Auto piston not firing

there is no specification for what you want
the valve clearance is between the end of the rocker arm and the end if the valve stem
the stem end is proud of the spring retainer so if your rocker arm is touching the spring retainer , you have a big problem as for the procedure it is set out in the workshop manual but if you don't have a manual it can be done like this
you will need the firing order of the engine first
now adjust no 1 piston valves when the next piston to fire has the valves in the rock position
that is the exhaust valve just closing as the inlet is just opening a bit of movement of the crank makes either valve move up or down
adjust no 1 piston valves
now move on to the next piston to fire and adjust the valves that were rocking
follow that procedure until all the valves are adjusted
for example
on a 4 cylinder engine with a firing order of 1--3--4--2
bring up no 1 piston and adjust the valves when the valves on no 3 piston are rocking
next piston to fire is no 4 so adjust no 2 piston valves
next piston to fire is no 2 so adjust the valves when no 1 valves are rocking
the procedure is the same for engines with any number of cylinders

there does not need to be marks on a harmonic balancer to adjust valves
when a piston is on tdc the valves will be either completely closed or in the valve rock position
when adjusting valve clearence you will need to know the firing order because when no 1 piston is ready to fire , then the next piston to fire will be in the valve rock position
for example if no1 piston of a 6 cylinder ( firing order 153642) is at tdc firing both valves will be closed and so the valves of no5 piston will be rocking so that will be the nect piston valves to adjust and after that no3 piston valves will rock so you do no 5 valves and so on
a workshop manual will explain it all to you

If you have a distributor , you car is fairly old. The timing is off. When you replaced the distributor, did you mark the position when you took it off? You will need the firing order of your vehicle and bump the starter to the correct position of #1 piston set the starter rotor to that position. Once you get it running you will need a timing light to set the correct timing so the engine runs correctly... It is too involved to explain here. The pistons is not getting the spark at the right time and position to start combustion. Get an auto book and read procedures.

Fig. Fig. 1: 3VZ-E Engine. Firing order-1-2-3-4-5-6. Distributor rotation: counterclockwise ,start by finding timing mark on crank shaft and rotate motor to timing indecater on motor ( to check if that is #1 at top dead center remove spark plug, piston should be at top of cylinder, use a soft object to feel piston come up you need 2 people to do this ,1 to turn motor over by hand and 1 to feel for piston rising now open dist. cap and note location of rotor pointing to #1 ignition wire or that will be now #1 and follow firing order ,if you go to auto zone and create an account (its free) you can get info on timing a motor and cylinder position .I REALLY hope this helped you .if it did let me know.thanks .
Woody

Could be broken piston oil ring(s), bad valve seals... Have them do a compression test. How long since you have changed the plugs??

The ignition order for my 1988 Mitsubishi Mirage is Longest lead to left-hand outer piston, then left-hand inner piston followed by right-hand outer piston then right-hand inner piston., going in an anti-clockwise direction.

1.****/air in,piston going down
3.squeeze/compresion,piston going up
4.bang/plugs fire,pistons going down
2.blow/exhaust.pistons going up
is that understandable??

It will be the same as most other motors. Disconnect the belt from the harmonic balancer and turn it til you see a mark (it will be a divit or lines) and line it up with the ones that are right above it. When you do this it will be 50/50 shot that the number one piston is top dead center. There should be the number of the pistons on the intake. Or you can call auto parts store and get the firing order. One more thing that you need to check is that the rotor under the distributor is pointing at the plug wire that goes to the number one piston. Those three things all lined up will do it.

use liquid wrench penetrating oil or PB blaster. spray a good amount and let it soak overnight. this will help loosen up the piston rings which are probably siezed to the cylinder walls. you will also need to drain and replace the oil if you get the engine to turn over and fire up. good luck!

If you have a mis-fire in your pistons, you need to change your spark plugs. And you might as well change your spark plug wires. Spark plugs can run you about... anywhere from $2 - $90. Take a trip to Advanced Auto Parts. You can get spark plugs for about $7 dollars a piece. With a 1.4 L engine you only have 4 pistons. Spark plug wires will run you a little bit more. Not sure. They are different for every car so im not sure