C3 Tech/Performance V8 Technical Info, Internal Engine, External Engine, Basic Tech and Maintenance for the C3 Corvette
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

Trouble setting timing

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Jul 13, 2011 | 10:24 AM
  #21  
curtis75's Avatar
curtis75
Thread Starter
Racer
15 Year Member
 
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 296
Likes: 4
From: London Ontario
Default

Yes the 5psi was a typo its 5 inHg. I have checked the balancer, which is new and the marks line up. I have double checked the firing order and it is correct unless comp changed the order on their cam. I did a compression check to be safe and all cylinders are 160-180 psi
Reply
Old Jul 13, 2011 | 03:44 PM
  #22  
scottyp99's Avatar
scottyp99
Le Mans Master
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 5,948
Likes: 72
From: Oxford MA-----You just lost the game!!!!
Default

Originally Posted by Scott Marzahl
Spray some WD40 around the base of the carb to see if you have a vacuum leak, are you running the stock intake that takes the special stainless carb gasket?
OK, here is something to be aware of, just in general. I replaced the q-jet on my 'vette with a 600 Holley on Tuesday, and when I got everything hooked up, I started it, and I only got about 10" of vacuum at idle. Took it for a spin, woudn't shift out of first gear. (automatic tranny) Yup! While I was messing with stuff, I must have pushed a little to hard on the vacuum line to the modulator, disconnecting it from the modulator way at the back of the tranny. My point is, it was a pretty big vacuum leak, and you could have sprayed anything you wanted anywhere on the top of the engine and never found it. A test drive made it pretty obvious, but on an automatic tranny car that is not easily driveable, with a big vacuum leak, pinch the rubber hose going to the hard line for the vacuum modulator to rule this out before anything else.

Alright, Curtis, I think your next step needs to be to make sure that the timing mark lines up with tdc on the compression stroke of cylinder #1. If you are not sure how to do this, or have already done it, let us know.

Scott
Reply
Old Jul 14, 2011 | 12:05 PM
  #23  
curtis75's Avatar
curtis75
Thread Starter
Racer
15 Year Member
 
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 296
Likes: 4
From: London Ontario
Default

I checked that the timing marks line up, with a screwdriver in the spark plug hole. It seemed to line up. I also checked cam timing which showed to be 4 degrees advanced which is pretty common. I have a manual trans so there aren't any vac. lines running back there. I've pretty much run out of ideas, I'm sure it will be some stupid little thing.
Reply
Old Jul 14, 2011 | 04:23 PM
  #24  
scottyp99's Avatar
scottyp99
Le Mans Master
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 5,948
Likes: 72
From: Oxford MA-----You just lost the game!!!!
Default

Originally Posted by curtis75
I checked that the timing marks line up, with a screwdriver in the spark plug hole. It seemed to line up. I also checked cam timing which showed to be 4 degrees advanced which is pretty common. I have a manual trans so there aren't any vac. lines running back there. I've pretty much run out of ideas, I'm sure it will be some stupid little thing.
Are you sure it's tdc on the compression stroke? Not the exhaust stroke?

You said in your first post that the carb is running rich. What is it that makes you think that? In an earlier post I mentioned that 5" of vacuum is less than the 6.5 that would open a typical stock power valve, but disregard that, the power valve has no effect on the idle circuit.

Scott
Reply
Old Jul 14, 2011 | 04:58 PM
  #25  
C3 4ME's Avatar
C3 4ME
Le Mans Master
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 6,247
Likes: 471
From: Glen Allen, VA
Default

I always stuff a paper towel in the spark plug hole when verifying compression stroke. In my experience, it will shoot the paper towel out on the compression stroke.
Reply
Old Jul 14, 2011 | 05:39 PM
  #26  
scottyp99's Avatar
scottyp99
Le Mans Master
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 5,948
Likes: 72
From: Oxford MA-----You just lost the game!!!!
Default

Originally Posted by C3 4ME
I always stuff a paper towel in the spark plug hole when verifying compression stroke. In my experience, it will shoot the paper towel out on the compression stroke.
Hey, that's a great idea! So simple, an idiot could have thought of it. So easy, a Cave man could do it. So cheap, a guy with a master's degree in philosophy could afford it. And yet, effective.


Scott
Reply
Old Jul 14, 2011 | 07:28 PM
  #27  
Faster Rat's Avatar
Faster Rat
Melting Slicks
 
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 3,079
Likes: 315
2024 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
Default

Hey, even the experts can get it wrong. I remember on the engine dyno prior to firing my rebuilt engine for the first time, the operator asked my rebuilder if he got the distributor in right. His answer was "well if I didn't, it could only be 180 degrees off."
Reply
Old Jul 15, 2011 | 08:57 AM
  #28  
curtis75's Avatar
curtis75
Thread Starter
Racer
15 Year Member
 
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 296
Likes: 4
From: London Ontario
Default

It is on TDC on the compression stroke. I held my thumb over the spark plug hole. The carb is running rich but I'm not really worried about it. I can play aound with it later
Reply
Corvette Stories

The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts

story-0

2027 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 First Look: Everything You NEED to Know!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-1

5 Best & 5 Worst Corvette Daily Drivers

 Joe Kucinski
story-2

The Headlights of Every Corvette Generation Explained

 Joe Kucinski
story-3

5 Best & 5 Most Overrated Corvette Track Packages of All Time!

 Joe Kucinski
story-4

Every 2027 Corvette Engine Explained

 Joe Kucinski
story-5

Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love

 Joe Kucinski
story-7

Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer

 Brett Foote
story-8

10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)

 Michael S. Palmer
story-9

8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems

 Pouria Savadkouei
Old Jul 15, 2011 | 09:12 AM
  #29  
...Roger...'s Avatar
...Roger...
Race Director
 
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 16,528
Likes: 53
From: Dayton, Ohio
Default

Originally Posted by Scott Marzahl
are you running the stock intake that takes the special stainless carb gasket?
If you are running the stock intake with the smiley face the stainless baffle is a must,otherwise you have an open vacuum path to the exhaust heat riser crossover which will upset your carb and cause a rich condition.
Reply
Old Jul 15, 2011 | 10:25 AM
  #30  
damoroso's Avatar
damoroso
Burning Brakes
 
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1,116
Likes: 5
From: Middleburg Florida
Default

I was having similar issues, seemed like I need alot of initial timing, unstable idle when I put it in gear, all kinds of things. At 800 rpm I was pulling about 8 inches of vacuum. Then found that Lars had posted a paper on timing. It helped me check my centrifugal and vacuum advance. After following the procedure he spelled out I found my vacuum can wasn't right for my application. Since I've changed it, the engine runs and idles much better. Unfortunatley, I don't have the link for the paper, all I have is a printed copy in my garage, but maybe someone here does, our a search would find it for you.
Reply
Old Jul 18, 2011 | 10:32 PM
  #31  
curtis75's Avatar
curtis75
Thread Starter
Racer
15 Year Member
 
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 296
Likes: 4
From: London Ontario
Default

PROBLEM SOLVED,
Turns out the Ebay distributor was bad. It currently has my distributor out of my 75 (so no tach) but it seems to run great, so glad its finally working. Thanks for all the help.
Reply
Old Jul 20, 2011 | 10:39 PM
  #32  
scottyp99's Avatar
scottyp99
Le Mans Master
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 5,948
Likes: 72
From: Oxford MA-----You just lost the game!!!!
Default

Originally Posted by curtis75
I also forgot to mention it was converted to HEI but I don't see how that would cause problems


Scott
Reply




All times are GMT -4. The time now is 05:52 PM.

story-0
2027 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 First Look: Everything You NEED to Know!

Slideshow: Is the 2027 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 the best Silverado yet?

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-06-16 08:01:12


VIEW MORE
story-1
5 Best & 5 Worst Corvette Daily Drivers

Slideshow: 5 best and 5 worst Corvette daily drivers

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-15 10:32:13


VIEW MORE
story-2
The Headlights of Every Corvette Generation Explained

Slideshow: The headlights of every Corvette generation explained

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-15 10:17:14


VIEW MORE
story-3
5 Best & 5 Most Overrated Corvette Track Packages of All Time!

Slideshow: The 5 best and 5 most overrated Corvette track packages ever.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-09 12:46:45


VIEW MORE
story-4
Every 2027 Corvette Engine Explained

Slideshow: Every 2027 Corvette engine explained

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-09 12:16:31


VIEW MORE
story-5
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette

Slideshow: A Jaguar designer's personal project imagines what a modern front-engined Corvette might look like if Chevrolet revisited the golden age of the Stingray.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-06-08 19:53:43


VIEW MORE
story-6
10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love

Slideshow: 10 ugly Corvettes that we still kinda love.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-06-03 10:34:17


VIEW MORE
story-7
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer

A lot of money has changed hands at the online auction house over the years.

By Brett Foote | 2026-06-03 10:21:50


VIEW MORE
story-8
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)

Slideshow: 10 great gifts Corvette enthusiasts actually want for Father's Day!

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-06-03 15:43:40


VIEW MORE
story-9
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems

Slideshow: These are the quirks, annoyances, and oddly lovable problems that every Corvette owner eventually learns to live with.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-05-28 09:31:39


VIEW MORE