Whats up with my 74 Tii?

[Danz3]

Some background.  The car ran fine during the summer until my distributor gave out.  I had it rebuilt by Advanced Distributors, installed it and it ran better than it ever did.  Solid timing, dwell etc.  One of the retaining rings in the distributor failed so I sent it back for another repair.  I just finished some transmission seal work and wanted to start the car after installing the newly repaired distributor.  I verified TDC by removing the valve cover and installed the distributor aligning the rotor with the notch and verified with marks I put on the outside of the housing to be sure it went back to the original position.  Attached is a video showing what it does.  Very lumpy idle, no acceleration of the motor, turning the distributor doesn't improve anything.  Im stumped and don't know where to start.  Feels like ignition again.

 

[Tdh]

Are you sure you have the firing order right?  (Meaning, did you reverse two spark plug wires at the cap, or at the plug ends?)

Are you running a pertronix, or points/condensor?  

Edited February 22, 2019 by Tdh

[Jimmy]

17 minutes ago, Danz3 said:

Some background.  The car ran fine during the summer until my distributor gave out.  I had it rebuilt by Advanced Distributors, installed it and it ran better than it ever did.  Solid timing, dwell etc.  One of the retaining rings in the distributor failed so I sent it back for another repair.  I just finished some transmission seal work and wanted to start the car after installing the newly repaired distributor.  I verified TDC by removing the valve cover and installed the distributor aligning the rotor with the notch and verified with marks I put on the outside of the housing to be sure it went back to the original position.  Attached is a video showing what it does.  Very lumpy idle, no acceleration of the motor, turning the distributor doesn't improve anything.  Im stumped and don't know where to start.  Feels like ignition again.

 

 

Can you elaborate on how you "verified TDC by removing the valve cover" and subsequently verified "solid timing?" 

At what RPM is the ball/BB visible?

[Danz3]

Running points.  I checked and rechecked the wires but will check again after work.  1 at notch then 3,4,2 CW.

[Danz3]

1 minute ago, Jimmy said:

 

Can you elaborate on how you "verified TDC by removing the valve cover" and subsequently verified "solid timing?" 

At what RPM is the ball/BB visible?

Timing was great prior to the second dist rebuild.  2500 ball at edge of viewing hole.   Now I can’t time it as the motor won’t really run and accelerate.  The TDC mark on the timing chain gear was verified to be aligned with the oil bar.

[Jimmy]

Advance it a little (turn distributor counter clockwise)

[Danz3]

Just now, Jimmy said:

Advance it a little (turn distributor counter clockwise)

Tried advance/retard and it either dies or runs worse.  

[Jimmy]

It looks like the vacuum to the distributor is still connected. Disconnect and plug the hose. Also, vacuum distributor on a Tii? What's the part number of that distributor?

[stone02]

Hey,while the motor is running, carefully remove

one plug wire from the spark plug at a time.

if the engine struggles then that cylinder is working.

if the engine does not change then that is the

cylinder that is not firing. it sounds like a cylinder

is not hitting because of no spark. if you hold the

ceramic end just close enough but not touching the

spark plug, it sometimes will begin to run better.

there is a chance that an injector is not working well.

i would not worry about the fuel injection until

the hi voltage stuff is guaranteed to be perfect.

out on a limb, one plug wire is shot.

stone

['76mintgrün'02]

 

 

3 minutes ago, Jimmy said:

vacuum distributor on a Tii?

'74 tii had vac retard distributor

 

 

[Danz3]

28 minutes ago, Jimmy said:

It looks like the vacuum to the distributor is still connected. Disconnect and plug the hose. Also, vacuum distributor on a Tii? What's the part number of that distributor?

Its a 74 Tii with vacuum retard not advance.

25 minutes ago, stone02 said:

Hey,while the motor is running, carefully remove

one plug wire from the spark plug at a time.

if the engine struggles then that cylinder is working.

if the engine does not change then that is the

cylinder that is not firing. it sounds like a cylinder

is not hitting because of no spark. if you hold the

ceramic end just close enough but not touching the

spark plug, it sometimes will begin to run better.

there is a chance that an injector is not working well.

i would not worry about the fuel injection until

the hi voltage stuff is guaranteed to be perfect.

out on a limb, one plug wire is shot.

stone

 Good idea.  I'm hoping that its something simple to fix.  I may have a bad wire.  That would be too easy.  Wonder if I damaged a wire while removing the distributor in the fall.  Good thought.

[Dudeland]

Ok for real. it is your plug wires.  Take the cap off re-confirm that #1 cyl points to #1 on the cap.

 

Also 1342

 

 

[Jimmy]

My car ran like that when the timing was severely retarded after I installed the 123. Checking the wires is easy enough though. 

[Danz3]

1 hour ago, Danz3 said:

Running points.  I checked and rechecked the wires but will check again after work.  1 at notch then 3,4,2 CW.

 

2 minutes ago, Dudeland said:

Ok for real. it is your plug wires.  Take the cap off re-confirm that #1 cyl points to #1 on the cap.

 

Also 1342

 

 

I’m thinking it’s wires as well. Just panicking for no reason. I’m planning on checking order for a third time, checking to see that the plugs are getting spark and replacing new cap and rotor with some “known good” spares. 

[Dudeland]

22 minutes ago, Danz3 said:

 

I’m thinking it’s wires as well. Just panicking for no reason. I’m planning on checking order for a third time, checking to see that the plugs are getting spark and replacing new cap and rotor with some “known good” spares. 

It may be that the firing order is 1-3-4-2 and the plug wires are going to 1-3-4-2, but take the cap off, rotate to TDC on the ignition(not exhaust) cycle of Cyl #1 and see if the rotor is lined up to fire plug #1