't. It was 1 3 4 2. After the cables were connected correctly, the motor ran like a charm. Delicious! Just a pity that all parts were first removed for nothing and that only then had the correct ignition sequence been looked at. The ignition of the cylinders always goes in a certain order determined by the manufacturer. The rotor can also turn left or right. The numbering of the cylinders is always from front to back. But the ignition sequence is not! Consult the workshop book or instruction booklet in case of uncertainty.
Photo and text: Jacques van den Bergh