I took my 2nd valve out to wash it (i couldn't find my oil, but it worked fine) and I've tried making the number face the mouthpiece, yet it still is messed up and won't let me play a lot of notes.
see if there is a slight protrusion on the valve. probably on a piece of plastic near or above the spring of the valve? that should fit in a notch in the trumpet valve tube. Just insert your valve partly in until the protrusion is resting on a ledge-like part. Then turn your valve around the tube gently until you hear a click when the notch goes in. You are right, the number on the valve usually faces the side where the mouthpiece is. Make sure your other valves are also placed in there correctly. If all else fails, ask the person who's teaching or taught you to play trumpet. or go to a trumpet store. Enjoy practicing!
1) Try this first and if this doesn't work, go to #2. Oil the valve's body and gently put it back into the cylinder without screwing it in yet. Then, turn the valve until it clicks, and make sure it is really seated correct. Some trumpets have two clicks, and one is not the right one. So, you have to get the right click - which tells you that your valve is seated right. When your valve is seated right, then screw it in. 2) If you don't get a click when you spin your valve - look at the tubing on your trumpet and line up the holes in your valve with the tubing. When the valve is up, it will line up with 2 holes of the tubing, and when it is down it will line up with 2 other holes in the tuning. So, you can determine the correct positioning of the valve by looking at the tubing on your trumpet. But this is a last resort. I've never seen a trumpet where the valves don't click when you turn them.
