You only have to do that if you connected the vacuum advance hose to ported manifold vacuum! It depends how your engine was set up, So you are partially correct but you are also wrong! You should really learn all the information before giving out advice that could screw with someone’s engine!
@@NeverEnoughPyro40 he is half right. I think he was talking about initial timing setting and vacuum adv is connected to manifold source. Ported timing should not matter because you only get vacuum advance during part throttle.
You are correct on the ignition timing. My question concerns cam timing. On a dohc if one of the cams is off one link could this create a miss at idle? Over two grand on the tach it runs like a watch. I also thought about the vvt solenoid. Do you have any input on this?
You might offer a video explaining the mechanical advance functions and also a discussion about vacuum advance and what it is all about. There are too many motor heads who believe vacuum advance is something to eliminate completely, utilize ported (venturi) vacuum or manifold vacuum. Truly, only one vacuum source is the correct one.
Well I can explain this from a general motors co. Standpoint. They've done studies: -the best initial timing is going to fall within 2~12 before or after TDC depending on Peak timing, or where it should operate is 30-36 depending upon tbe factors of tbe specific engine. Which means let's say you're @~10TDC at idle, initially. then you'll want 20~26 degrees intermediate. Which will add up to 30~36 degrees of total timing or peak timing. This is where the engine should be. many factors such as mileage, age, cam duration, etc. - PRE EMISSIONS engines, the vacuum advance should be hooked to manifold side - vehicles fitted for the VET and EMISSIONS control should be hooked to ported - manifold will begin advancing at idle and will peak when throttle is cracked, thus advancing the timing right away, engkne is efficiently burning internally and pumping out waste it doesn't require. Whereas, the ported is very "vanilla" and will allow for a leaner mixture to run as it slowly advances with throttle responses. The advance is a device that, when diaphragm is acted upon, advances tbe distribution of spark as more vacuum pressure is created in tbe engine, acting upon the diaphragm. In most cases, especially vehicles fitted with larger cams, won't run unless the advance is hooked up. The pick up in tbe distributor will not effectively spark, causing hesitation or the engine to "fall on its face" when you crack the throttle It doesn't really matter how many inches of vaccum you build through manifold side of carb, as long as you adjust it to the max vaccum whilst still running smoothly. You'll want the needle on your Guage to be sustained in one slot at idle, if it's not, you could experience a plethora of issues such as leaky intake, cracked vaccum hose, or blown head gasket. You'll always want to set your idle screw all tbe way back to not effect the throttle linkage arm, you can adjust idle when you're finished.
@@arthurmoore1524 Pre-emissions days I had varying opinions from gearheads and those who used venturi ports never had great running engines...it was so obvious yet they kept them set up that way. I drove around town with the A/C on in 90+ degree weather and always had a cool running and smooth idling GM.
@@Garth2011 you can run the advance off of literally any port. It'll work, it may not peak, but it will function.. For AC cars I do mainly use the ported side because of the extra drag on the engine. It'll eat up your inches of merc. If you don't. But for sportier cars I tend to lean more towards manifold. If it's cammed I'd definitely use manifold because you're going to lose IOM due to low idle & choppy idle. I also like more advancement off the line for dig racing, and manifold vacc to the advance will help create more advancement quicker.
But, I also run a very cool 160 thermostat, change the curve of the distributor, and the shift points via modulator. When I put one together, it will really talk to you lol you can take a slower car and beat a faster one on paper if you got the right tune and reflexes. It takes time.
I was hoping that since you guys are tuners, you might have revealed how to establish the correct timing for a modified engine. "Getting the timing spec" from the engine builder.... duh, like we build our own engines and was looking to learn something here. If a person needs to watch this video to check timing, they shouldn't be allowed near an engine.
Great job of explaining *what it is (timing), but not how to find it. Most of us hot rodders don't have correct timing given to us by the engine builder.
if you get your distributor curved then they'll get it very close like performance distributors. most hipo pump gas N/A application are full advance at 2000-2500 rpm with the least amount of mechanical advance you can get away with. and advance initial on a dyno until it loses power then back it off
@@KingJT80 sounds good. On the dyno, 15 years ago, the dyno operator brought the total timing up to 40°. Is that normal? To much? I'm not racing this thing at all, so I brought it down to 37 total, and 22 initial. 381 Chev, aluminum victor jr intake and Vic Jr heads. 9.8:1 cr. Made 511hp, 492 tq.
@@jakefriesenjake if that's the best it made on the Dyno, then that's good. It's whatever it wants. But usually performance engines want more initial than mechanical which it sounds like you got back then
@@KingJT80 cool. I say 15 years ago, but basically it's still brand new! I've been working on the 81 Z28 for that long on and off (mostly off). I hope this spring/summer I'll be done with this thing. Been a while.
With the marks lined up to each other , crank mark at 12 o'clock and cam mark at 6 o'clock. You will find that you are at spark plug number 6 firing,...to get the rotor pointer to number 1 position you have to turn the crank one revolution (360 degrees), And when you are at TDC for number one, your crank mark and cam mark will both be at the 12o'clock position. SO you want to set the marks where they line up to set the cam timing, then BEFORE you put the distributor back in, you will need to crank the engine over 180 for number one if you want to start it.... ;-)
I WAS RUNNING MY 350 THE OTHER DAY I CHECKED ALL COMPRESSION THE LOWEST IS 140 TO 165 NOW MY MOTOR SEEMS TO BE CRANKING OVER WAY TO EASY CAN THIS BE VALVES AND IF SO WHAT DO I DO
What if there is no published total time reference for your engine? I have a 1949 Oldsmobile 303 v8. The service manual only gives initial timing recommendations. There aren’t even timing degree marks on the crank, just two steel balls. I’m told to place the pointer between the balls at 500rpm. But I’ve got a stumble at high rpm
I just changed my distributor but did not have timing light and now I have a very hard time to start... what can I do to to get back to normal? The vehicle(Nissan xterra 2002) starts but it takes a lot of time
Very very good video. I have a gy6 engine with 1 cam for valve's. and fly wheel has a i....t...f on it. I won't to set my timeong correctly do I set the flywheel at i and set the time on the cam so my bike will work as I had it at t and would not fire up. Had spark fuel but didn't won't to fire. 😮
That kinked radiator hose ruined my day as well. How can people be so inconsiderate to force all of us snowflakes to stare at such sloppy and careless installation. If I could build or I one day learn what this sloppy man knows, i will for sure not have a kinked hose hurt our pretty eyes. Promise!
Is it possible to have slightly increased fuel consumption (~3 liters) after removing and dismantling the ignition distributor and no other apparent problems?
Recently had my water pump replaced on my 2014 Ford Fusion. Now rpms fluctuate at idle and jerks back and forth. Could this be because my engine is slightly out of time?
My volvo penta 3.0 gsm engine was lack off power when I try to get my boat on plane, first I thought I did have an head gasket issue so i change head gasket n redone the valves and resurface the head, and it work out I have the same issue and I play around with the engine until I do some adjustments to the distributor now I have alot power and my boat is running fast again but when starting up I have a engine kickback every time I try to start the engine, but I want to figure the correct way to set the timing to solve that kickback and still have maximum power output.
The code indicated low voltage after converter both O2 sensors but not the two front ones and lean situation also EGR also which I just changed as discovering the wire anomaly
If you are using a MSD or similar distributor, there is a bushing that will limit the amount of mechanical advance available. So if you need to advance initial timing without changing total timing, you would put a larger bushing in that will limit the total degrees of advance available.
@@prestigemotorsports Hi everybody. I am having a problem with my f650 twin. It cuts out at high rpm just past 7000rpm. It also only does it when in gear. Please see videoru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-IpI13YSNq3c.html
What about removing any mechanical and vaccum advance, so there is no advance and no curve ? can you touch on that topic ? in which circumstances would you benefit doing this ?
So I've set mine incorrectly? I never revved the engine. I've always done it while just idling at the correct rpm. Never revved and checked though. 98 Honda civic lx 1.6L non vtech d16y7.
We Strongly suggest speaking with the builder. You are likely safe to set total advance to 32 deg. with an initial of approx 10 to 15 deg. The only way to truly know what timing the engine wants and will take is properly dyno testing and reading spark plugs.
I'm hesitant to take my truck back to that same mechanic only mechanic and that would work on it . since February one year warranty 12000 miles wondering what that alternate wiring was.? And how to find it. It ran in that configuration. But recently motor had some kind of stumbling issue. Reason for it being down now.
So my vehicle is supposed to have its timing set at 0. So does that mean total advance needs to be set to 0 or initial timing be set to 0??? After watching this video I'm confused
That would be an intial timing setting. If your engine is factory, unmodified, then follow their instructions for setting the intial timing. They already know what total timing is based on engine design when initial is set to 0. The above video is for engines that have been custom built or modified.
My guess is when I get it running priority is compression check on cylinders I've changed head gaskets before another vehicle.. Motor always seemed to have low power since I recently bought it used three or four years. ago.
Prestige Motorsports inc.......I have a problem others have had but don't see a fix, maybe you can help. At TDC my mark on the harmonic balancer line up with the stationary mark and my rotor does point to #1 wire. Engine run good ! Problem is ...... With the timing light I can't get the 8 degrees to come down to the stationary mark, way off ( 50 degrees) If I try to bring the marks down the engine will died or run bad. I have inserted a piston stop and done the , find TDC , the mark lines up at TDC with the stationary mark. I have opened the timing cover twice to check cam chain mark and found them right . Can you help ? If not what is the best way to set timing without a light ?
When i start my car in the morning, the engine gets violent as though there's electricity that doesn't run smoothly. I don't know. But when the engine is already hot, it gets normal. I already replaced the sparkplugs, but it's still the same. Please help me figure out the engine issue.
If you have low compression would you get misfires at a low timing angle like 10*. It seems my spark is getting blown out and I’m getting misfires. Turns out I’m at like 90psi of compression in a couple cylinders.
I have 10 degrees at idle and 34 (recommended) at 2800 total advance, but when I connect vacuum I have the same at idle but my total is 42 instead of 34 at 2800 and above. I'm working on a 460, aluminum heads, stealth intake, 750 edelbrock carb, headers and a holley billet distributor with msd 6a box.I was thinking of leaving the vacuum advance disconnected. I'm also using a wideband A/F meter to make adj.s to my carb.
I would recommend leaving the vacuum advance disconnected if you are unsure about what advance curve your engine can handle under cruising / light loads.
how do i adjust the timing curve as I set the total timing without the vac advance, when i plug the vac advance in it changes the total timing, or do i set the total timing with the vacuum advance connected. any help would be appreciated, thanks
PMS is correct. (1) In most cases, the vacuum advance should be connected to MANIFOLD vacuum, so the Vacuum Advance should be Disconnected while you read and set your Total and Initial timing. (2) Set your Total Timing First. (I was pleased to see PMS make this a clear point.) Once you set your Total Timing and your Initial is dialed in, you can connect your Vacuum Advance to Manifold Vacuum and take that reading. Your Timing will typically Advance between 10 and 20 degrees, depending on how much Idle Vacuum your motor produces and the range of your particular Vacuum Advance Pot. Radical Cam Grinds can cause the Vacuum Advance to bounce, which is a situation when you might want to NOT use it. I use an Adjustable Distributor Vacuum Advance which I set for the minimum amount of advance; just enough to add about 8 degrees to help with the engine cooling at idle, low RPM light load drivability, and initial acceleration. (3) If you hook your Vacuum Advance to a Port, here's what happens... you have Initial Timing (say around 12 degrees) + Total Mechanical Timing (say around 20 degrees or more) + Vacuum Advance (with an average of say, 14 degrees) = (for a total of) 46 degrees!!! This is way past the suggested and common Total Advance of 36 degrees for a SBC. If you left your Vacuum Advance hooked up to a Port, and set your Total Timing @36 degrees, then your Idle (Initial) Timing would be severely Retarded and that would raise a few heads in an instant with all the farting and popping going on.
Not the best solution for a street driven vehicle. Vacuum advance is not truly an emission control device. What it really did was to cool down engine temperatures due to emission controls added to engines, especially at idle and as you mentioned, at light loads such as freeway/highway cruising. It especially helps in fuel economy too.
True and with cam changes, one could change the stock advance actuator with one that functions with less manifold vacuum. They make them in different inches of vacuum but are hard to find. GM has a few versions of them because of the various engines and cams they used on Corvettes.
I'm seriously needing help with my timing set up on my mildly built 1985 318 mopar engine can anybody at this place help? I have the details on engine and its timing parts
Thanks great video but this is why I favor Diesel engines. Less things to worry about going wrong and more reliable. But IF something goes wrong more money honey.
I recently had my car check by the dealer they said my motor has low compression before hand I had the timing chain replacement and the car wouldn't start afterwards. Do u think the low compression is from the timing being incorrect or it could be something worse??? Need help
Cortney, you're situation involves valve timing, not ignition timing. If your valve timing is not correct, yes, it will cause low compression for one of two reasons: 1.) Valve is opening and closing at the incorrect time and not allowing proper compression to take place OR 2.) Incorrect valve timing has resulted in the valves and pistons making contact. This usually results in bent valves that will no longer seal. Scenario 1. involves re-timing the camshaft and crankshafts. Scenario 2. involves a cylinder head rebuild at minimum with engine replacement as a possibility.
Good video. Thanks. I got a question, maybe someone can help me. Does the distributor should very tight or should it be little bit loose? My 1972 Ford F-100 has its distributor loose, I can move it with my hand. Is that ok? Thanks
My car has a rough idle at stand still while the transmission is in drive with the brakes on. Once I start driving or take my foot off the brakes and move forward the engine idle smooths out. Car drives ok...I have scanned the car engine and get no engine codes or engine light on. What I did notice that when the engine is at idle with the transmission is in park park the advance engine timing is all over the place. Idles constantly rough but drives ok.. Cold starts a little rough.... There is a timing belt... initial timing correct? Advance timing all over the place. Timing belt issue? 2010 Elantra , 4 door sedan, GL... Any answers?
I have a 1966 Pontiac GTO with a 389 engine . I have purchased a MSD distributor from Jegs pt # 778-66953 . What should my total timing be ? And what will my initial timing be? I assume total timing should be at 2,500 rpm Thank you, Bob
1975 Pontiac 400. I put a aftermarket HEI Chinese DIstributor in. Within 4 months I've replaced the ignition control module 4 time's. 1 a month. The Ignition Control Module is internal. Any help here. Thank you
1975 PONTIAC CATALINA 400-THM400 yea if its a 4 pin module just get the ac delco d1906..made in us and says gm on it..i never have problem with those but have had plenty with the cheap ones that come with chinese hei distributors or even the delphi brand(made in asia) replacements modules..oh and some upgraded heat sink compound for the bottom of module vs the cheap package of white stuff that comes with it
Ok, bare with me here. A mechanical distributor, 10 degrees Initial, 24 Mechanical for 34 degrees total at ~3,000 engine RPM at Wide Open Throttle and with NO Vacuum Advance. But, at say 60 mph strait level steady state speed "floating" cruise, at 3,000 engine RPM, then the same 10 degrees initial plus the 24 degrees Mechanical for that 34 degrees Total PLUS 15 more Degrees Vacuum Advance, *so ALL THREE TOTAL are 49 TOTAL DEGREES ?*
Hi i have a 98 2.3 L 4 cyylinder 8 plug ford ranger manual 2 wheel drive its a no interferacne engine i know the the dimond on the oil pump is the timing mark for oil pump and triangle for the cam and crank is lined up n num one cylinder is dead up now prob i am having is the originial timing belt broke i realigned up every thing n prob is it will start n and stay running but idle like crap and has vertiualy no throttle response i can floor it n engine does not respond jus idles like crap real bad what cud cause that please message asap
during me i start my engine i set my ignition timing and ok and after that i stop the engine and i start again and timing mark not exactly almost 20 degree between
I just saw somewhere a guy who claims to have 12:1 compression. running 93 octane it just seems to me that you would have to hold back the timing curve so much that having that high compression would be redundant can you comment on this I do know that on a mild mannered or stock motor you can pretty much bring the timing curve in quickly ie. curve kits and see a difference but the more aggresive the motor it's a fine line ..
While this is something I could see myself doing with a drag car (where I can dump in high octane at the track), it's not practical as you mentioned in a daily driver/street application. If you have to neck the timing down to save it from having issues for the gas you can run, it's not worth it. In my 79 f150 w/ ford 400, I was able to get away with running 91/93 octane (which is also ethanol free around me) jumping compression ratio from 8.x to 9.6. All depends on what your going for.
You folks know that High Octane gasoline isn't more explosive than cheaper low octane, right? Octane is added to gasoline to control the burn more precisely and prevent pre-ignition etc.
@@poopyloopy2141 Most gasoline engines are GDI anyways, it's Mazda with the high compression ratios and low octane requirements. Most high compression ratios gas engines use 93.
Your vehicle has ignition timing controlled by the ECU. The ECU can adjust timing advance to control many things including emissions and idle RPM. Overshooting timing adjustments at idle can cause a "lope", but unless you have done some custom tuning, I would bet the rough idle is something else. Valve timing that is incorrect can certainly cause a rough idle.
All a bit unessasary. All you need to do is simply do a full pull on the dyno with the gun. timing at a sensible figure, look at the shape of the torque curve, set the dyno to hold the engine at the rpm where peak torque accured and then swing the timing untill you get the highest value on the gauge. This gives a basic setting for that engine. If you later change to a ecu for controle, remember that the timing requirments in sixth or seventh gear will be less than first or second
I thought this video would be about programming computer controlled ignition curves. I'm trying to maximize my part throttle timing curve. I've got a knock gauge and plan to do a lot of testing. I'm tuning for 93 and 87 and perhaps 100 octane. I'm currently running 30 degrees at idle on 93. That gives me the best vacuum @ 700rpms. I'm running 38 degrees total @WOT as per Trick Flow's recommendation. I simulated a vacuum advance curve and a centrifugal advance of 20-22 degrees. I max out at 50 degrees under high rpm, low load. Without vacuum advance, I'm looking at 17 degrees initial timing. I'm all in with 38 degrees @ 2700rpms. I also add a couple of degrees of timing with very cool intake air temps and pull a few degrees of timing with very hot IATs. Mild bolt-on 355 Chevy. Comp cams' camquest software says 447hp.
@@ihatecrackhead go ahead and check your hei timing at 4000 at steady throttle in park. Initial timing plus centrifugal plus vacuum advance. I'll bet it's pretty damn close to 50⁰. Don't act like it's totally unheard of. My 1983 2.8L V6 Chevrolet S10 shows 60⁰ of timing advance under those conditions.
How about ignition retarding? I just installed a turbocharger and have ecu rom provided by the tuner. In data log i noticed .5 of knock retard during acceleration and brief -2.3 during full throttle. Is it normal?
I had 1989 Oldsmobile 98 and that car lasted A LONG TIME... regular oil change.. Spark plug change ... Carburetor clean bit not today's cars.. Today's cars are always messing up... Always something right after the next... Pieces of crap car engine designs.
incorrect firing order dounle check wires, Rotor postition, look up your yeah and model of car.. like fords 302 is 15426378 but in the 5.0 ho in the mustangs they have the 351 windsors firing order.. 13726548 if its a chevy you have a bad misfire.. try swapping 4 and 7.. then 5 and 3..
If it "jumped" a tooth, you have bigger problems. If it was installed one tooth off, it is possible it could idle rough but drive OK. However, most newer vehicles will see a cam / crank sync error and set a trouble code.
Car has no fault codes. Idles at a steady rpm, with transmission in drive. Drives ok, but idles rough? It is about due for a new timing belt and water pump. I did speak to my mechanic and he says that it is possible that you can have constant rough idle. because of the valve timing belt issued. But when I take my foot off the brake and start to move forward the vibration stops and the car drives ok with plenty of power. I wonder what happens when the car engine ECM changes from idle to drive? I wonder if there is a relay issue between idle and drive. Also the engine rpm is constant, but might be low at about 650 rpm. I wonder about that as well. Also I see that when I cold start the car, there is a fluctuation in the rpm that goes away after about 15 seconds? No fault codes again?
@@Eddythe_Eagle We've gotten way off topic here, so I'll end by saying that I would check that all of your engine mounts are in good working condition and then rely on your local mechanic to guide you into the proper repair. Thanks for the comments.
so the ECU does this right ? but one thing i didn't get and its sort of a question as RPM increases you get more power but the ECu does the math and always ignites the power at the best points as the dyno charts show So if i put a customizable ECu and put my car on the dyno and remap it i can get more Hp and torque
I really don't understand timeing got a 79 blazer 350 put a rebuilt motor in has edelbrock intake headers and a RV cam double roller timing chain and crane push rods seems like it has no power thinking it is the timeing thought was post to be 0 on the timeing do I need to advance the timing
Bigrich0g Could be so many things. You'd have to check all the basics. Compression test, firing order, is the carb set right, etc. 0* timing is too late. Engines need spark slightly before top dead center. How much depends on many factors, but on average I think initial timing is about 10* BTDC at idle.
Thanks really appreciate it. I found out has alittle do with a bad carburetor had alot of dirt in it probably from the bad gas tank I had in it got me a new distributor going to set the timing tonight thanks for ur advice
I have 1997 GMC Sierra C3500 dually pickup truck. Dealer says it has been discontinued. And wouldn't work on it... ECM fuse burned out initially. I changed everything distributor. All of the sensors even a new ECM. Before I realized difficult to see burnt fuse.. I did work because I had to no one would take on the vehicle to work on it in California.. The one mechanic in Burbank who did. Said the distributor was in the wrong spot.. charged me $1,200. Got me out of there with a check engine light going off and on said it maybe would go out.. I discovered later the timing had been changed spark plug wiring.. maybe it's one gear tooth off as I'm pulling my teeth as a pseudo mechanic trying to learn on the Fly. How to definitively figure out how to get the distributor in the right spot. The wires in the correct position sound like the motor is kicking itself apart. It doesn't even start actually. After replacement correct position plug wires number three was not on. Which was actually three and seven transposed oops. It ran so I could move across the street for street cleaning..
This is one of the only few videos that specify to set total timing and only use initial timing as reference. Can you clarify that this indeed is the case for typical cars too? Does it mean that the videos teaching how to set timing dealing with initial timing go about it the wrong way?
If by typical cars you are referring to factory cars without modifcation, then you are fine by setting initial timing following the manufcaturer's procedure. The explanation is that the manufacturer knows that if the intial timing is set under their specific conditions, the total timing will be correct.
In a lot of modern cars ,timing is **not** adjustable, not any more; they have no distributor (they have multiple coils instead,a much cleaner solution....), and spark and injection are factory preset by the position of the crank sensor; in case a distributor is still used,and you adjust the spark timing with it,yes,it will continue to fire the plugs,and the ecu will still fire injectors;
I don't think the guy understands detonation (spark knock). Its a race in the combustion chamber between the expanding and heating gasses produced at the flame front and the remaining unburned mixture. If it goes unstable the entire remaining unburned charge basically explodes instead of the smooth sweeping swirl or tumble combustion (think of a ghost as being good/proper). The explosion produces a hot spot on the piston, you get the crank rolling over at 100x per second and likely the piston can't take the heat and will melt down. Octane and chamber heat transfer both are major factors...which is why iron head engines are notorious for spark knock and aluminum heads are rarely knock limited. In an aluminum head engine like he has on the dyno, too much advance just robs torque. A gross over advance would result in the engine stumbling.
I maybe completely misunderstanding you but why would you pull the distributor out? Should be a hold down tab of some sort (could be "Y" shaped) where the distributor "shaft" goes into the engine block/manifold, if you loosen this tab but just barely enough you should be able to physically rotate the distributor and then fasten the hold down tab tight and check the timing again. Part of the reason to check it again is to make sure the distributor hasn't moved from where you want it set. It could have moved while you were tightening the hold down as example. IF you move it a lot you can easily hear the change in how the engine is running, extremes are not good. Its a check, set, recheck, set, recheck process. Once you are happy and the engine is performing, you may not change it for quite awhile if at all.
hi i have a 305 with a mild cam dont know what size. my question is i have a pertronix flame thrower distributor with copper springs installed can i use a b28 canister with this engine i am kinda new at this thank you
prestigemotorsports well I just got a new msd.digital e curve. and got the timing down on it . but I can not figure out hot to read grafts for it . confusing. seems every one has that problem lol. so maybe you know here I should put dials under cap!? it's a 357 sbc with flat top pistons 523 523 cam . aluminum heads 202 with 58 cc air gap intake and a holly carb from carb shop that a 700 but he said like a 740. . run it with 112 gas. have th400 with 3500 stahl with trans brake and a 9 inch with 456 gears .
Calup Jensen just set it by ear if it stsrts good has good power doesnt ping then yojr pretty close often times on soethimg old the mechanical advance gets stuck if so you will have no power at all and if yoh adbance it to get power its way off and wont start maybe evendamage the motor
I am kind of confused by this and countless videos and articles that I have read and watched in relation to proper ignition timing. I have been told to get to TDC no 1 piston on the compression stroke; done. Then was told by several sources that a SBC 350 typically gets initially timed at about 12 degree BTDC. Would you guys be willing to give me some input? I have a 1994 Chevy Truck with a SBC 350 that I physically set the distributor into the engine at 12 degrees BTDC ( because most articles said to do this). Now I start my engine and it is not running properly at 12 degrees. It has no power and backfires terribly at WOT. I had to advance the timing to 32 degrees BTDC to get the engine to idle properly. It has great power and the idle has smoothed out; but the numbers simply do NOT line up with anything I have read. What am I missing? Also my distributor does NOT have vacuum advance. Thanks.
You probably have it figured out by now but you have the distributor installed a 180ﾟ out, You need to make sure it is installed on compression stroke. right before overlap
to get the most power they can out of them. So they run locked out timing meaning full timing all the time there is no advance. youre just at 34 degrees and that's that and it can change with elevation DA etc you DO NOT want locked out timing on a street car. people have done it but something else is up with the car/truck. you should not have to run a street car like that
This is way too complicated, I'm just looking for something that confirms if the camshaft marks are lined up and your at TDC on your crank then it's timed.
I’m concerned that my ignition timing might be off. I have three symptoms: 1) the engine Bogs at low RPM. 2) the car starts way too quickly. 3) engine runs too cold. Any thoughts?
So my vehicle is supposed to have its timing set at 0. So does that mean total advance needs to be set to 0 or initial timing be set to 0??? After watching this video I'm confused
