ive been having problems starting my 82 as you may have seen the other thread. I changed the starter and spark plugs and now the engine is turning fine sounds like it wants to catch but instead revs up and down every few seconds.

The guys at car quest and a friend were determined it was the timing so we came back to my place got the harmonic balancer lined up at 0 and he started to take apart the distributer. Well now hes no where to be seen and i dont really know what to do myself.

so my question is if it is easy to set the timing right and here comes the big part how to do it.
you guys have always solved my problems and thanks for any help in advance

 

Setting the timing is pretty easy. I have a 76 and I am not positive that the 82 igntion system is the same but this will be true for any car where the timing is distrubutor adjusted and not computer controlled.
Start by finding the timing indicator on the harmonic ballancer. It will be easier to see the timing marks with the light if you color in the marks with a yellow or white crayon. Now would be a good time to find the TDC (top dead center) mark so you will know what it looks like with the light on it and this will be the reference point for the advance.
Loosen the bolt on the distributor hold down, connect the timing light to the battery and the #1 spark plug wire (this is easiest with an inductive light) and start the motor.
you will need to reference the manual to find the ammount of advance needed for your motor and the interval represented by each mark on the harmonic ballancer.
If you have a vacuum advance distributor, disconnect the vacuum line and plug it.
Now point the light at the harmonic ballancer and see how many degrees of advence is already present. Now you simply rotate the distributor (not sure if it is clockwise or counterclockwise) until the correct timing mark lines up with the indicator.
It is important to note that if your camshaft is not a factory spec cam then this technique will not work as a performance cam needs more advance. If this is the case, try the following.
advance the timing until you begin to hear a little pinging from the valve covers. This is called spark knock. as soon as you hear this, slowly back off of the distributor until the knock goes away. You might have to make small adjustments to get things perfect, but this will get you extremely close to the correct timing for the way your motor is set up. If you have a larger cam, do not be surprised if it needs 14 degrees or more of advance. My 72 LT1 motor has a mild cam and runs well at 16 degrees.
After you tighten the distributor bolt back up, check the timing again to be sure that it did not change.
Hope this helps.

 

Also, sounds like you might just have a vacuum leak, but erratic idleing can be caused by a few different things. Wish I was more familiar with the 82.
It would not be a bad idea to do a complete tune up (plugs, wires,fuel filter, etc) just to eliminate these as culprits for your problem.

 

I thought the '82 had a computer to control spark. I'm not sure you can really modify timing without overriding the controller. It sounds more like a sensor is defective or not connected properly. You would need someone with an engine analyzer (capable of analyzing an '82 Corvette) to determine what is wrong. Some auto supply stores have these and will hook them up on your car if you buy the replacement parts from them. Good luck.

 

i thought so too but i went buy what the guy at car quest said.. probably a bad idea now that i think of it
does anyone know for sure?

also its just when my friend (currently working on a 55 mustang andhis dad restores cars for a living) looked at it he said the timing was off too

 

The timing may be "off", but it is likely because the computer told it where to go [and told it wrong] in error. Again, I suspect a bad sensor, wiring connection, or computer. Hook it up to an analyzer.