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i just installed a new timing chain and sprockets on my 79 vette with an edelbrock 2701 dual plane intake. and set the timing marks on the sprockets. top sprocket at the 6 oclock position and bottom sprocket at the 12 oclock position. and now the car wont start. are the sprockets in the wrong position??? please help thank you
yes i replaced the intake manifold and the distributor was out its a new msd hei. and i brought the timing to 0tdc and installed the distributor. shell turn over spitting gas out of the carb but not fire up
Your chain and gears are correct, it is your dist that is wrong. Remove the valve cover so you can watch the #1 valves or remove the #1 sparkplug. Just after the intake valve closes the #1 piston will start the compression, which you can feel at the plug hole. The timing mark on the crank balancer will also be coming to the tab. Just before the mark reaches the tab, drop in the dist. so that the rotor ends up pointing to the #1 plug wire or slightly before. The dist will likely not be fully down because the oilpump drive shaft may not be lined up but not to worry, continue to turn the motor over and it will drop right in. You will see the rotor turn as you turn the crank too. After the dist. drops home, put dist cap back on and try to start motor. You probably will need to twist the dist. one way or the other to get it to start and run. ( Most likley counter clockwise) Set timing and tighten dist clamp.
Last edited by David Ey; Jul 31, 2006 at 11:13 PM.
Installing the timing chain that way puts the cam 180 degree's out. Need to turn the motor over by hand (ratchet) 360 degrees at the crank and install the distributor pointing at #1. Both dot's on the timing chain sprockets will be at 12 o'clock position. start motor and set timing from there.
Puting the dots on the sprockets at 6 and 12 are for installation only when the dots are at 12 and 12 (one rotation of the crank) The motor will be at tdc on the compression stroke.
The sprockets are ok, or in otherwords the cam and crank are in phase. With the dots together, it`s firing on #6 not #1.
I just installed new timing gears and chain yesterday. When the dot on the crank gear was at "12", and the dot on the cam gear was at "6", the rotor on the distributor was lined up with the connection to the #6 cylinder.
Installing the timing chain that way puts the cam 180 degree's out. Need to turn the motor over by hand (ratchet) 360 degrees at the crank and install the distributor pointing at #1. Both dot's on the timing chain sprockets will be at 12 o'clock position. start motor and set timing from there.
If that's the case, then just drop the distributor in at the #6 wire.
Use David Ey way. Once the dist is stabbed right, you can hook up a timing light (with the engine at TDC on compression stroke) and twist the dist until the timing light fires. Then you should be able to fire it up first try and adjust timing for best idle.