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Just a heads up, today I was trying to set my timming after putting in new plugs and I was way way off from the last time I set it. To make a long story short after a 1/2 day of fooling around with the timming , distributer and getting to the point of almost pulling the distributer because I thought it jumped a gear I finally remembered that I had bought a new Dial back timming light and it was not set to " 0 " .
I was very glad that nobody else was in my garage at the time I really felt foolish about doing this after working on cars all of my 65 years !!!!
Just a heads up, today I was trying to set my timming after putting in new plugs and I was way way off from the last time I set it. To make a long story short after a 1/2 day of fooling around with the timming , distributer and getting to the point of almost pulling the distributer because I thought it jumped a gear I finally remembered that I had bought a new Dial back timming light and it was not set to " 0 " .
I was very glad that nobody else was in my garage at the time I really felt foolish about doing this after working on cars all of my 65 years !!!!
Just a heads up, today I was trying to set my timming after putting in new plugs and I was way way off from the last time I set it. To make a long story short after a 1/2 day of fooling around with the timming , distributer and getting to the point of almost pulling the distributer because I thought it jumped a gear I finally remembered that I had bought a new Dial back timming light and it was not set to " 0 " .
I was very glad that nobody else was in my garage at the time I really felt foolish about doing this after working on cars all of my 65 years !!!!
I recently bought one of thsoe...still not quite sure how to use it. I assume you put the dial on the desired number, then move the distributor until the light shows "0" on the balancer?
Hi DP,
Well Done!
Bubba taught me that when testing a restored radio, a battery with almost no charge will power the light, but not make any music.
Regards,
Alan
I spent a good 4 hours one time trying to figure out why my car was running super lean, then realized I never recapped a manifold port after taking vacuum readings
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I was very glad that nobody else was in my garage at the time I really felt foolish about doing this after working on cars all of my 65 years !!!!
Some say experience is making all the possible mistakes. You are far more experienced now. I had a dual point distributor where you disconnect one set of points to set dwell etc. The next day I was wondering why it was bogging at high RPM duh.
I guess I've been setting my timing all wrong for the last 50 years! I just run the car until the engine is at normal temp, then pull the dist. forward, until it kicks back, push it back a hare, & tighten the dist hold down bolt, makes no difference if it's a roller cam or flat tappet cam. I've never used a light, unless I was working on a Ford or Chrysler Product. Have a great day. Gene
I recently bought one of thsoe...still not quite sure how to use it. I assume you put the dial on the desired number, then move the distributor until the light shows "0" on the balancer?
You nailed it birdman..it is the easiest tool to use..can check total advance real easy..you only need a good mark on the balancer which at times I fill with tire chalk and a zero on the cover..I had fun with a car that ran out of gas..needless to say I still get a hard time from people at work!
Everyone does stuff like this from time to time. It feels good to figure it out, though.
Installing a distributor one tooth off from where it was just means you have to twist it further one way or the other to get the timing dialed in. 12° advance is 12° advance. It's a myth that installing the distributor a tooth off is a problem, other than your wires or vacuum advance hose might have to reach too far.
I how how it feels to be stupid...My 57 Bird would not stay running without starting fluid and the glass bowel in the fuel filter was not filling up so I naturally thought it was the fuel pump...{dumb move}...replaced the double action fuel pump with a new spare and still would not run until I finally got smart and put some gas in it.....it now runs like a deer...
Now here's another brilliant move....my 57 Olds would not 'crank after repeated attempts [nothing, absolutely nothing}.....the two 57`s were parked side by side all I needed to do was turn around and *** with the other one. The Olds is a automatic and the SOB was in first gear and quite naturally there is not any action to crank unless its either in park or neutral, moved it to neutral and it fired right up....me, El stupido and a dumb *** twice in the same day......