New tune-up procedure
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 26,545
Likes: 46
From: Huntersville NC
New tune-up procedure
A while back I changed my points and condensor, distributor cap and rotor, and sparkplugs and the freaking car wouldn't start! I had to put all the old crap back (EVERYTHING) to get it to run ok. Turns out the points were either bad or badly adjusted and the situation was greatly complicated by 1 bad sparkplug wire.
So.... a few weeks ago I changed the plugs and the car ran ok afterwards.
Today I picked up a new set of points and changed just the points and the car started and ran ok. Set the dwell (I still need to set the timing, which is changed by changes in dwell right?)
Next I changed the rotor. Car started right up.
Then I changed the coil. Car started right up and ran fine. Went for a test drive but it was cloudy and threatened rain. I still need to take a more spirited test drive.
Isn't this retarded? I think it is ridiculous to change 1 part at a time and keep starting the car over and over, but if I can't trust these parts I really don't see an alternative. If you change 5 things and the car runs like crap it is a lot more trouble to go back and figure out where the problem is.
I don't change sparkplugs one at a time with starts in between.
So.... a few weeks ago I changed the plugs and the car ran ok afterwards.
Today I picked up a new set of points and changed just the points and the car started and ran ok. Set the dwell (I still need to set the timing, which is changed by changes in dwell right?)
Next I changed the rotor. Car started right up.
Then I changed the coil. Car started right up and ran fine. Went for a test drive but it was cloudy and threatened rain. I still need to take a more spirited test drive.
Isn't this retarded? I think it is ridiculous to change 1 part at a time and keep starting the car over and over, but if I can't trust these parts I really don't see an alternative. If you change 5 things and the car runs like crap it is a lot more trouble to go back and figure out where the problem is.
I don't change sparkplugs one at a time with starts in between.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,520
Likes: 11
From: Hinckley OH
Change in dwell does change the timing. However, if you use a dwell meter and set the dwell to exactly the same setting that it had when the timing was set, then the timing will be exact as long as you didn't move the distributor.
Race Director
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 16,528
Likes: 53
From: Dayton, Ohio
or you can set them using a feeler gauge before you put the cap back on ( and then set the dwell).I find if an engine won't start ,tightening the dwell screw 1/2 turn at a time usually gets the engine to fire.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 5,116
Likes: 5
From: Livonia MI
Been a while since I've run point's, but been through everything you've described. New point's that were bad, new bad coil's, ext. Been going with HEI distributor's and MSD 6AL boxes lately, as large cam's seem to idle better with this set up. Main rant is needing to fork over for an additional tach adapter module. Think I'd at least get rid of the point's.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 2,083
Likes: 0
From: Summerfield North Carolina
St. Jude Donor '10
I think changing parts in stages like that is a good thing, at least for a weekend warrior like me. Sometimes I do things wrong when I am learning this stuff and I can immediately diagnose an problem that way or confirm that what I have just done was done properly.
