On most setups you just go from the coil wire to ground. HEI is a little more difficult and is easiest with a second set of hands holding a wire from ground to the center post inside the cap.
The coil will fire, with your new balancer mark at 30 degrees, and the coil wire attached to coil and distributor end unhooked and place near something metal on the motor will jump the gap when the distributor body is twisted to a position where the ignition points close.
You plug the number one cylinder spark plug wire directly to the coil on one end and to a grounded spark plug on the fender, outside of the engine. Hold the rotor hard in its direction of rotation with the distributor body past firing in that direction. Then rotate the distributor body in the opposite direction of the rotor rotation until it fires a spark. To set it up, first the engine has to be on the compression stroke of number one cylinder and the distributor timing has to already be close. What I do is finger in the number spark plug hole and rotate the crankshaft until there is pressure (compression). Then set the balancer timing at 10 or 12 degrees before top dead center. With the distributor cap in place and ignition on, rotate the distributor in the opposite direction of rotor rotation, (or just back and forth for a rough position) until there is spark at number one wire on an open spark plug. After that rough setting, turn off ignition, pull the cap, plug spark plug wire directly into the coil, the rotate balancer to full ignition advance mark before top dead center (must be measured and added), then with ignition on, hold rotor hard in direction of rotation, rotate distributor body in same direction first, then in the opposite direction until there is spark.
@@rudyjhughes you are feeding a spark plug from the wire that would normally go to the centre of the cap and triggering the coil off the points in the base of the distributor.
@thunderhead289 My friend, think of the haters as a gift....a sign of your success. Nobody pays attention to people who don't make an impact. You're doing great
9 sec street car BBF 466cu w minor mods loved 28inital w 36 total on the dizzy. Beautiful throttle response on the street w a 1050dominator. Nice to see someone who understands all this put it out there, so many guys dont know how to tune for power and cant tell them squat. Love your vids man,,,
Wow, talk about ironic - I was just experimenting with this exact thing yesterday on my own 440. I don't have any fancy measuring devices, so I used a piece of paper to transfer the timing marks off the front of the engine to the stock harmonic balancer. Not even kidding.... and it worked, just like Tony shows here with his caliper thingy. I had two distributors that I wanted to choose from and was able to compare the two's performance easily doing this - there was quite a bit of difference in each one's built-in advance. In the end, the DC/Mopar Performance distributor won and the stock one lost and was relegated to the parts bin. Once again, VERY practical lessons being taught here at UTG! You can do exactly what he shows here easily, without a bunch of fancy tools or high tech equipment. Thanks as always, Tony. -Ed on the Ridge
This has always been gospel to me for the past 30 years I've been working on and building engines and any mouth breathers that try and say otherwise are nitwit keyboard warriors
Haha, my pop said when he was in high school in the 60s, he would bump the timing up on his 55 chevy, then go lay a patch, the longest patch is where the timing was left lol.
@living in a desert it depends on the engine, but it typically sounds like one of a couple things: It'll sound like a a knocking of sorts, that happens at random in different places/different cylinders. You'll know it different from engine knock from a rod or etc, because those stay knocking at only 1 cylinder/area of the engine. It can also sound like "pinging", kinda like if something tapped a hollow portion of your engine head and it had a short ring to it, but at various cylinders and etc. Kinda like Ping-Ping-PingPing-Ping--Ping. (Hopefully that kinda explains it a little better)
You're right about every engine is different, the efficiency of the combustion chamber makes a big difference. Back in the day chambers were not as efficient as todays engines thus needed way more total advance ie low 40s for max power.
@4:15 Uncle Tony said: _"'Why don't you use timing tape?'" Because timing tape doesn't stay on forever."_ The trick to prevent timing tape from flying off is a) make sure you have an extremely clean surface on the damper before you stick it on, and b) once on, take a can of Krylon CLEAR spray paint (or other brand), and spray over the timing tape. *Once again: The key to prevent timing tape from loosening up and flying off is a **_very_** clean surface; that means NO grease, NO oil and NO rust on the harmonic balancer (aka damper) before you apply the timing tape then a shot of Krylon clear paint over it to seal the tape to the damper.*
It is best to paint your entire engine bay with clear coat. Eliminates corrosion. Helps hold things in place. Makes wiring last forever. And oh man is it a joy to work on pater. Rinse it off and she’s clean.
Use the timing tape then take a hacksaw and cut your marks into it using the tape and a guide. Any performance engine should not have a factory damper anyway.
@@philipmazzuca2269 You make a really good point here. Some of the old 60's and 70's dampers were pretty good for not spinning and being factory accurate. The later shit was literally made with not much better than spray foam. The balancer could be out by 4 to 8 degrees new. I remember back in the early 90's setting total timing on a 403 Olds motor and I'd lock down the distributor, rev the engine up a couple of times and the timing had changed. I thought the distributor was somehow turning. Took me a bit to figure out the outer ring of the damper was spinning on the rubber. So, I agree buying a good damper is cheap insurance in my opinion.
This is awesome. I'm going to learn this. I'm working on putting in my own HHO system and then advance the total timing on this 1998 test Toyota Camry.
having a lean miss with my holley at part throttle, never thought to look at my vacuum advance on my dizzy. Thanks! I'll look at that first then the fuel aspect again.
I never use timing marks or a light to adjust ignition timing. I’ll have an assistant put car in gear, load the engine and then I’ll advance the ignition timing as far as I can go until the engine starts spark knocking, then back it off until it stops. Been doing it this way for years with great results.
Ive found success doing this using a recurve kit putting largest bushing and lightest springs on mechanical advance giving 10 to 12 degrees of timing coming all in at 1500 to 2000 rpm and setting crank timing to 20 to 24 so 30 to 36 degrees of total timing
I have both a old sbc and a new ford coyote I race. Funny thing is despite all the fancy computer controls on the coyote, for power, I still time it the same 27 degree from 3500rpm and up (it spends all day 4500 to 7500). You old school guys might be interested to know I can still use a timing light with a lead extension on the coil on plug ignition coils.
Don't know if you still have that but that fucking Ford Coyote is something! Not many engines even have a life at 5500 rpm for long but that damn thing wakes up at 4000 by 5500 is getting some what we say in Oklahoma "getting on one" and is like a screaming mad man crystal meth monster at 7800 RPM as you hang the fuck on and that bitch is like.... MORE MOTHER FUCKER! PEDAL ON THE RIGHT! PUSSY! I was never really a big Ford fan until I was pinned to the seat from one of those and once we got down the road got off the highway and went back to where we started and picked up my asshole and soul that got left behind when we launched into what I can only describe as the tunnel vision of destiny! I was fucking SOLD! I can't afford one right now even at age 46 but I had enough to get a 94 mustang with only a 3.8 V6 with a T5 manual 5 speed and it's not much but I got it delivered on a trailer not running in 3 years and is now my daily driver! Many can beat me and that's okay but they bought theirs and I built mine! But when I grow up! One day ... I want a fucking coyote fire breathing mad man meth monster! Lol For now I play that role in my 6 banger! LMFAO!
Man I hate that you have to automatically pre defend your video information because of the naysayers, I think you are talking from past experience and that's what it takes to teach. I would have already wanted to pinch their heads off! but you keep your cool, keep up the good work!
I like your "old school" approach! I've been working on cars for over 50 years and have used almost all, if not all of your methods. FWIW, I scrapped a $1200 custom electronic ignition and went back to points because of reliability issues. The engine is just as happy with points, and it doesn't suddenly quit and leave me stranded!
Ugh.... I'm a young man, I know about points, but HEI is where it's at.... Remember back in the day, everyone used to carry spare points in their glove box? You know.... incase THOSE POINTS went out while you were out lol I carry a spare coil and module and cap in my classic and all the stuff needed to change out these parts. change them out like a set of points on the side of the road if need be... I've yet to have to use my spare ignition parts because hei is so dependable and on the money all the time. My secret? Buy the cheapest distributor in the jegs book if it's GM make sure it takes a 4 pin style module. Then.... Buy another one. Rob all the parts out of it.... CARRY THEM IN YOUR TRUNK OR GLOVE BOX Last time I bought one one was 79.95$ and it was 120$ at my local orielly for a cap, module and coil. YUCK. You get to keep the extra body incase your shaft bearing starts to go bad or something happens to your housing, AND you get all the parts to rebuild the one in your car at a cheaper price. EXTRA CREDIT : Since the housing and internal bearing never hardly go bad... take that spare body and build a tuned distributor. One with very high out put, light springs, and all the fixins... Then when it's time for a tune up, drop it in... enjoy....
If points were more reliable than electronic ignition you were doing something seriously wrong. Points you've gotta deal with every oil change. I never had an electronic ignition system that went less than 60k miles before a failure, and that was the distributor shaft wearing out.
Well I have electronic points, & carry a spare unit. If it fails, its a case of undo one screw, remove & refit new one, now adjustments required. They are magnetically operated, so no heel wear or timing changes. To hell with points.
Tony and Uncle Cathy I love your videos and Insight. The ways You have figured out to hop up engines is so unique. The thing with your methods is it's hard/impossible to hit the bullseye better than half the time at best. You'll spend all night at the track to get one good run that you can't repeat the next night. Fun but too chancy.
Damn Bro. You did it again. I had just come back from making a coffee and tobacco run in the old C-20 and the old girl was pinging as I was running her up the highway. So I did a quickly by ear along side the road. Know its not the gasoline cause I just filled up with 92 octane.. And I get home and your doing a timing video..
if it's not the gas it may be the timing it could also be the plug with these hot days you may need a colder plug I've had spark knock issues before most of the time it's in the summer on those real hot days I could back the timing off and it would not ping but run like crap so went tossed a colder plug in it turned the timing back up and never had a issue since.
@@fastinradfordable same gas I always put in it every morning because it never gets below half tank. my usual 76 station, same pump I always use. 92 octane 76 gasoline. Cuz it only runs on 76 or Exxon. ARCO gas builds up brown crap on my plugs after a tank full.
I got a book years ago(centuries) that I think was put out by Mallery all about timing and ignition. I read it repeatedly. It went over nearly everything you said. Since then I have never had difficulty timing engines. I don’t like vacuum advance, to each their own.
This is a great video explaining total advance. I know there is a debate on full manifold versus timed versus no vacuum advance. The answer is they are all correct depending on your engine setup and most importantly what you plan to do with your car. If you are running a stock engine and only care about initial timing say at 10 degrees, then hook up that vacuum canister. It won’t hurt a thing and will help with engine idle. If you are running a mildly modified or high performance engine, then you will be better off working with total timing in the 32 to 36 degrees range. Uncle Tony hits the nail on the head when he talks about running total timing with full vacuum advance. The engine will miss fire and sputter at mid or half throttle because the timing will be way too advanced. He is also right when he talks about opening the idle mixture screws more as a possible remedy. This will work sometimes but the consequences is a rich running engine at idle that will run you out of your garage or shop and eventually foul plugs. So, disconnect that thing when running total timing or plug into the timed vac port on your carb. Your engine will thank you! Great work UT! You da man! K Roush.....
You're one of the most knowledgeable car guys that I've ever seen I remember 33 years ago you were the first one to tell people where to set timing on a 5 liter Mustang
Sometimes I wish I could jump in the video and help you explain some concepts. I trained Auto-Diesel Tech for thirty five years during the muscle car era. In order to do power timing with certain degree of accuracy, you best have access to a chassis dyno and the proper test equipment. Power time a stock engine at peak torque rpm under load was best practice at the time. A modified engine is best power timed on an engine dyno. Although it can be done if you have proper component specs. You can still semi-power time an engine under no load, by moving the distributor until you achieve best vacuum at peak torque rpm and go from there. I have a question: how lean is too lean? During the early 70's, while doing R&D work, I had carburetor curves set at 21:1 at cruising speeds and with the proper engine timing. I know you were trying to show how to "static time" an engine. I think it would have made more sense to the viewers if the distributor cap had been on the distributor and at least #1 cble had been on the cap Keep up the good work! It's fun and instructional watching your videos. Cheers!
Hot Rod Magazine had an article about total advancement, 40 years ago. I believe they said to have 40 degrees. They. also, said to keep your spark plug wires separated from each other if they fire consecutively on the same bank.
That's interesting because I found the same thing using an advance light. Always seemed four degrees off. Then my dad showed me the caliper method. I learned on an old Buick about points systems and timing. Loved it!
@billyfromtheusa It's transferring the timing cover marks onto the harmonic balancer using the calipers in increments to go beyond what the factory mark will show off idle with a timing light to get a total advance reading. He showed this in his video with bottle rocket. I used this method on the Buick 430 as it ran manifold vacuum and not ported like the later 455.
I'd argue his last point of re setting advance for starting up an engine. He states to set it to your total advance of say 30 degrees, then insert your distributor and turn the housing until you get spark. That's for initial timing, not your total timing. Doing it as he states will then introduce even more advance once the engine starts and the mechanical advance kicks in.
HOLD ON REAL TIGHT TO THE ROTOR WITH YOUR LEFT HAND. ROCK THE DISTRIBUTOR BACK & FORTH WITH YOUR RIGHT HAND... THE PUT THE COIL WIRE IN YOUR MOUTH AND WHEN YOU FEEL A LITTLE JOLT OF ELECTRICITY ON YOUR TONGUE. BINGO! THAT'S YOUR TIMING MARK, REMEMBER TO TIGHTEN THE DISTRIBUTOR BOLT AND YOU'RE DONE.
Thanks for your time and knowledge on your videos! Is there any truth to advancing timing even more at high elevation? I in Arizona at 7000' altitude with my 78 chevy k10 with the 350. I have it set to 36 total (unless my dialback is wrong as well) I have heard you can advance timing 1 degree for every 1000 elevation due to the thinner air and slower burn rate. Any truth to that?
You ask an interesting question. I was working at the Dodge dealer, around 1994, when a Viper came into the service department, with the same issue. Apparently, (AND! I'm only guessing....) it came up from Southern California. I was told, California. BUT, it was OBD-1, which didn't take care of that problem.
I have a 75 C-20 with the 350 that is set at basically sea level. When I go over the pass and up in the mountains to visit my brother. It over heats knocks and pings and runs like crap. But the moment I hit the down hill run off the pass towards home she cools down to normal runs like she should so there might be something to that.
I tried making marks by measuring half way around which is 180 degrees. Half of that is 90 degrees, half of that is 45....and keep halfing/marking it until you get the range of marks you want. And that would work with any diameter damper/balancer. Just have to make sure the outer damper didn't spin on on the rubber ring previously.
Uncle Tony, was fascinated by ball stud hemi video. Is there anymore info on that engine? The info you give is priceless, Thank you and merry Christmas.
You'd be more accurate if you did it by diameter. If you Have an 8" outside diameter dampner, then the outside diameter is 3.1416x8=25.1328. If you take that and divide by 360 (or even 10) that will give you the distance per degree. That equals .0698" per degree. Then you can mark out every 5 or 10 degrees. Or you can just buy timing tape...
Thank you brother you really know your stuff. My 1956 ford vanette step van has a 352 fe with a 2bbl carb. I had a difficult time getting my fuel mixture right. Your video was very helpful. Thanks hope all is well on your end with covid-19 stay safe now.
All good and you made it clear that "Performance" engines can get away with just mechanical advance. They are not meant to get gas mileage necessarily ... Mild street engines that haul the family around need the vacuum too. Good tip on fattening the low speed circuit to get away from lean burn and stratified charge issues at high vacuum cruise :)
On my pontiac, I don't use the vac advance and have modified weights, so setting the timing for me is setting it as advanced as possible without having a miss at idle! And boom, it's perfect.
I made my own marks using masking tape. Put the masking tape on top of the timing tab, mark the lines, they are 2° apart then put the masking tape on the damper. Kinda like using timing tape, then use a marker to mark the damper up to 40°. On my small block n big block Chevy, full advance running the engine using a timing light, hit on 36° full advance, which was coincidentally at about the 12 o'clock position on the damper. I used a medium n light spring on the HEI distributor. Both engines run great! Great drivability, and good getup n go when I need it. Passing gear kicks in good n hard n works great as well.
I am so confused. I thought timing was set on the distributor. I thought you set initial there by turning the distributor, and then you set the weights under it for mechanical advance. Can someone explain to me what he is doing on the engine damper?
You can also use a protractor to measure off the degrees more effectively by lacing the center of the protractor on the center of the crank/bolt area. This can zero you down to within 1 degree or on the money every time.
If your real good in a first timing you can set to timing mark and turn the distributor til you hear the spark. Much love tony. Keep me interested in my projects. I’m grateful for that. Without enjoyment life ..... Ain’t good
Great video but you should mention how old stock balancers rotate on their isolators and are no longer accurate for timing. I like the small hacksaw marks, I’m gonna do that next time!
Love your channel love that your a mopar guy as well. I bought a 73 dodge w100 with a 75 440 sat for 10 years got it running drove it ran fine. I think I got cute and has a holley double pumper street avenger 670 took it off and changed the gaskets that's it. No I can't get it running has plenty of fuel. Never messed with the timing. Help please.
Much respect from Ontario Canada . Many years back when I was in school and worked for a gm dealership a mechanic who used to drag race taught me how to make power old school timing exhaust carbs and using a vacuum gauge Back then we made tons of power with minor mods and calibration. I became the qjet expert .They were great street carbs once you understand them and super reliable as well a great on gas
Tony. great video on timing, however I disagree with your method of marking the balancer. by using a dial caliper, you are measuring in a strait line. but the balancer is curved and it will not give you a accurate timing mark. you need to do a little math to get it sorted out. the formula is Pi * balancer diameter / 360. so for a small block Chevy with an 8 inch diameter. i would use 3.1416 * 8 / 360 = .069813 per degree. so if i needed a mark at 36 degrees, I would use this formula, Pi * Balancer diameter /360 * desired total timing. 3.1416 * 8 / 360 *36 = 2.2340 inches. so I would cut a piece of heavy duty aluminum foil to that length and then curve it around the balancer and tape it from the mark at TDC to give you the desired spot to mark the balancer. or you can just cheat and by the timing tape and use it as a guide to make your marks on the balancer. i prefer to us my Dremel with an engraving bit to make the marks. rather than grinding notches that could weaken the balancer. Also, I like to put marks at 90 degrees on my balancers so I can check the timing at each cylinder with my dial back timing light, the newer timing lights from Innova are very accurate. you would not believe how poorly most distributer caps are made, the timing can be out a couple of degrees cylinder to cylinder on some cheep caps. which is not a big deal on a street car, but if your building a performance engine for racing it is worth several horse power.
Best way to put this into practice: invest in a quality damper with 360deg timing marks etched in, and a quality pointer checked with a piston stop. Timing tape sucks and so do most stock dampers/pointer tabs. I fought this for years and finally replaced it all. Setting timing is a breeze now.
From one Tony to a other, thank you for putting up these videos and sharing your knowledge and experiences. Please keep doing it. And by the way, your right, there are very few individuals out there (speaking automotive) that have channels dedicated to this discipline. Thanks!
Hey bud that’s wrong! The diameter of the balancer is different than the “diameter” of the marks… you need to measure or calculate the circumference of the balancer which is 360 degrees and calculate your needed timing from there
Why won't my timing mark move when I try to adjust it? It's a 98 5.7l Vortec and when I try and adjust the distributor it doesn't move the mark at all. It has 23degrees of time and it's not steady either it's bouncing from 23 to 26 and back.
How do I set the timing on my 2000 dodge ram 5.9 magnum? Have the auto makers made it so that I can’t? If so, how do I remove it? I feel like it is my truck and I should be able to do whatever I want to do to it. I purchased the truck and should not be kept from information that will assist me in working on it. I shouldn’t have to pay for it. I own the truck and I feel all of the information that is needed to repair my truck. Was hoping you could point me in the right direction. Thanks in advance
I understand the importance of full advance timing coming in as soon as possible during a drag race. However, is it possible that HP is being left on the table at the lower RPMs during the engine acceleration phase? Now that inexpensive Progressive Ignition Distributors are now available, wouldn't programing the advance curve to match engine speed increase available HP?
Uncle Tony.... Back in when i was a teen i used to run the advance up till it i get the motor to rattle then back it off a few degrees to get max timming. Can you make a video on a safer way to get the most usable timming without going to the dyno?
I tried your "drop in" dizzy procedure to try and time out 305. But looks like I didn't have much luck because you have to turn the dizzy fast enough for it to spark. But what I didn't do was hold it "hard" in the direction of rotation. That probably would have helped get rid of the slop that I was dealing with. Either way it got me close enough to start it up, set at 10deg initial. Was also a hei unit and I'm wondering if that matters to get it set perfect? Thought maybe points and condenser have that stored energy. Blazer needs a tune up so I'm re watching some things.
Why when I try to set my timing it's fine until I try to advance it it jumping all over the place say it's 13 degrees if I try to do just say 16 it bounces all over the place
I purchased a 421 sbc it starts and idles great in park. When it is placed in drive the rpms drop to 650 to low. The distribution vacuum was capped off by the engine builder. The total timing was set on the Dyno for total timing at 35 to 36 degrees. I was told to add initial timing to make run better in drive. Do I uncap the distributor and connect vacuuming advance? I do not want to change the total timing as it runs and idles great but I need the car to pull better in drive. how do you add initial timing without changing total timing. I have always been told to set total and let initial be what it is. Lease help! Comments thanks
So I'm having trouble understanding the total as far as distributor so I set initial timing at 10 degrees and then when I rev engine to say 2500 and find the total I turn the distributor again to 34 degrees if that would be my total
Great points UT, especially on unverified dial-back lights, very well said as they can be unstable. I'd like to add, don't trust marks left by others, I've experienced situations where a motor ran like crap but good enough to pass apparently b/c the guy who marked the damper accidentally marked it twice with 2nd mark being accidental paint drip. Then set timing to the accidental mark. (Doh!) Deep boat bilge and salt-rusted damper but almost by luck I noticed the two paint marks. I'd suspected something was wrong just by listening to the motor idle, the timing sounded off and looked into it. So I encourage others experiment with igniton timing a little to gain experience and listen closely. Small tweeks can improve things like drivability, etc.
I just use Timing Tape on my stock damper I put it on when I rebuilt the engine and it still on there and works great or if you buy a aftermarket damper it will have the timing marks right on it
Whos This Brian Guy Whos Vocabulary Is The F Bomb??He Is Not Smart And It Shows And Says He Is Into Cars?? Looks Like He Did Time In The Penal System And Were His Cars?? If He Was Such Into Cars Then He Would Have Known Tony From The Magazines And Knew Tony Wrote For The Big Mags As Well,,,Get A Life And Take The FBomb Your Self With It!!!
how about a 305 v8 with 301,xxx miles in 95 1500? Im looking for performance of getting from A to B consistently. I marked rotor location on the distributor ring. I put it back , it seated , but it doesnt start. Bout to find tdc on #1 but not looking forward to it.
By law, if you are a gear head, you must own an "Easy Rider" motorcycle helmet. I am glad to see that you are in compliance. Tickets cost money!!! Question; Timed vacuum or live vacuum to the advance, that is the question? UTG! DK, ASE master retired.
Im stuck on my 305 it has a holly carb 650 on it and a holly intake it idles good but in gear bogs out or if i rev it it sounds like off timming, im kinda new to this timming stuff
Thanks again Uncle T. There was one question you could not answer that maybe you could go into depth. Most of us have no access to a DYNO. We know ABOUT where total should be and if you take initial plus what the distributor is going to add all in, then you have a total timing number to check. My case. Ford 347 stroker, mild cam, pertronix III dist. So I have 15 initial plus 21 it gives and verified its 36 all in. The question remains, is that too high? Would it be better at 34 or 35 ? There seems to be no way to know unless 1) You have a dyno 2) you have access to a track with 1/4 mile times...LOL. So if you were doing this in my situation, what would you do to drive it and say "Ahhh..34 is better or no, 36 is better "? BTW , no ping at 36 but I do know any higher and I could blow a gasket or burn a piston...Help me get to the next step :-)
If you don't understand how a coil works you will be confused.He is talking about the high voltage spark wire from the coil. when a coil is powered up it charges. when the power is off it discharges. HENCE SPARK The distributor controls the coil.
OK, maybe you can answer this. a couple years ago i bought a 1988 F350 with a 460. The owner had just put in a fresh long blcok but he couldn;t seem to get the jeul injection to work right so he rippied i all out and ut and Edelbrock 1307 on it.. Still couldn't get it to run right. PArt of that problem was that he only have a cheap 9x2 air cleaner on it. a 3 x 14 solved that BUT. When I set the timing for good performance and economy (often the same because efficient engines run pretty strong) The problem i have is that when I set timing to get that good perfromance once the engine gets to operating temperature and shut the engine off, when I try to start it it barely cranks like it is psuhing against a firing cymlinder. On my mond that is confirmed because if I get out and retard the timi0ng a few degrees, it fires right up. It has the original factory ignittion system...DO I have a faulty component or should I replace the factory stuff with old school components?
How do you know what degree above top dead center to set your motor at? I have a factory 67, 289. No modifications. Is there a website to visit to give this information?
How do you get a spark with the cap off?
On most setups you just go from the coil wire to ground. HEI is a little more difficult and is easiest with a second set of hands holding a wire from ground to the center post inside the cap.
The coil will fire, with your new balancer mark at 30 degrees, and the coil wire attached to coil and distributor end unhooked and place near something metal on the motor will jump the gap when the distributor body is twisted to a position where the ignition points close.
Ya I’m still confused with this, if you want it go come up on #1 plug but cap is off???? Confused
You plug the number one cylinder spark plug wire directly to the coil on one end and to a grounded spark plug on the fender, outside of the engine. Hold the rotor hard in its direction of rotation with the distributor body past firing in that direction. Then rotate the distributor body in the opposite direction of the rotor rotation until it fires a spark. To set it up, first the engine has to be on the compression stroke of number one cylinder and the distributor timing has to already be close. What I do is finger in the number spark plug hole and rotate the crankshaft until there is pressure (compression). Then set the balancer timing at 10 or 12 degrees before top dead center. With the distributor cap in place and ignition on, rotate the distributor in the opposite direction of rotor rotation, (or just back and forth for a rough position) until there is spark at number one wire on an open spark plug. After that rough setting, turn off ignition, pull the cap, plug spark plug wire directly into the coil, the rotate balancer to full ignition advance mark before top dead center (must be measured and added), then with ignition on, hold rotor hard in direction of rotation, rotate distributor body in same direction first, then in the opposite direction until there is spark.
@@rudyjhughes you are feeding a spark plug from the wire that would normally go to the centre of the cap and triggering the coil off the points in the base of the distributor.
Thunderhead289 vs uncle tonys garage on carbureted engine tech!!
We may be the only guys out there really hitting it hard.
Uncle Tony's Garage everyone’s hates us lately for this that or the other thing
@@ThunderHead289 not me, i love the info you share.
College verses high school my money on uncle tony he can send them iowa kids back to school
@thunderhead289
My friend, think of the haters as a gift....a sign of your success. Nobody pays attention to people who don't make an impact. You're doing great
This kind of knowledge isn't learned in a week. This is gold wish I would have known a few of these tricks back 15 yrs ago
9 sec street car BBF 466cu w minor mods loved 28inital w 36 total on the dizzy. Beautiful throttle response on the street w a 1050dominator. Nice to see someone who understands all this put it out there, so many guys dont know how to tune for power and cant tell them squat. Love your vids man,,,
Wow, talk about ironic - I was just experimenting with this exact thing yesterday on my own 440.
I don't have any fancy measuring devices, so I used a piece of paper to transfer the timing marks
off the front of the engine to the stock harmonic balancer.
Not even kidding.... and it worked, just like Tony shows here with his caliper thingy.
I had two distributors that I wanted to choose from and was able to compare the two's performance
easily doing this - there was quite a bit of difference in each one's built-in advance.
In the end, the DC/Mopar Performance distributor won and the stock one lost and was relegated
to the parts bin.
Once again, VERY practical lessons being taught here at UTG! You can do exactly what he shows
here easily, without a bunch of fancy tools or high tech equipment.
Thanks as always, Tony.
-Ed on the Ridge
This has always been gospel to me for the past 30 years I've been working on and building engines and any mouth breathers that try and say otherwise are nitwit keyboard warriors
I have had both a timing light and a timing tape failure as well. Expensive and lasting lessons.
i have a detonation sensor..
good luck
Ty Tony a year later video in Tony’s English is perfect. Ty . Big block Chevy had a set advanced setting. Tutorial was awesome.
Haha, my pop said when he was in high school in the 60s, he would bump the timing up on his 55 chevy, then go lay a patch, the longest patch is where the timing was left lol.
😆😆😆😆😆 🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼
How I set timing: rev that bitch up until it's at the absolute highest rpm I can get it WITHOUT pinging/detonation.
@living in a desert it depends on the engine, but it typically sounds like one of a couple things:
It'll sound like a a knocking of sorts, that happens at random in different places/different cylinders. You'll know it different from engine knock from a rod or etc, because those stay knocking at only 1 cylinder/area of the engine.
It can also sound like "pinging", kinda like if something tapped a hollow portion of your engine head and it had a short ring to it, but at various cylinders and etc. Kinda like Ping-Ping-PingPing-Ping--Ping.
(Hopefully that kinda explains it a little better)
What a shitty way to do it
Yes yes that's the way. This stuff kills me. It really does!
Exactly what I needed to set total advance on my 009 VW. Thank You!
You're right about every engine is different, the efficiency of the combustion chamber makes a big difference. Back in the day chambers were not as efficient as todays engines thus needed way more total advance ie low 40s for max power.
👍 60s SBF needed 42-45.
Some 429s needed 48.
Perfect timing! I was just about to tune up my engine.
Me too, Uncle Tony is not just an ace mechanic, he's psychic as well!
You mean Perfect "timing", lol
@4:15 Uncle Tony said: _"'Why don't you use timing tape?'" Because timing tape doesn't stay on forever."_
The trick to prevent timing tape from flying off is a) make sure you have an extremely clean surface on the damper before you stick it on, and b) once on, take a can of Krylon CLEAR spray paint (or other brand), and spray over the timing tape. *Once again: The key to prevent timing tape from loosening up and flying off is a **_very_** clean surface; that means NO grease, NO oil and NO rust on the harmonic balancer (aka damper) before you apply the timing tape then a shot of Krylon clear paint over it to seal the tape to the damper.*
It is best to paint your entire engine bay with clear coat.
Eliminates corrosion.
Helps hold things in place.
Makes wiring last forever.
And oh man is it a joy to work on pater.
Rinse it off and she’s clean.
Red Green always used Duct Tape😉
Use the timing tape then take a hacksaw and cut your marks into it using the tape and a guide. Any performance engine should not have a factory damper anyway.
@@philipmazzuca2269
You make a really good point here.
Some of the old 60's and 70's dampers were pretty good for not spinning and being factory accurate.
The later shit was literally made with not much better than spray foam. The balancer could be out by 4 to 8 degrees new. I remember back in the early 90's setting total timing on a 403 Olds motor and I'd lock down the distributor, rev the engine up a couple of times and the timing had changed. I thought the distributor was somehow turning. Took me a bit to figure out the outer ring of the damper was spinning on the rubber.
So, I agree buying a good damper is cheap insurance in my opinion.
Hammy- Agreed
This is awesome. I'm going to learn this. I'm working on putting in my own HHO system and then advance the total timing on this 1998 test Toyota Camry.
having a lean miss with my holley at part throttle, never thought to look at my vacuum advance on my dizzy. Thanks! I'll look at that first then the fuel aspect again.
Your videos help alot to someone learning as I go. Every video packed with info love it. And badass cars
i like that you still use accel supercoil and thanks for these amazing tips
I never use timing marks or a light to adjust ignition timing. I’ll have an assistant put car in gear, load the engine and then I’ll advance the ignition timing as far as I can go until the engine starts spark knocking, then back it off until it stops.
Been doing it this way for years with great results.
Excellent way of explaining it spot on like the way u mark the dampner
Ive found success doing this using a recurve kit putting largest bushing and lightest springs on mechanical advance giving 10 to 12 degrees of timing coming all in at 1500 to 2000 rpm and setting crank timing to 20 to 24 so 30 to 36 degrees of total timing
yep. more initial than mechanical all in at 2000-3000
I like these types of videos...keep them coming!
Thank for your videos I have a dart and all this help me a lot!!
Great info as always. Thanks Uncle Tony and Uncle Kathy.
I have both a old sbc and a new ford coyote I race. Funny thing is despite all the fancy computer controls on the coyote, for power, I still time it the same 27 degree from 3500rpm and up (it spends all day 4500 to 7500). You old school guys might be interested to know I can still use a timing light with a lead extension on the coil on plug ignition coils.
Don't know if you still have that but that fucking Ford Coyote is something!
Not many engines even have a life at 5500 rpm for long but that damn thing wakes up at 4000 by 5500 is getting some what we say in Oklahoma "getting on one" and is like a screaming mad man crystal meth monster at 7800 RPM as you hang the fuck on and that bitch is like.... MORE MOTHER FUCKER! PEDAL ON THE RIGHT! PUSSY!
I was never really a big Ford fan until I was pinned to the seat from one of those and once we got down the road got off the highway and went back to where we started and picked up my asshole and soul that got left behind when we launched into what I can only describe as the tunnel vision of destiny! I was fucking SOLD!
I can't afford one right now even at age 46 but I had enough to get a 94 mustang with only a 3.8 V6 with a T5 manual 5 speed and it's not much but I got it delivered on a trailer not running in 3 years and is now my daily driver!
Many can beat me and that's okay but they bought theirs and I built mine!
But when I grow up! One day ...
I want a fucking coyote fire breathing mad man meth monster!
Lol
For now I play that role in my 6 banger!
LMFAO!
Man I hate that you have to automatically pre defend your video information because of the naysayers, I think you are talking from past experience and that's what it takes to teach. I would have already wanted to pinch their heads off! but you keep your cool, keep up the good work!
I like your "old school" approach! I've been working on cars for over 50 years and have used almost all, if not all of your methods. FWIW, I scrapped a $1200 custom electronic ignition and went back to points because of reliability issues. The engine is just as happy with points, and it doesn't suddenly quit and leave me stranded!
Ugh....
I'm a young man, I know about points, but HEI is where it's at....
Remember back in the day, everyone used to carry spare points in their glove box? You know.... incase THOSE POINTS went out while you were out lol
I carry a spare coil and module and cap in my classic and all the stuff needed to change out these parts. change them out like a set of points on the side of the road if need be...
I've yet to have to use my spare ignition parts because hei is so dependable and on the money all the time.
My secret? Buy the cheapest distributor in the jegs book if it's GM make sure it takes a 4 pin style module.
Then....
Buy another one.
Rob all the parts out of it....
CARRY THEM IN YOUR TRUNK OR GLOVE BOX
Last time I bought one one was 79.95$ and it was 120$ at my local orielly for a cap, module and coil. YUCK.
You get to keep the extra body incase your shaft bearing starts to go bad or something happens to your housing, AND you get all the parts to rebuild the one in your car at a cheaper price.
EXTRA CREDIT : Since the housing and internal bearing never hardly go bad... take that spare body and build a tuned distributor. One with very high out put, light springs, and all the fixins...
Then when it's time for a tune up, drop it in... enjoy....
If points were more reliable than electronic ignition you were doing something seriously wrong. Points you've gotta deal with every oil change. I never had an electronic ignition system that went less than 60k miles before a failure, and that was the distributor shaft wearing out.
Well I have electronic points, & carry a spare unit. If it fails, its a case of undo one screw, remove & refit new one, now adjustments required. They are magnetically operated, so no heel wear or timing changes. To hell with points.
And don’t forget to carry a pack of matches in your glove box to set your point gap
Tony and Uncle Cathy I love your videos and Insight. The ways You have figured out to hop up engines is so unique. The thing with your methods is it's hard/impossible to hit the bullseye better than half the time at best. You'll spend all night at the track to get one good run that you can't repeat the next night. Fun but too chancy.
Damn Bro. You did it again. I had just come back from making a coffee and tobacco run in the old C-20 and the old girl was pinging as I was running her up the highway. So I did a quickly by ear along side the road. Know its not the gasoline cause I just filled up with 92 octane.. And I get home and your doing a timing video..
if it's not the gas it may be the timing it could also be the plug with these hot days you may need a colder plug I've had spark knock issues before most of the time it's in the summer on those real hot days I could back the timing off and it would not ping but run like crap so went tossed a colder plug in it turned the timing back up and never had a issue since.
@@79tazman that's an idea , I'll have to dig around in the Chevy parts shelf's and see if I have anything besides R44TX for it.
If you just filled up it could TOTALLY be the gas. ...
@@fastinradfordable same gas I always put in it every morning because it never gets below half tank. my usual 76 station, same pump I always use. 92 octane 76 gasoline. Cuz it only runs on 76 or Exxon. ARCO gas builds up brown crap on my plugs after a tank full.
Folks... Listen up !!! The info he gave here is priceless! Having a instant light off .. on a Flat tappet cam is CRITICAL!!!
You explained it perfectly
I got a book years ago(centuries) that I think was put out by Mallery all about timing and ignition. I read it repeatedly. It went over nearly everything you said. Since then I have never had difficulty timing engines. I don’t like vacuum advance, to each their own.
Thanks for clearing up some terms for a newbie! Great vidya!
This is a great video explaining total advance. I know there is a debate on full manifold versus timed versus no vacuum advance. The answer is they are all correct depending on your engine setup and most importantly what you plan to do with your car. If you are running a stock engine and only care about initial timing say at 10 degrees, then hook up that vacuum canister. It won’t hurt a thing and will help with engine idle. If you are running a mildly modified or high performance engine, then you will be better off working with total timing in the 32 to 36 degrees range. Uncle Tony hits the nail on the head when he talks about running total timing with full vacuum advance. The engine will miss fire and sputter at mid or half throttle because the timing will be way too advanced. He is also right when he talks about opening the idle mixture screws more as a possible remedy. This will work sometimes but the consequences is a rich running engine at idle that will run you out of your garage or shop and eventually foul plugs. So, disconnect that thing when running total timing or plug into the timed vac port on your carb. Your engine will thank you! Great work UT! You da man! K Roush.....
I mean this guy is golden! He backs up every single thing he says with proven examples and not a bunch of bullshit talk.
You're one of the most knowledgeable car guys that I've ever seen I remember 33 years ago you were the first one to tell people where to set timing on a 5 liter Mustang
Yes he is.
Sounds about right.
Im still stuck on those Fox fuelies. Lol.
@@hotrodray6802 you're not the only one
Good job Tony.........lot's of good advice here
Thanks Tony. This is a great video.
Sometimes I wish I could jump in the video and help you explain some concepts. I trained Auto-Diesel Tech for thirty five years during the muscle car era.
In order to do power timing with certain degree of accuracy, you best have access to a chassis dyno and the proper test equipment. Power time a stock engine at peak torque rpm under load was best practice at the time. A modified engine is best power timed on an engine dyno. Although it can be done if you have proper component specs.
You can still semi-power time an engine under no load, by moving the distributor until you achieve best vacuum at peak torque rpm and go from there.
I have a question: how lean is too lean? During the early 70's, while doing R&D work, I had carburetor curves set at 21:1 at cruising speeds and with the proper engine timing.
I know you were trying to show how to "static time" an engine. I think it would have made more sense to the viewers if the distributor cap had been on the distributor and at least #1 cble had been on the cap
Keep up the good work! It's fun and instructional watching your videos.
Cheers!
Hot Rod Magazine had an article about total advancement, 40 years ago. I believe they said to have 40 degrees. They. also, said to keep your spark plug wires separated from each other if they fire consecutively on the same bank.
That's interesting because I found the same thing using an advance light. Always seemed four degrees off. Then my dad showed me the caliper method. I learned on an old Buick about points systems and timing. Loved it!
@billyfromtheusa It's transferring the timing cover marks onto the harmonic balancer using the calipers in increments to go beyond what the factory mark will show off idle with a timing light to get a total advance reading. He showed this in his video with bottle rocket. I used this method on the Buick 430 as it ran manifold vacuum and not ported like the later 455.
Numbers are fine place to start, but
But
Actual power production dictates the actual setting for YOUR COMBINATION.
I'd argue his last point of re setting advance for starting up an engine. He states to set it to your total advance of say 30 degrees, then insert your distributor and turn the housing until you get spark. That's for initial timing, not your total timing. Doing it as he states will then introduce even more advance once the engine starts and the mechanical advance kicks in.
ya forgot to tell them to time the oil pump drive to the cam on the mopars lol
Awesome, thanks Tony! Gonna go set up my 350 c10
HOLD ON REAL TIGHT TO THE ROTOR WITH YOUR LEFT HAND. ROCK THE DISTRIBUTOR BACK & FORTH WITH YOUR RIGHT HAND... THE PUT THE COIL WIRE IN YOUR MOUTH AND WHEN YOU FEEL A LITTLE JOLT OF ELECTRICITY ON YOUR TONGUE. BINGO! THAT'S YOUR TIMING MARK, REMEMBER TO TIGHTEN THE DISTRIBUTOR BOLT AND YOU'RE DONE.
Finally someone goes in-depth on timing thank you Tony!
But gets the measurement wrong …
Thanks for your time and knowledge on your videos! Is there any truth to advancing timing even more at high elevation? I in Arizona at 7000' altitude with my 78 chevy k10 with the 350. I have it set to 36 total (unless my dialback is wrong as well) I have heard you can advance timing 1 degree for every 1000 elevation due to the thinner air and slower burn rate. Any truth to that?
You ask an interesting question. I was working at the Dodge dealer, around 1994, when a Viper came into the service department, with the same issue. Apparently, (AND! I'm only guessing....) it came up from Southern California. I was told, California. BUT, it was OBD-1, which didn't take care of that problem.
I have a 75 C-20 with the 350 that is set at basically sea level. When I go over the pass and up in the mountains to visit my brother. It over heats knocks and pings and runs like crap. But the moment I hit the down hill run off the pass towards home she cools down to normal runs like she should so there might be something to that.
Great vid tony.....as always...spot on info.....
I tried making marks by measuring half way around which is 180 degrees. Half of that is 90 degrees, half of that is 45....and keep halfing/marking it until you get the range of marks you want. And that would work with any diameter damper/balancer. Just have to make sure the outer damper didn't spin on on the rubber ring previously.
Uncle Tony, was fascinated by ball stud hemi video. Is there anymore info on that engine? The info you give is priceless, Thank you and merry Christmas.
You'd be more accurate if you did it by diameter. If you Have an 8" outside diameter dampner, then the outside diameter is 3.1416x8=25.1328. If you take that and divide by 360 (or even 10) that will give you the distance per degree. That equals .0698" per degree. Then you can mark out every 5 or 10 degrees. Or you can just buy timing tape...
Thank you brother you really know your stuff. My 1956 ford vanette step van has a 352 fe with a 2bbl carb. I had a difficult time getting my fuel mixture right. Your video was very helpful. Thanks hope all is well on your end with covid-19 stay safe now.
All good and you made it clear that "Performance" engines can get away with just mechanical advance. They are not meant to get gas mileage necessarily ...
Mild street engines that haul the family around need the vacuum too. Good tip on fattening the low speed circuit to get away from lean burn and stratified charge issues at high vacuum cruise :)
On my pontiac, I don't use the vac advance and have modified weights, so setting the timing for me is setting it as advanced as possible without having a miss at idle! And boom, it's perfect.
*Just n case there are any Naysayers, Tony is 100% Correct, aka PERIOD!*
Naysayers rarely say nay
I made my own marks using masking tape.
Put the masking tape on top of the timing tab, mark the lines, they are 2° apart then put the masking tape on the damper. Kinda like using timing tape, then use a marker to mark the damper up to 40°. On my small block n big block Chevy, full advance running the engine using a timing light, hit on 36° full advance, which was coincidentally at about the 12 o'clock position on the damper. I used a medium n light spring on the HEI distributor.
Both engines run great! Great drivability, and good getup n go when I need it. Passing gear
kicks in good n hard n works great as well.
I use Epoxy to seal on the timmiing tape.
I am so confused. I thought timing was set on the distributor. I thought you set initial there by turning the distributor, and then you set the weights under it for mechanical advance. Can someone explain to me what he is doing on the engine damper?
You can also use a protractor to measure off the degrees more effectively by lacing the center of the protractor on the center of the crank/bolt area. This can zero you down to within 1 degree or on the money every time.
If your real good in a first timing you can set to timing mark and turn the distributor til you hear the spark.
Much love tony.
Keep me interested in my projects.
I’m grateful for that.
Without enjoyment life .....
Ain’t good
Great video but you should mention how old stock balancers rotate on their isolators and are no longer accurate for timing. I like the small hacksaw marks, I’m gonna do that next time!
UTG- show them how to properly use a timing light
Love your channel love that your a mopar guy as well. I bought a 73 dodge w100 with a 75 440 sat for 10 years got it running drove it ran fine. I think I got cute and has a holley double pumper street avenger 670 took it off and changed the gaskets that's it. No I can't get it running has plenty of fuel. Never messed with the timing. Help please.
Awesome!
Much respect from Ontario Canada . Many years back when I was in school and worked for a gm dealership a mechanic who used to drag race taught me how to make power old school timing exhaust carbs and using a vacuum gauge Back then we made tons of power with minor mods and calibration. I became the qjet expert .They were great street carbs once you understand them and super reliable as well a great on gas
Tony. great video on timing, however I disagree with your method of marking the balancer. by using a dial caliper, you are measuring in a strait line. but the balancer is curved and it will not give you a accurate timing mark. you need to do a little math to get it sorted out. the formula is Pi * balancer diameter / 360. so for a small block Chevy with an 8 inch diameter. i would use 3.1416 * 8 / 360 = .069813 per degree. so if i needed a mark at 36 degrees, I would use this formula, Pi * Balancer diameter /360 * desired total timing. 3.1416 * 8 / 360 *36 = 2.2340 inches. so I would cut a piece of heavy duty aluminum foil to that length and then curve it around the balancer and tape it from the mark at TDC to give you the desired spot to mark the balancer.
or you can just cheat and by the timing tape and use it as a guide to make your marks on the balancer. i prefer to us my Dremel with an engraving bit to make the marks. rather than grinding notches that could weaken the balancer.
Also, I like to put marks at 90 degrees on my balancers so I can check the timing at each cylinder with my dial back timing light, the newer timing lights from Innova are very accurate. you would not believe how poorly most distributer caps are made, the timing can be out a couple of degrees cylinder to cylinder on some cheep caps. which is not a big deal on a street car, but if your building a performance engine for racing it is worth several horse power.
The timing indicator is curved also, to match the damper.
Best way to put this into practice: invest in a quality damper with 360deg timing marks etched in, and a quality pointer checked with a piston stop. Timing tape sucks and so do most stock dampers/pointer tabs. I fought this for years and finally replaced it all. Setting timing is a breeze now.
From one Tony to a other, thank you for putting up these videos and sharing your knowledge and experiences. Please keep doing it. And by the way, your right, there are very few individuals out there (speaking automotive) that have channels dedicated to this discipline. Thanks!
Hey bud that’s wrong! The diameter of the balancer is different than the “diameter” of the marks… you need to measure or calculate the circumference of the balancer which is 360 degrees and calculate your needed timing from there
Why won't my timing mark move when I try to adjust it? It's a 98 5.7l Vortec and when I try and adjust the distributor it doesn't move the mark at all. It has 23degrees of time and it's not steady either it's bouncing from 23 to 26 and back.
Can't beat the "turn it up till it pings and back it off a tad."
Can it be done in the driveway with hood open and listening while revving engine, or does it need to be driven under load?
@@WesternReloader Under load on the road.
Yes that works, but just to let you know, pinging starts before we can even hear it
@@WesternReloader It's best if you take the hood off and have someone drive the car as you ride on the fender adjusting the timing.
@@thereluctantgearhead4544 I’d do it but my wife doesn’t drive mechanical clutch linkage stick
How do I set the timing on my 2000 dodge ram 5.9 magnum? Have the auto makers made it so that I can’t? If so, how do I remove it? I feel like it is my truck and I should be able to do whatever I want to do to it. I purchased the truck and should not be kept from information that will assist me in working on it. I shouldn’t have to pay for it. I own the truck and I feel all of the information that is needed to repair my truck. Was hoping you could point me in the right direction. Thanks in advance
UT. Whhoooo!! I got it and do it with my cars, but you just made some run for the Xanax bars!!!
Vacuum gauge is steady at manifold but is erratic when hook to manifold vacuum on carburetor. Any ideas why?
Cant wait for the video about curving distributors.
I understand the importance of full advance timing coming in as soon as possible during a drag race. However, is it possible that HP is being left on the table at the lower RPMs during the engine acceleration phase? Now that inexpensive Progressive Ignition Distributors are now available, wouldn't programing the advance curve to match engine speed increase available HP?
Uncle Tony.... Back in when i was a teen i used to run the advance up till it i get the motor to rattle then back it off a few degrees to get max timming. Can you make a video on a safer way to get the most usable timming without going to the dyno?
I tried your "drop in" dizzy procedure to try and time out 305. But looks like I didn't have much luck because you have to turn the dizzy fast enough for it to spark. But what I didn't do was hold it "hard" in the direction of rotation. That probably would have helped get rid of the slop that I was dealing with. Either way it got me close enough to start it up, set at 10deg initial. Was also a hei unit and I'm wondering if that matters to get it set perfect? Thought maybe points and condenser have that stored energy. Blazer needs a tune up so I'm re watching some things.
Hey uncle Tony, please tell us kids a bed time story on how to read plugs in depth. Thanks, this is great channel.
How do you hold the rotor with the cap and wires on? Can't spark without the wires!
Why when I try to set my timing it's fine until I try to advance it it jumping all over the place say it's 13 degrees if I try to do just say 16 it bounces all over the place
Uncle Tonya garage laying down some knowledge while im in the garage rebuilding my 429 bbf for my 69 tbird 👌
Finally someone who actually speaks English on this timing subject, cheers uncle tony!
He doesn't speak English, he speaks american
I come here to take a break from all the craziness in the world
Maximum advance is the business end. No more, no less.
I purchased a 421 sbc it starts and idles great in park. When it is placed in drive the rpms drop to 650 to low. The distribution vacuum was capped off by the engine builder. The total timing was set on the Dyno for total timing at 35 to 36 degrees. I was told to add initial timing to make run better in drive.
Do I uncap the distributor and connect vacuuming advance? I do not want to change the total timing as it runs and idles great but I need the car to pull better in drive. how do you add initial timing without changing total timing. I have always been told to set total and let initial be what it is.
Lease help! Comments thanks
Yeah, chief I'm thinkin you'll need a whole video on that thing about holding the rotor and turning the body.
So I'm having trouble understanding the total as far as distributor so I set initial timing at 10 degrees and then when I rev engine to say 2500 and find the total I turn the distributor again to 34 degrees if that would be my total
you just launched a big confusioon ahahahahaha
Great points UT, especially on unverified dial-back lights, very well said as they can be unstable.
I'd like to add, don't trust marks left by others, I've experienced situations where a motor ran like crap but good enough to pass apparently b/c the guy who marked the damper accidentally marked it twice with 2nd mark being accidental paint drip. Then set timing to the accidental mark. (Doh!)
Deep boat bilge and salt-rusted damper but almost by luck I noticed the two paint marks. I'd suspected something was wrong just by listening to the motor idle, the timing sounded off and looked into it.
So I encourage others experiment with igniton timing a little to gain experience and listen closely. Small tweeks can improve things like drivability, etc.
Tony, what fuel do you tune it to? 87?
I just use Timing Tape on my stock damper I put it on when I rebuilt the engine and it still on there and works great or if you buy a aftermarket damper it will have the timing marks right on it
Whos This Brian Guy Whos Vocabulary Is The F Bomb??He Is Not Smart And It Shows And Says He Is Into Cars?? Looks Like He Did Time In The Penal System And Were His Cars?? If He Was Such Into Cars Then He Would Have Known Tony From The Magazines And Knew Tony Wrote For The Big Mags As Well,,,Get A Life And Take The FBomb Your Self With It!!!
I have Chevy 1984 c30 292 engine shut off when I hit brake I have brake booster with no hose for vacuum so I don't know why?
how about a 305 v8 with 301,xxx miles in 95 1500? Im looking for performance of getting from A to B consistently. I marked rotor location on the distributor ring. I put it back , it seated , but it doesnt start. Bout to find tdc on #1 but not looking forward to it.
By law, if you are a gear head, you must own an "Easy Rider" motorcycle helmet. I am glad to see that you are in compliance. Tickets cost money!!!
Question; Timed vacuum or live vacuum to the advance, that is the question? UTG!
DK, ASE master retired.
Im stuck on my 305 it has a holly carb 650 on it and a holly intake it idles good but in gear bogs out or if i rev it it sounds like off timming, im kinda new to this timming stuff
Thanks again Uncle T. There was one question you could not answer that maybe you could go into depth. Most of us have no access to a DYNO. We know ABOUT where total should be and if you take initial plus what the distributor is going to add all in, then you have a total timing number to check. My case. Ford 347 stroker, mild cam, pertronix III dist. So I have 15 initial plus 21 it gives and verified its 36 all in. The question remains, is that too high? Would it be better at 34 or 35 ? There seems to be no way to know unless 1) You have a dyno 2) you have access to a track with 1/4 mile times...LOL. So if you were doing this in my situation, what would you do to drive it and say "Ahhh..34 is better or no, 36 is better "? BTW , no ping at 36 but I do know any higher and I could blow a gasket or burn a piston...Help me get to the next step :-)
If you don't understand how a coil works you will be confused.He is talking about the high voltage spark wire from the coil. when a coil is powered up it charges. when the power is off it discharges. HENCE SPARK The distributor controls the coil.
OK, maybe you can answer this. a couple years ago i bought a 1988 F350 with a 460. The owner had just put in a fresh long blcok but he couldn;t seem to get the jeul injection to work right so he rippied i all out and ut and Edelbrock 1307 on it.. Still couldn't get it to run right. PArt of that problem was that he only have a cheap 9x2 air cleaner on it. a 3 x 14 solved that BUT. When I set the timing for good performance and economy (often the same because efficient engines run pretty strong)
The problem i have is that when I set timing to get that good perfromance once the engine gets to operating temperature and shut the engine off, when I try to start it it barely cranks like it is psuhing against a firing cymlinder. On my mond that is confirmed because if I get out and retard the timi0ng a few degrees, it fires right up. It has the original factory ignittion system...DO I have a faulty component or should I replace the factory stuff with old school components?
How do you know what degree above top dead center to set your motor at? I have a factory 67, 289. No modifications. Is there a website to visit to give this information?