Ignition leads

[CaptB]

Ok guys, thanks once again for all the advice, I will be back home next week and now that I can start the engine I will tackle the issue of not getting it to idle

[rickf]

And just to clarify, The mark on the pulley is not TDC on these, it is 6 degrees BTDC. It was done that way to simplify the timing procedure. But for checking position of the rotor and valves it is close enough to use as TDC.

[Fil Bonica]

If the distributor is off 180 that is no big deal.
Merely remove the distributor and carefully rotate the intermediate shaft Only 180 degrees.
Rewire the ignition wires in the normal 1342 order.

Had this happen a couple time and was the fix.

FilBonica

[CaptB]

Ok the ignition leads are connected up as they were before 4,2,1 3 clockwise from 1 o'clock position and the engine starts but runs rough. Set up the timing light on no 4 lead (as it is reverse order) however I cannot get the timing mark lined up, pushing the distributor back towards the bulkhead as far as it goes helps but the mark is off by about an inch

[rickf]

Put the timing light on number one spark plug, the only thing that is reversed is the order in which the rotor is hitting the posts. The firing order of the engine is still the same. You need to time it on number one plug.

[svramselaar]

hi

you can time at 1 or 4 the pistons tarvel the same
with points ignition i do both
if the shaft is bend a litle the points gap is different so also the timing (not wth electronic ignition )

george

[rickf]

What George is saying is true, the mark will show up on numbers 1 or 4 since they are 180 degrees apart and fire on different strokes. I suggest number one to keep it simple. But if the timing mark is that far off then the oil pump is not exactly 180 out, it is a few teeth off from that and you are going to have to take the pump out and install it in the correct position. Try timing it on number one just to verify but the mark should be the same as it was on number 4. I hate to say it but the powerpak is going to have to come out. Now is a good time to see if you need any other seals that are hard to get to while it is in the vehicle like the transmission output seals.

[m3a1]

Good grief! Ah well....another tale to be told. Fix it, then forget it.

[CaptB]

Ok guys, here is an update. As per Fil's suggestion, I removed the distributor and turned the intermediate shaft 180 degrees and refitted everything as it should be. Engine fired up but ran crap, sounded like it was missing and would not idle. Whilst adjusting the idle speed screw on the NOS carb I fitted a few months ago, I found that the tapped hole had a stripped thread. Swapped over the parts from the old carb and started again. Still could not get it to run smooth at idle. Was beginning to suspect the refurbished distributor I had fitted, which came with swiss type ignition. So stripped down my old distributor and fitted a Prestonlite electronic unit I had as a spare (the points I had as spares which I bought on e bay did not fit) after swapping around a few coils it fired up and ran smooth. Not had time yet to trace the problem with the refurbished unit). With the engine now idling smoothly I could finally check the timing. Found that I had to push the distributor as far over towards the fire wall as possible to get the timing marks to line up, but the engine started to stall. Brought it back to the two finger mark and it ran ok. With it in this position I used the advance dial on my timing light to bring the timing marks together and it shows they are about 7 deg out. I have taken the mutt for a few test drives and it runs pretty good, I sometimes get a little back fire during fast deceleration but apart from that its ok. Now it has been suggested that the oil pump has been fitted a few teeth out, however when I changed the intermediate shaft I checked the alignment and it looked exactly 180 deg out. Thoughts please.

Ps Happy New Year everyone

[rickf]

Proper timing and best idle timing are going to be two different things. Best idle timing will be around 12-15 degrees BTDC which is what you are saying from the sounds of it. If you are dialing in 7 degrees on your light to bring it back to the mark. The mark is preset at 6 degrees. But keep in mind that the distributor has built in centrifugal advance so your total advance is going to be way out there at the 12 degree initial timing and you will probably find that you will be burning the electrodes off of the plugs from preignition. There is also a good chance of burning intake valves if it is firing that far advanced at speed. Did you test any of the coils you replaced? What were the readings? It is always easy to convince yourself that what you did was right because it sounds good at the time but you have to think long term, am what I doing going to damage the engine down the road? Nobody wants to have to tear into an engine but look at it this way, once it is done correctly then it is done and will not have to be done again. Take it out, check the cam timing and reset the oil pump. Check the bearings while you are there. Replace the seals in the tranny since they are easily accessible while it is out and then pop it back in.

[CaptB]

Checked the coil's the good one had 6 ohms and 4.5 ohms

[Hambone]

Sounds like you are making some headway, the coil test should be 3-6 ohms on the primary side and 11k-13k ohms on the secondary side.

[Fil Bonica]

TJ
Given the fact that there is an intermediate shaft you could in fact reverse it 180 degrees and correct for oil pump mis alingnment of 180 degrees?

Fil Bonica

[rickf]

Sounds like he did that and it ran the same but there was no mention of changing the wires back to normal position. Really need to step back and fully determine what is going on here. IS the oil pump in correctly or not? IF it is 180 out then changing the intermediate shaft is a band aid but it really needs to be corrected at the first chance or he will forget what was done down the road and when it does come apart and goes back together according to the book the distributor will be wrong and everybody will be scratching there heads. He has changed the timing roughly 25-30 degrees from what I can gather to get it running and now is running at 12 degrees initial. That will eventually do damage. I have said my piece, everything is in the manual although I hate to be that guy that says RTFM! But I am also not going to sit here and preach since I have been accused of that in the past.

[Fil Bonica]

Been there, Done that !
I will crawl back in to the weeds and wait for warmer weather.

Fil Bonica