Idle problem after installing repaired 1,2,3 distributor

[Scottjeffrey]

 

HI and thanks.

Repaired, manually switched, 123 distributor installed. Set TDC with cam gear line at oil bar.

Timed car to steel ball at 1400 rpm.

Car running well though not as perfect as before removing the distributor. Not as ‘free’ if that makes any sense at all but quite well. The repair was having the improved shaft installed, which doesn’t allow oil infiltration.

And, now it will idle super low or even stall when I finish decelerating at a light or what have you. It is intermittent.

I reset my a/f screw as per weber instructions and idle set screw as well. Same issue with the idle. Any ideas?

The brake booster hose from the intake manifold does not appear to be cracked allowing an air leak.

Thank You,

Scott

Edited September 24, 2023 by Scottjeffrey
added something

[jimk]

1.  If you have a map curve, it needs to be off while timing.

2. Your curve in the table needs to have 25deg at 1400 rpm or the actual engine timing won't be as indicated with the light.

[Scottjeffrey]

25 minutes ago, jimk said:

1.  If you have a map curve, it needs to be off while timing.

2. Your curve in the table needs to have 25deg at 1400 rpm or the actual engine timing won't be as indicated with the light.

Thanks for the help. My 1,2,3 is the manually switched type unit. 

[dlacey]

41 minutes ago, Scottjeffrey said:

Timed car to steel ball at 1400 rpm.

 

What does this mean? did you twist the distributor to achieve this?

 

With a 123 you are meant to set it 'green light on' at TDC and clamp it there...all other 'adjustment' via the curveswitch

[Scottjeffrey]

8 minutes ago, dlacey said:

What does this mean? did you twist the distributor to achieve this?

 

With a 123 you are meant to set it 'green light on' at TDC and clamp it there...all other 'adjustment' via the curveswitch

Mine is manually switched and I left it on curve 4 which was great before the removal, repair and replacement. I set it with the green light and twisted the body very little if at all when finding the steel ball at 1400 rpm with the vacuum advance line removed from the distributor and plugged.

[Scottjeffrey]

13 minutes ago, dlacey said:

What does this mean? did you twist the distributor to achieve this?

 

With a 123 you are meant to set it 'green light on' at TDC and clamp it there...all other 'adjustment' via the curveswitch

The car starts and pulls very well. Its just the idle that's got me perplexed.

[dlacey]

OK, but I think you are confusing timing methods.

The "set the steel ball at xyz RPM" method is for mechanical dizzys.

The "set TDC and allow the 123electronics to do the rest" is the method for 123ignition.

You can certainly check/observe the ball position when using the 123 ignition, but you should only change the timing using the curve switch, not any further mechanical movement.

[0257]

On my ‘74 tii I found, when I simply set the 123 to “green light” on installation, that timing was off by as much as 9 degrees.  In my case advanced, so that I had endless issues with rich/hot idle and very lean mid-throttle acceleration, even though the 123 dashboard showed timing was dialed in.  After months of tuning my fuel injection, I used a variable timing light to dial the dizzy till the the static number at idle matched my 123 dash (0 degrees), and the car has behaved much better ever since.  

 

Amazing is that the car ran as well as it did while so advanced!

[Scottjeffrey]

13 minutes ago, dlacey said:

OK, but I think you are confusing timing methods.

The "set the steel ball at xyz RPM" method is for mechanical dizzys.

The "set TDC and allow the 123electronics to do the rest" is the method for 123ignition.

You can certainly check/observe the ball position when using the 123 ignition, but you should only change the timing using the curve switch, not any further mechanical movement.

Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it and will start over, lol.

Best Regards,

Scott

[Stevenola]

Which map curve are you switched to  (0-9, A-F) ?

[Scottjeffrey]

2 minutes ago, Stevenola said:

Which map curve are you switched to  (0-9, A-F) ?

Four

[paulyg]

This is not totally correct, the light on my 123 had some "dwell" to it meaning that the actual trigger point for the electronic ignition will not be precisely set using the LED method. The way to do this is to get it ballparked and use a timing light to compare a point on the programmed curve to a timing mark on the engine, and then rotate the distributor so that those two things match perfectly. Alternatively you can just "live with it" and just run everything relative to your starting point, basically just changing static timing on top of what the 123 curve would show. 

[Stevenola]

6 minutes ago, Scottjeffrey said:

Four

Which Weber(s) and are your running vacuum advance?

Edited September 25, 2023 by Stevenola

[Scottjeffrey]

5 minutes ago, Stevenola said:

Which Weber(s) and are your running vacuum advance?

32/36

[Scottjeffrey]

6 minutes ago, Stevenola said:

Which Weber(s) and are your running vacuum advance?

Yes, vacuum advance line to distributor.