I don't want to get side tracked, but on the topic of timing I guess I need to start from scratch and plead my ignorance on the process. So while I was letting the truck idle (approx 550 rmp) I hooked up my advance timing light to check it out. With the knob on the timing light set at 10 the notch in the crank lines up with the 0 on my timing tab. With the knob on the light/gun set to 0 the notch lines up with the A on the timing tab, which is 5 lines to the left or 10 degrees btdc correct? So my first stupid question is what does the A stand for and second is my initial timing about right or way off? The truck idles great and the few times I've driven around my neighborhood on short trips it has run fine. I have no idea where I came up with 2 degrees advance in my earlier post. I apologize for my stupidity when it comes to timing.
This may be of interest to you. Click here: Sbc temperature gonna put me in a rubber room III - THE H.A.M.B. I have several other prior posts on the subject. Good luck!
If it wasn't for the picture, I would have said A stood for after TDC, but in this case advance sounds right. Also, while not having any other numbers on your tab, I would guess the big line at the A mark represents 10 deg w/the smaller lines being 2 deg. increments. Which would put you at 30 deg. total, ***uming you have a 20 deg. advance limit on your Pertronix dist, you'll need to check your installation instructions. The engine could use a little more advance, just go a couple deg. at a time and make sure it doesn't ping, but like I said previously start off around 36 deg.
Even easier, since you have an adjustable timing light and advance springs that should come in full around 3000 RPM, just set the light to 36, bring the RPM's up till it stops advancing, align the TDC mark on the balancer w/zero, and whala! 36 total.
I've been fighting my own over heating issues the past few days with everything in the car only two years old. It turns out I had a bit of rust water left in the block and over the two years it's been on the road it slowly blocked the new radiator. It was an up & down flow so it looked fine as looking at it from the top but in reality it was not p***ing any antifreeze down into the bottom. I would pull the lower hose too and see if anything comes out of it while you add from the top.
I think stock advance on that motor is 4 degrees.. i also think.. if its an automagic..dont remember if you said that or not... then put it in gear have a good friend inside with a foot on the brake.. idle it around 625-650rpm.. and set your timing to 4 deg.. maybe 6 deg. i believe each mark counts for 2 deg? on the A side.. dont try and guess.. seriously.. get a timing light.. or borrow one from advance auto or some parts place that has a free loaner program. I still say its the thermostat sticking.. use your thumbs push on the post in the middle .. break that rubber material free from the seat.
I wonder if you are running a flex fan? I had a problem with my 61 Impala running right on the edge of the red line (on the guage) I replaced the fan with a fixed blade fan for an airconditioned car (hang on ac) It than ran with the guage straight up. jackochevy
When it rains it poors! So I ordered a mechanical temp gauge from summit yesterday and it showed up this morning (benefit of living 2 hrs from their Sparks, NV warehouse) and I installed it. Also installed the heater byp*** and a new 180 degree tstat that I tested in boiling water. I fired up the truck and after a few minutes of idleing it was only up to 150 degrees according to the new gauge, so I'm guessing the old gauge/sending unit was the problem. Unfortunately I didn't get to confirm if it is running hot because I started to notice some smoke from under the hood. I go around front and smell a really noxious smelling vapor and see that the battery is leaking acid all over my headers!! Mind you that this is a 2 month old napa 84 month battery. WTF!!! Has anyone ever had this happen? So I've been pouring a mixture of water and baking soda all over my engine bay for the last 15 minutes trying to get rid of all the acid. Sheesh, just when my I think I've fixed my problem up pops another problem!!!
i was having the same problem, i have a speedway short aluminum pump, after replacing thermostat,flushing rad,burning the sh#t outa myself i removed the pump to find the small hole on right side of pump was pluged. remoed the plug now running at about 170.
As far as the battery goes, check to see if it's overcharging while running with a voltmeter. Maybe a bad regulator? Otherwise it could just be a defective battery.
The temp gauge and sender unit were probably fine, the heater byp*** was probably the problem all along. You now have flow and that doesn't happen from a gauge and sender unit. As far as the battery, take it back and get another. I had a year old battery explode for no reason, took it back got another and no problems since. Battery builders are not perfect.
I would hazard a guess that the truck was never running hot. I've seen more issues with electric temp gages than almost anything else on a vehicle. As someone else said, if it truly were running 230 with the radiator cap off it would be puking water all over you.http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/editpost.php?do=editpost&p=4133951 Almost every small block powered roadster in California that doesn't have a heater does not run a heater byp*** hose. Yes each mark on the timing tab on that engine is 2 degrees. For a stock 283 with a vacuum advance distributor initial advance at about 650 rpm idle speed is 4 degrees with the vacuum line disconnected. I'm with several of the others, why run a race only style distributor on a very mild engine in a street rig except to impress the mouthbreathers at cruise night. And to the usual suspects who tend to throw out off the wall comments and suggestions without reading the whole thread first. Start reading the whole thread before you make your off the wall comments. Shifty, John Evens, Lobocrod and the others who always make an effort to give good solid no bs answers spent a lot of effort trying to help the man out and it slows the process if he has to wade through nonsense to find their answers. <input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden">
I'm going to make one more remark about the vacuum advance subject and then I'm done, since I suspect your last comment was partially directed at me. Anyone who has tried using a factory (or not for that matter) distributor minus the vacuum advance and experienced ill effects may not have bothered to address the advance curve. Like I stated earlier, factory stock or not, it is beneficial to leave it operational, but any engine, especially with a manual transmission or an automatic with a higher than stock stall speed so as not to lug the engine at low speeds can do pretty well without it. As long as your not using extremely stiff OE type springs preventing you from seeing full advance till who knows when. Or has an excessive amount of advance movement, not allowing enough initial timing at idle. Many on here with older Mallory's etc. or VW's with Bosch 009's can probably tell you that, or at least I've never had a problem with it. Sorry if any of you might think I'm disagreeing with you, just 'cause. I realize that vacuum advance can help with overheating, detonation and idle quality, but the guy already bought a distributor that may serve him just fine and you don't need to go implying he's foolish and just wasted all his money. By the way, I did read the whole thread from the start.
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