Hey guys I've been working on my girlfriends 63 Falcon. It has a '68 200 cubic inch that has recently been rebuilt. Basically everything is new internal and external with the exception of the ignition coil and the distributor. My problem is that I can't get the thing to run smooth at low RPM's. It seems like #4 and #5 cylinders (checked plugs and those were the wet ones) are not firing so it runs like crap. As soon as I give it a rev or even just slight throttle it smooths out. all cylinders have matching compression of about 120lbs Valves are adjusted correctly as are points. I have tried moving the timing all over and it really doesn't change much. The manual I have says 12 degrees btdc and a site says 6 degrees btdc. Can anyone tell me what the timing for this motor should be? And what do you guys think, does a bad coil or distributor sound like the right track?
I run about 10-12 on my 200. You may have a distributor issue ,worn bushings or cam. But put in 2 new plugs first. What RPM are you trying to idle at? Look for a carbon track in the cap.
tried new plugs after the compression test along with new wireset , cap, rotor. According to the manual idle should be around 550. It's an automatic trans car (looking forward to a t-5 swap in the future!) I'm just really stumped because it starts running perfectly smooth as soon as I give it some throttle. Could the coil be providing insufficient voltage in idle range and then get strong enough when revved?
Are you sure it is ignition? Is your carb up to par? As for the distributor, my 144 was running rough due to points, so I replaced my with a petronix ignitor electronic conversion kit and never had a problem again. Good luck
If you don't manage to sort it out pretty soon, you might want to drop by over at the FordSix Performance Forums, and see if the folks over there can't help you out.
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