Hi Mark
Yes! the ball does go in first to seat in the crankshaft. The spring follows small end first. It is then important that the spring which is quite thin does not get caught up in the threads of the screw when you assemble this. Make sure the screw is done up tight and also as a precaution it is advisable to use a drop of "Loctite" to help ensure that the screw does not come undone. They are prone to do this when with the large screw driver slot it tends to act like a milling cutter and eventually bore its way out of the timing chest. Chris.
