new rebuild running problem

[garth64]

I replaced coil with a generic one and the car started and is running good; I've got a question: I set the initial timing statically at 14* btdc but when I put the timing light on the car with the vacuum can disconnected timing shows to be at 0* and I can't advance it anymore because the vacuum can hits the manifold; any ideas?

 

[Kid_Again]

Distributor 180* out of synch?

 

[67l36driver]

Distributor gear is 180* out of sync with the shaft. I know its hard to believe but its true.

There is a dimple on the distributor gear that is supposed to line up with the rotor tip. Putting it on wrong makes it a 1/2 tooth off so the vacume can interfears with the HP intake runner.

Remove the distributor and knock out the roll pin from the gear, rotate the gear 180* on the shaft and reinstall roll pin.

No, its not in the shop manual. ad

 

[Kid_Again]

Yup, learned it the hard way myself.

Who did your distributor? You can do this yourself but he deserves a good talking to:bash

 

[garth64]

I did the rebuild, the dimple is on the correct side; I'm going to pull the distributor yet again, line-up the balancer timing mark to 12* btdc on #1 compression stroke, put the dist back in, pointing to #1, then adjusting advance till points just open.

 

[67l36driver]

After you line up your timing marks its not necessary to check the points for just opening.
Pull #1 plug wire and lay it on the engine with a spare plug hooked up. Turn on your keyswitch and loosen up the dist clamp. Turn the dist clockwise a little and then turn back counterclockwise till the plug sparks. keep turning it back and forth untill you are comfortable with stopping at the instant it sparks. You'll be on the money when you start the engine.

This method even works for electronic ignitions but is a little more difficult to stop at the right spot.

Using this method I got a Fiat Spyder (what a POS!) running that had refused to start for anyone else.

 

[garth64]

How close to the centerline of #1 tower should the rotor be pointing; I can't get it to point exactly at #1 position; should it be cw or ccw from the #1 tower postion?

 

[67l36driver]

Shooting from the hip, I'd go with ccw from the #1 tower postion. Theory being that dist rotates clockwise and when advance kicks in, rotor tip will be approaching #1 plug terminal and not moving away.

 

[Kid_Again]

Yup, I'd say that's good advice but I am capable of screwing up a LOT of stuff and I've never seen an engine that was so picky that I couldn't keep it running with just an eyeball alignment of the cap/rotor.

Good luck.

 

[garth64]

The car starts now and runs fine, however, I can't get the balancer timing mark into the range of the timing tab on the block.

 

[vette-dude]

Is it possible that the dampner inertia ring has slipped on the arbor?? Don't know if you have a rubber mounted type dampner or the solid one but the rubber ones do fail this way.

Randy

 

[garth64]

It's rubber, how can I check to see if it slipped? When I put it on evrything seemed ok.

 

[vette-dude]

http://corvetteactioncenter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49067&highlight=harmonic+Balancer

Randy

 

[JohnZ]

It's rubber, how can I check to see if it slipped? When I put it on evrything seemed ok.

The inertia ring hardly ever slips - it takes over 1,000 ft-lbs. to break the bond of the polymer element to the hub and to the inertia ring.

If the timing index mark on the outer ring is directly aligned with a straight radial line through the keyway slot and pulley bolt hole, it hasn't slipped.

If you put a rubber band around the weights (which will hold them in the zero-centrifugal advance position) and can't get the timing index line within the range on the timing tab to set initial timing, you either have the wires mis-indexed in the cap or the timing light inductive pickup is on the wrong wire, or the distributor is a tooth off with the wires correctly indexed. The clue here is if the vacuum advance can hits either the #8 intake runner on the intake manifold or hits the plug wire support/coil bracket at the other extreme of travel before the index mark is in range of the timing tab marks.

Midyear Corvette engines require that the #1 wire go on the tower immediately adjacent (clockwise as viewed from the top) to the adjustment window, and the distributor must be installed with the advance can oriented as in the photo below (it's not a Corvette, but it shows the correct wire indexing and vac can orientation).

 

[garth64]

I finally got it; I had to rotate the distributor gear dimple 180* away from the rotor tip so the rotor would line-up properly; I read about this on another discussion board, on an old posting(I have an aftermarket crane cam); started right-up and the timing mark on the balancer was in the range where it should be on the timing tab; thanks to all for all the suggestions and help, this forum is a great tool.

 

[Kid_Again]

Like I said, BTDT.

Congrats!!!!


JohnZ......;worship