16 replies to this topic

[Apdiliars250]

I have replaced my aldon red non vac distributor with a distributor from h&h modified for my engine. The car drives alot better with it and smoother. Only thing i can't get the timing marks to line up at all.

My engine spec is 1380,,minisport stage 3 head..minisport 544 camshaft.. Lightened flywheel

With my timing light set to 30° the closest i can get it to line up around 4°and 8°
With my timing light set to 10° the closest i can get it to line up around 16° and 20.
With my timing light set to no advance the closest i can get it to line up is way off the marks

Thanks james

I have added 3 videos in order of above at idle of 1000rpm not the best quality on YouTube

https://youtu.be/NfQkWV7P19U

https://youtu.be/l8vc5LzzRAk

https://youtu.be/QDspdUKsL8s

[Alex_B]

Does your new dizzy have vac advance? Is it disconnected and blocked off? If not that will be throwing it off

[nicklouse]

I have replaced my aldon red non vac distributor with a distributor from h&h modified for my engine. The car drives alot better with it and smoother. Only thing i can't get the timing marks to line up at all.

My engine spec is 1380,,minisport stage 3 head..minisport 544 camshaft.. Lightened flywheel

With my timing light set to 30° the closest i can get it to line up around 4°and 8°
With my timing light set to 10° the closest i can get it to line up around 16° and 20.
With my timing light set to no advance the closest i can get it to line up is way off the marks

Thanks james

I have added 3 videos in order of above at idle of 1000rpm not the best quality on YouTube

https://youtu.be/NfQkWV7P19U

https://youtu.be/l8vc5LzzRAk

https://youtu.be/QDspdUKsL8s

Sorry but reading that is seems like you have no idea how to used a timing light.

 

have you set your static timing? if so how much?

 

what should your ring advance be at what rpm?

 

if you can set your static but the required advance cant be got at the required rpm then you have the wrong curve on the dizzy.

[Apdiliars250]

Yes its a the vacuum advanced is blocked off.. All i did when i fitted the new distributor was have the engine at tdc and make sure the rotor arm is pointing towards the first cylinder and swapped them over

[dklawson]

Do you know what the old distributor was doing before you removed it?  Could it also have been bouncing around a bit?

 

I watched the videos.  What I think I am seeing is timing that is bouncing around a bit.  Though the rest of the engine should not be influencing this, I suggest making sure that the valve lash is set correctly with the engine cold and that your carb is adjusted as needed to get the mixture optimized.  Also make sure the plugs and plug wires are in good shape along with the cap and rotor.

 

Again, while this should not influence the timing, I have seen situations where an engine that is generally in poor tune could not get a steady advance reading.  Once the rest of the tune up areas were dialed in better the timing bounce/scatter was reduced enough to allow better adjustment of the timing.

[Apdiliars250]

The valve Clarence's are correct.. The bouncing around it did it the same with the old distributer..It idles a lot better with the new distributer

[KernowCooper]

Have you tried another timing light? I have seen some which have problems with the pickup which attaches to no1 cylinder, causing the fluctuations your getting.can you borrow one. As said above is the engine in a good state of tune? if the mixtures not correct this can cause a surge in revs, do you have a rev counter on your timing light, if so this would confirm a up/down on revs

Edited by KernowCooper, 28 October 2015 - 07:42 PM.

[Apdiliars250]

The rev counter on my timing light reads the reves go for 1000 to 1300 rpm..I would of thought the engine is in good state of tune because it runs perfect pulls well through all the gears..I could just buy another timing light but you can tell it revs up slightly on idle by the sound

[Spider]

I'm just wondering if your Harmonic Damper has failed, resulting in the outer ring being 'spun'.

 

If you've got timing marks on your Flywheel, do a static check to compare the two. If you don't have the timing marks, you can do a rough check buy pulling No. 1 spark plug and getting the piston as best as you can judge to TDC. This will only be a ball park at best, but usually, when the Harmonic Dampers fail, they move a fair bit, so should be fairly obvious.

 

If you've found that the outer ring of the Harmonic Damper has spun. I'd strongly suggest NOT running the engine until it's been replaced, or a busted Crankshaft could soon follow.

[Apdiliars250]

I'm just wondering if your Harmonic Damper has failed, resulting in the outer ring being 'spun'.
 
If you've got timing marks on your Flywheel, do a static check to compare the two. If you don't have the timing marks, you can do a rough check buy pulling No. 1 spark plug and getting the piston as best as you can judge to TDC. This will only be a ball park at best, but usually, when the Harmonic Dampers fail, they move a fair bit, so should be fairly obvious.
 
If you've found that the outer ring of the Harmonic Damper has spun. I'd strongly suggest NOT running the engine until it's been replaced, or a busted Crankshaft could soon follow.

I have had it at tdc and on the fly wheel and they both do line up together might be out by a copple of mm because the marking on the flywheel has been marked on.because the flywheel has been lightend I guess because it does not have the standard ingraving tdc mark

[Apdiliars250]

Have you tried another timing light? I have seen some which have problems with the pickup which attaches to no1 cylinder, causing the fluctuations your getting.can you borrow one. As said above is the engine in a good state of tune? if the mixtures not correct this can cause a surge in revs, do you have a rev counter on your timing light, if so this would confirm a up/down on revs

I checked the fuel mixture today and it was too lean. I adjusted the fuel mixture and idle's much better now at the same rpm and my timing light displays it does as well..

I now need to do the timing with the timing light i have searched alot on the forum and still not 100% on what to do. Do i have the engine idle at 1000rpm with the timing light advanced at 10°

[dklawson]

If you have an advance type timing light (sometimes called a dial back light) you set the light to 10 degrees, bring the engine to temperature, disconnect and plug the vacuum line going between the carb and distributor, then turn the distributor body until the ZERO timing marks on the engine line up.  If you do NOT have an advance type light (no knob or dial on the back) then you start the procedure the same but you line up the 10 degree marks on the engine.  What you line up depends on the type of light you are using and how you are using it. 

[Apdiliars250]

If you have an advance type timing light (sometimes called a dial back light) you set the light to 10 degrees, bring the engine to temperature, disconnect and plug the vacuum line going between the carb and distributor, then turn the distributor body until the ZERO timing marks on the engine line up.  If you do NOT have an advance type light (no knob or dial on the back) then you start the procedure the same but you line up the 10 degree marks on the engine.  What you line up depends on the type of light you are using and how you are using it.

Cheers im using a digital one

[dklawson]

Digital would mean "no knob", but the application would be the same.  If your gun has digital controls that allow you to set when the strobe fires (by adjusting/setting degrees), you set the gun to the desired advance and adjust the distributor position until the zero marks on the engine line up.

[timmy850]

Just to check you've got it the right way (using a dialback timing light):

 

Check idle timing (say 10 degrees at 1000rpm) - have dialback timing light set to 10 degrees and line up TDC and pointer

Check total advance (say 30 degrees at 4000rpm) - hold engine at revs and set timing light to 30 degrees and line up TDC and pointer.

 

If you adjust the total advance it might change the idle advance too. I'd rather have the total timing set correctly than the idle timing, as the engine is under load and making power, so needs to have the correct timing for best performance. 

 

Here is an example of a timing curve:

Taken from: http://www.msdperfor...g_Settings.html