You need to align it and anticipate how the rotor/distributor will turn as it begins to mesh with the cam gear. It takes a bit of trial and error but is not hard once you get the hang of it. The distributor will either fall right down and bottom out as it should...or it won't. If it doesn't work, adjust the clocking on the oil pump a bit.I also used a long screwdriver to align the slot, but do you align it with the distributor before it's being pushed down or do you guess where it's going to end up because it rotates slightly when installed? thanks much