Timing Questions
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 281
Likes: 1
From: SA
Timing Questions
What happens if the timing at idle is too advanced? This would cause total adv to be too high and it would ping?
Which way do u turn the dist from adv/retard? Looking from the front on the block is adv clockwise?
Which way do u turn the dist from adv/retard? Looking from the front on the block is adv clockwise?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,041
Likes: 0
From: Wichita, KS
Re: Timing Questions (xrated)
You are correct in both cases.
Too much advance at idle will allow too much full advance and can lead to pinging.
To advance the timing you would turn the distributor clockwise.
Too much advance at idle will allow too much full advance and can lead to pinging.
To advance the timing you would turn the distributor clockwise.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 14,384
Likes: 6,411
From: At my Bar drinking and wrenching in Lafayette Colorado
Re: Timing Questions (Ganey)
Ganey is correct - counter clockwise to advance timing. Pull the vacuum advance unit towards the front of the engine. On your point-style distributor, it is possible to get too much total timing with not enough initial timing if the advance stop bushing is missing - very common. Thus, you can get pinging at high rpm, high engine load even though your initial timing is retarded.
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 16,416
Likes: 1
From: NC,USA
Re: Timing Questions (lars)
lars- how hard is it to rebuild a distributor? Mine is out of the car for the time being, how hard is it to replace the common stuff... one less thing to track down when i do get this thing tuned
ZD
ZD
Tech Contributor
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 14,384
Likes: 6,411
From: At my Bar drinking and wrenching in Lafayette Colorado
Re: Timing Questions (ZD75blue)
ZD -
The distributors are very straight forward and easy to go through. I don't do the HEI units simply because I haven't developed good parts sources for them (shafts & bushings). The point-style units are easy to go through, and parts are readily available. The only problem occurs on the tach drive distributors when the cross gear digs itself into the side of the distributor housing and hogs the housing out. When this happens, you have to machine the inside of the housing and fabricate a thrust surface insert to put the new cross gear back into the correct relationship with the main shaft. Not hard to do, but you have to have a mill and a lathe.
The distributors are very straight forward and easy to go through. I don't do the HEI units simply because I haven't developed good parts sources for them (shafts & bushings). The point-style units are easy to go through, and parts are readily available. The only problem occurs on the tach drive distributors when the cross gear digs itself into the side of the distributor housing and hogs the housing out. When this happens, you have to machine the inside of the housing and fabricate a thrust surface insert to put the new cross gear back into the correct relationship with the main shaft. Not hard to do, but you have to have a mill and a lathe.
