distributor installation

[crm318]

i just built a 350 and got it running. however, it doesnt idle right and i cant get the timing mark to show up on the balancer. will the engine run if its a tooth off? it ran well enough to do the cam break in. i installed the distributor with the rotor pointed roughly in the area of the no. 1 wire and then i turned the distributor to where the no. 1 wire was on the rotor and then tightened it so that i could still move it a little to adjust the timing. what do yall guys think?

[krue]

Get #1 piston top dead center on the compression stroke (if you put your finger over the sparkplug hole you'll feel the compression.). Then install the dizzy with the rotor pointing to the #1 cylinder and wire it. You should be close enough to time it. BTW if your harmonic balancer is old it may have slipped and the timing mark not be in the proper place.

[skokie]

Take out the plug in #1. Put in a shop rag and bump it until it spits that rag out. That will get you pretty close.

[sweet70beast]

Originally Posted by krue

BTW if your harmonic balancer is old it may have slipped and the timing mark not be in the proper place.

On 72 and earlier pick ups and 68 and earlier car V8s with the short water pumps the timing marks were at about a 2 oclock position on the timing cover after they went to the long pumps most of the timing marks went strait up and the mark on the balancer changed as well. If you have a old timing cover (2 oclock) and a newer balancer (or vice versa) the marks won't line up.

[krue]

I guess it behooves you to have the harmonic balancer match the timing mark yearwise if you want to use it then.

[panhandler62]

I'm an old meat head.. I just start at TDC and advance to a "nudge" before ping at idle and under load at ~4000rpm.

My motor is such a mismatched conglomeration from different years that any spec is little more than a guess anyway... :P

[bryanw1968]

Everything these guys are saying is right on. I have heard that you can be a "tooth off" but I'm not sure about that. Theorectically you should be able to turn the distributor far enough to get that tooth back. But, I have stabbed the dist just a little off and the motor ran like crapola until I found TDC and re-stabbed it.

The whole thing about have to point the rotor towards the #1 piston is just to make it easier/look nicer to wire. The rotor can be pointing anywhere you want as long as the #1 piston is getting spark at TDC.

Good luck and let us know if you figure it out.

[don t. - 72gmc]

Is your timing light hooked to plug #1? Don't ask how I know (big grin).

A few years back I also had problems find the timing mark and the guage. I ended up timing it w/a vacuum guage.

HTH.....good luck.....don t. .....

[crm318]

thanks for all the info. i made sure it was on TDC when i put it in. the block is acutally a 1989 van block. are yall saying that the timing tab on the timing chain cover should be at the 12 o clock position because its not on this motor. it could have the wrong cover on it. it also has a long pump. since the balancer is bad, could i just buy a 1972 (brand new) balancer and continue using the current timing chain cover?

[piecesparts]

If you happen to have a balancer for one style of timing tab, such as the mid eighties motors that had the timing mark tabs behind the water pump and have a timiing tab for an earlier design of balancer, where the tab is out by the block, then you will not line up.

When in doubt: go to the basics and run from there. Set the timing at TDC on #1 again, and then look for your mark on the balancer. That will give you an idea of where to go. The mark should be in one or the other areas (top of the balancer or on the driver's side about 2 O clock.) Your decision will come from that point.

[krue]

The man makes sense.

[crm318]

if the balancer was off, i hope i didnt shave the cam because i used it to adjust the valves. however, did see that none of the valves that i adjusted were not being acutated by the cam and were seated. there might be mix matched parts on this motor that i dont know about. i do know that the timing tab on this timing cover looks just like the on my 72 cheyenne which is original. could i just buy a balancer for a 72? will the 89 crank and the 72 crank hold the balancer in the same position?

[piecesparts]

Originally Posted by crm318

if the balancer was off, i hope i didnt shave the cam because i used it to adjust the valves. however, did see that none of the valves that i adjusted were not being acutated by the cam and were seated. there might be mix matched parts on this motor that i dont know about. i do know that the timing tab on this timing cover looks just like the on my 72 cheyenne which is original. could i just buy a balancer for a 72? will the 89 crank and the 72 crank hold the balancer in the same position?

The crank key way should be the same. It is the accessories that change the nature of the timing tabs. Purchase a quality balancer and for your timing setup and go on. Verify your valve settings, would be a good idea.