first let me say i must be retarded because i had this car running fine for a while. i had to remove the distributor to check my lifters, they were fine. i adjusted my valves i put everything back together and it started right up. i went to set the timing with a timing light, but i could not rotate the distributor enough because the it interferes with the side cover see the picture. i am doing something wrong. in fact i must have just got lucky that the car even started because i have no idea how to put the distributor in properly. from what i understand the timing light should light up at 10 degrees before top dead center at idle on my 292 chevy straight six. does anyone have time to tell me how to install a distributor? i have searched but i did not find anything that i understand. thanks, mike
Bring #1 to TDC on the firing stroke (pull valve cover to insure both valves are closed). Pull the distributor and rotate the dizzy body to a position where the dizzy has adequate clearance from the side cover.....rotate the rotor to the #1 firing position and install the dizzy. You may have to rotate the oil pump shaft a bit to get the dizzy shaft to engage with pump shaft. Snug the distributor clamp gently, fire up the engine and check timing....rotate dist body as needed to get the timing where you want it. Hope that helps.... Ray
that makes sense to me, except i dont understand the bit about rotating the oil pump shaft because i dont know what the oil pump shaft is. do i just put a screwdriver down into the slot where the distributor goes and rotate it until it is going to align with the distributor (which is preset at the #1 firing position)? i can do that if that all there is to it. do you the direction of rotation of the distributor to get it to fire before tdc? (does this mean advancing?) this would help me position it so i can adjust it if know which way its supposed to go before hand. thanks for the reply.
yes, you just stick a screwdriver down into the slot. And note that the gear teeth are at an angle, you need to turn the distributor rotor back a little before you drop it in, as it will turn forward slightly as it engages the gear on the camshaft. When you wan to advance the timing, you rotate the distributor housing the opposite direction than the rotor turns. this is because you need to turn the housing "into" the rotor to advance the timing.
Excellent, now i understand. i turn it counter clockwise to advance the timing, i just need to set the distributor so i have room to turn it. i forgot that the distributor drives the oil pump. it all makes sense to me now. thanks for the help guys.
Just had to double back to this one. You pulled the side cover and looked at the lifters? Top? Bottom? Inside them? Just curious.
i looked at them, took them apart and they all looked fine. i think my problem was that i didnt adjust the valves correctly initially, i heard this noise but ignored it until now. one of the rockers was way too loose (or maybe way to tight and it tore up one of the pushrods) i have put less that 50 miles on this motor so hopefully no damage has been done. i will get it fired up again tomorow and we'll see how it runs. thanks, mike
well i put that distributor in this afternoon and when i go to start it up the timing light flashes at about 8 degrees before top dead center without adjustment, and i have plenty room to rotate it now, so thanks for setting me straight on it. however, the damn car wont start now. it turns over fine, nice and smooth, no backfiring thru the carbs or the exhaust. i know the carbs are getting gas, i could see them spray when i move the throttle. there is no shortage of air around these parts, although it was unseasonably cold today, mid 40s. of course the battery is about dead now, so i am charging it back up. i am at a loss again. what do you guys think?
Did you check for spark? Pull out a spark plug, connect the plug wire to it, lay it on a metal part of the engine or frame, and crank the engine, see if the plug sparks. (you might need a helper to turn the key while you watch). If it does get spark, but still doesn't run....see if the plugs look wet or dry, light colored or black, at the center insulator (down inside the plug) If they are wet or black, you might want to buy a new set of spark plugs and install them.
i did look at the spark plugs, and they were black and wet. i will check for spark. but i have anew set of plugs ready to go. you are trhe man squirrel, i wish i could buy you a drink!!
i checked for spark and i got spark out of the dirty plug. i put it back in and the car didnt fire. tomorrow i will try it with the new spark plugs, i would do it tonite but my ***istant says its too cold out there tonite. now i am wondering why the plugs are all wet and black?
Is it a fat bright bluish-white spark, or a thin yellowish-red spark? Under compression a weak ignition won't be able to jump the plug gap.
Years ago, Chevy published a troubleshooting guide for the HEI ignition system that came out in the mid 70s. They suggested cutting the side electrode off a spark plug, and using that to check for spark. The idea is that if it can jump the extra long gap from the center to the shell of the plug, then it should be able to fire under compression. Where a normal plug, with it's small gap, can be jumped by a weak spark when the plug is not under compression. I keep a spark plug with the side electrode cut off, in my tool box, to check spark on cars that are having problems. But also, if the spark is good, but the plugs are all mostly fouled, they will not fire under compression. I've encountered a few cases where the plugs got fouled from things being wrong while trying to start the engine...then fixed all the problems, but still would not even try to start. Fresh plugs, bam, it fires right up.
Dann it, changed the plugs still didn' fire up but no ***istant to see timing. Pulled one of the new plugs out and it was wet. I'm thinking my carbs are set way to rich, but it ran alright before. Could this be the problem?
It's hard to say....does it seem like the carb is dripping gas into the engine? is the choke stuck closed? did you try the cut spark plug trick to check for strong spark? (i doubt it since your ***istant is not there)
im pretty sure the carbs are set way too rich, but as i said, it ran "good" before i tried to "improve" things, i was going to tackle the rich issue after i got rid of the ticking sound. (i have 2 carter webers from Langdon, on the idle mixture screw, turn it in to make it rich, turn it out to make it lean? i cant remember) the ****erflies are closed right now, its very cold here tonite, but they are loose and can move freely, i went thru these a while ago and cleaned them all up. chokes are somewhat of a mystery to me, but i know they were working correctly when i did the carb refurb. i didnt try the cut spark plug trick since i have no helper. i had all this **** working good a year ago, started doing the interior, got tired of it all and decided to walk away for a while. now i am motivated to finish this ***** up once and for all. i am so close.
If the plugs are getting wet with fuel, you probably need to get the choke(s) open, and crank it for a little bit to dry it out. But if the battery is low, you need to fully charge it before doing anything else.
Did you have it running AFTER you changed the valve adjustment? The reason I ask is that it might be possible you have them adjusted too tight and the valves are allowing a compression leak that prevents combustion to occur. If you have, or have access to, a compression gauge it might be worth a little time to check compression before proceeding on other ***umptions. Ray
i fully opened the ****erflies on the carb, no start. i backed off the valves 1/4 turn, still no start. im going nuts
the only thing i can think of now is that the battery is shot. its an old battery, it ****s out after trying to crank it 2 or 3 times. it does turn the motor over however, and it started the car easily a couple of days ago, but like i said, its an old battery. could this be my problem?
New battery and still no go. I must have put the distributed in 180 out? I flipped the wires and it fired right up. I am definitely retarded. Thanks for all the help guys.
oh, and the noise was still there, but i adjusted exhaust valve # 6 until it stopped clicking, tightened it down another 1/2 turn and boom, no more noise and the motor purrs like a kitten. now i have to pull the disributor again and flip it 180 cuz i dont like the way the wires are now, #6 wire is stretched out, but now i know how to do it, thanks to all of you guys!!! Again, thanks a lot guys, especially Mr. Squirrel Mike
Nah, but your ignition timing sure was! haha... Now, you actually understand it, how it works. It's how we learn, and this lesson will stick with you.
Yes sir, you can read the book all day but until ya actually do it yourself ya don' know ****. Now I'm proud (not really) of myself, but I do feel a great sense of satisfaction. Probably saved myself a fistful of $$$ into the bargain. If I can do this anyone can.
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