Riddle me this timing guys!!!
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,173
Likes: 1
From: Liberty Missouri
Here is the latest…(sorry I’ve been smoking a couple of Boston butts on the smoker for the past 10 hours) I am now running 16* initial and 36* total timing. 
What fixed it you might ask, well I’ll tell you……I’m not sure, it could be the new timing light or the new distributor, or coil I just don’t know. What I do know is: earlier in the week the car would not idle with a base lower than 24*. Now with the new parts previously listed I can set the timing like a normal person. Sorry I can’t give you better explanation at the moment, I was just glad to see things look normal. I will look into it more in the next few days and see if I can get a root cause.
What fixed it you might ask, well I’ll tell you……I’m not sure, it could be the new timing light or the new distributor, or coil I just don’t know. What I do know is: earlier in the week the car would not idle with a base lower than 24*. Now with the new parts previously listed I can set the timing like a normal person. Sorry I can’t give you better explanation at the moment, I was just glad to see things look normal. I will look into it more in the next few days and see if I can get a root cause.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,164
Likes: 1
From: Europe, France
Morpheus : "Welcome to the real world !" 
I assume you took the red pill and followed the white rabbit ! Good choice !
More seriously, stock heads don't burn the air-fuel mixture very fast, so these engines can take about 40° total timing at WOT.
All recent heads burn the mixture faster than that. So an engine equipped with an aftermarket head will not tolerate more than 32°-34° in the same conditions, as a rule of thumb.
I see you have Dart aluminum heads, maybe even 36° is a little too much. Try a few 1/4 miles to know it.
I assume you took the red pill and followed the white rabbit ! Good choice !
More seriously, stock heads don't burn the air-fuel mixture very fast, so these engines can take about 40° total timing at WOT.
All recent heads burn the mixture faster than that. So an engine equipped with an aftermarket head will not tolerate more than 32°-34° in the same conditions, as a rule of thumb.
I see you have Dart aluminum heads, maybe even 36° is a little too much. Try a few 1/4 miles to know it.
Last edited by 73StreetRace; Jul 25, 2009 at 02:01 AM.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,173
Likes: 1
From: Liberty Missouri
Wow that would be a pretty good guess since that was why I changed the coil. When I was bumping the engine over to get it to TDC I pulled the coil wire and noticed a fire ball. I put the coil wire back in the coil and pulled it from the distributor and still noticed a small arch from the positive post. Off to the parts store I went.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 17,676
Likes: 201
From: Who says "Nothing is impossible" ? I've been doing nothing for years.
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,173
Likes: 1
From: Liberty Missouri
I also bought a GOOD dial back timing light. The other timing lights were a buddies and that’s where I think the problem was. To narrow it down would be difficult at the moment though. The distributor was changed the coil was changed the plugs were changed along with the timing lights. We plan on putting his light back on it to see if that was the problem. Like I said in another post the only thing I can be sure of is that it wouldn’t run before at that timing and now it will.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 3,246
Likes: 4
From: Bay Area CA
I'm going to say a consistant arc causing a tiny pre fire, not enough to jump the plug gap, but enough to trigger the light, coil still fires full on triggering. It is a guess though.
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Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 3,547
Likes: 12
From: Carbondale Pa.
As an after thought and for 
giggles, hook up your old coil to your buddies car and see what happens then, let us know, interesting . Good luck glad you straightened it out,,,Peace,,,Moosie 
giggles, hook up your old coil to your buddies car and see what happens then, let us know, interesting . Good luck glad you straightened it out,,,Peace,,,Moosie
