A little timing advice, Please!

[UroTrash]

Fellas, hope you can give me a little advice, I'm at the end of my rope.

I have a 1975 2002 with a 2 barrel Weber conversion.

Car ran somewhat rough when cold, but good when warm.

So, I checked the valve gaps, all good.

Changed plugs using NGKs.

New wires.

New points, condenser and rotor. Did not change cap.

Now, I just can't seem to get the timing right.

The steps I follow are these:

1. Warm car up.

2. Disconnect the vacuum tube from the dizzy, leaving it hooked to the carb, and plug it.

3. Use a timing light off the 1st plug wire to strobe the ball on the flywheel.

4. Roll the dizzy sightly this way and that until the ball is in view and ~the flat plate. The ball bounces a bit.

5. I've tried this at idle, at 1400 and at 2000.

With all tries I notice a miss under load, esp going up hill. Some setting worse than others, but a miss no matter what I do.

I have rechecked the point gap (.016), the plugs and made sure all the wires are tight.

Any suggestion would be REALLY appreciated!

Thanks!

[nbristow01]

Don't most carbed motors tend to run a bit rough when cold? Do you have a functioning choke? On real cold days mine runs rough until warmed up.

Did it start missing under load after you worked on it? I guess in trying to fix one issue did you create another? I just don't think I am following th esequence of events

Oh and do what CD says to always do FIRST...check compression

[Mike Self]

1. When you set the timing by aiming a strobe at the timing ball on the flywheel, a twitching ball is usually an indicator of a worn point plate (the plate inside the dizzy that holds the points, and rotates to provide advance). Another symptom of a worn point plate is a twitchy tach.

2. Did you check the vacuum advance unit? Pull the dizzy cap, then pull the hose loose from the carb and suck on it while watching the point plate. You should feel resistance when you suck, and the point plate should move. If it doesn't, either the point plate is stuck (see #1 above) or the vacuum capsule has a bad diaphragm (no resistance).

3. Did you check for a vacuum leak elsewhere--an unused port on the manifold or carb? Loose carb base or manifold?

And don't forget, spark plugs and other parts can be bad out of the box...

Happy hunting,

mike

[c.d.iesel]

Uro - set the timing at 1400 rpm.

do as Mike suggested - suck on the vac hose to the distrib

and make sure the point plate rotates, then it holds the vacuum,

and then snaps back when you stop sucking.

remove the tiny felt pad under the rotor and place

a few drops of your motor oil into the shaft. Exercise

the shaft left and right working the oil in. If the

point cam shaft does not move, or is stiff, that makes

for a very weak motor.

the "JuTtERiNg" timing mark image is bad.

Replace the distributor and your motor will smile.

you later need to work on your Cold Warm-Up

choke settings - thats another thread.......

what is the compression in zylinders 1____, 2____, 3____, 4____ ?

[UroTrash]

Thanks for all the kind replies!

I will check the vacuum hose as described.

I don't know the compression but i had the bottom rebuilt and the head replaced a few months back (I did not do that myself, def above my abilities!).

I did put oil in the felt and lubed the points fiber contact thingy on the shaft.

If I can't get it to work, I will start from the beginning this week end, valves, plugs wires etc. fortunately I have all those items new on the shelf.

thanks fellas!

[Guest Anonymous]

if none of that helps, follow Mike's suggestion to replace the plate that the points are connected to in the dist.

[UroTrash]

if none of that helps, follow Mike's suggestion to replace the plate that the points are connected to in the dist.

thanks, I'll do that!

[jimk]

Since your problem to solve is a misfire, I must add this. Going uphil under load - misfire, hmmm. Lean fuel will cause a misfire..

[UroTrash]

Since your problem to solve is a misfire, I must add this. Going uphil under load - misfire, hmmm. Lean fuel will cause a misfire..

I agree. Trouble is, it didn't do that until bonehead-me decided to "improve things" with a tune up! LOL.

[Guest Anonymous]

Don't most carbed motors tend to run a bit rough when cold? Do you have a functioning choke? On real cold days mine runs rough until warmed up.

Are you asking or telling?

Manufacturers include fast idle settings and a host of carburetor adjustments to combat, if not eliminate, cold start issues, including "roughness."

[Guest Anonymous]

Don't most carbed motors tend to run a bit rough when cold? Do you have a functioning choke? On real cold days mine runs rough until warmed up.

Are you asking or telling?

Manufacturers include fast idle settings and a host of carburetor adjustments to combat, if not eliminate, cold start issues, including "roughness." You evidently have not resolved your own cold speed operation issues.

[nbristow01]

Don't most carbed motors tend to run a bit rough when cold? Do you have a functioning choke? On real cold days mine runs rough until warmed up.

Are you asking or telling?

Manufacturers include fast idle settings and a host of carburetor adjustments to combat, if not eliminate, cold start issues, including "roughness." You evidently have not resolved your own cold speed operation issues.

Maybe asking and telling....Just trying to determine, if it was cold run issue, why he went to timing instead of checking carb issues first. Mine actually ran decent when cold but the fast idle rod broke, Weber does not sell just the rod and I can not find one anywhere. Not issue enough to worry about or tinker with. Seldom gets cold enough in Dallas to cause an issue anyway.

Instead of hijacking a registered forum members post why don't you offer him further questions or advise to his questions. If you feel the obsessed urge to contact me then my email is on my profile.

[UroTrash]

Fellas, I feel like a total clutz. I set and reset the timing, re-changed the plugs, checked every single step and no better.

So I finally said "screw it, I'll do like I did back in 1980"; I did it by ear and feel . Car is running great now, really smooth with a nice little burble (headers and Ansa exhaust).

I just can't figure out why I couldn't do it with the timing light.

Thanks for all the tips! :)

[Guest Anonymous]

Instead of hijacking a registered forum members post why don't you offer him further questions or advise to his questions.

You know as much about post hijacking as you do about the words advice and advise. A further response to your post is not a hijacking simply because you disagree with the response or dislike it. Your advice about cold engine operation was incomplete and hardly germaine to an original post entitled timing advice and concerned with misfiring - when the engine is at normal operating temperatures. How about thinking twice before volunteering information unless you truly understand the subject matter?

BigDog timing via ear rather than using a timing light makes sense when an engine is modified or worn, e.g., different camshaft, higher or even lower compression and worn distributor. Deviating from recommended timing settings may be needed due to changes in altitude, octane or when attempting to optimize gears and operating rpm. It is also possible, as JimK noted, that your "mis" is related to a too lean condition. This could result from too much timing or - a carburetor that is jetted too lean. This, for those that read the archives, may include idle jets, main jets, air correction jets and even emulsion tubes.

[c.d.iesel]

you switched the plugs wires around and you

weren't timing to zyl. # 1 ???

i'd loose some sleep tonite.