Whys my initial timing so high? Sbc

ITS A NEW BALANCER, ONLY ABOUT 10,000 OLD!!!!!!!!

Sorry

 

Diameter alone won't tell you much. There are, as already mentioned, Dampers with different markings of the same size, depending on year and application and different pointers.
The smartest way out of this one is to get or make a piston stop. Take out all the spark plugs, rotate the motor until you hit the stop. Make a mark on the damper where the 0 timing mark on the pointer is. Then rotate the motor the other direction, make another mark. Measure the distance between the two marks, and make a new mark halfway between the two marks. That is absolute Top Dead Center. If it doesn't jive with your damper, then either the damper or pointer is wrong. SIMPLE

 

8" diameter balancer

 

I didn't time it or set it up but I would guess from your descrition that you have the wrong balancer on it. GM used a few different balancers and pointers on the small block.

You may bring it up to TDC and verify that it is up to TDC then look at your timming marks.

I have a question I have had several GM samll blocks over the years and have yet to find one that the timming marks went much more than about 14 degrees how do you know that your timming is set at 33 degrees?

 

Use the piston stop method to find tdc like said several times already, then buy some timing tape and put it on the damper, it's cheap and most parts stores carry it for the 8" damper.

 

Just worry about the total. How much is it?

 

Im using a dial back light to read the 33*

I now have the GM 375/41 weights and factory (heavy) Gm springs. Torquey as heck past 3000+

I think I have the wrong balancer.

I made a piston stop with a old sparkplug and welded a nut on the outside, anyone have a store bought unit could you tell me how long i need the bolt into the combustion chamber?

 

pic of balancer and my piston stop does the stop tool look like the bolts long enough

 

Depends on the pistons but it should be plenty long. We had to index spark plugs to keep the piston from closing the gap at high rpm.

I've seen several of the dial advance lights fail. It's a good idea to check against a non advance light.

 

SBC crankshaft keyway is in line with the #1 rod journal. You can eyeball the keyway groove in the damper hub to the center of the #1 cylinder and see if your mark is close. As for the outer ring slipping, it is not as common and some on here are saying. If it is loose, if you rev it a few times hard, the timing will probably keep changing. Typically, the rings slip when you accel the engine hard and decel hard. When they do slip, you can usually see it in the rubber. It won't be uniform in the groove anymore. Could it still be made wrong or the wrong application? Sure... but most machine shops are wise to which dampers go with which timing tabs and they hopefully use quality suppliers for their parts (if they are smart).

I would continue with your TDC check but if it is OK, reread my first post.

 

a long stop will be more accurate than a short one,
within reason of course

be sure to round the bolt so you don't nick the top of the piston
and roll the motor over by hand

I know you have a dial back light but,
other readers may not so,

after zero is established

some basic math;
cir***ference equals pi times the diameter
the cir***ference devided by 360 will give you distance between degree marks on your damper

so
3.1416 x 8 = 25.1327
25.1327 \ 360 = .0698"
muliply by whatever you want your marks at and use a caliper to step off your marks.

or .0698 x 16 = 1.117
so one degree is just a hair over 1/16"
five degrees is about 11/32"
ten degrees is about 11/16"

 

installed new plugs/wires gapped to 45 on the plugs

running the GM springs on the GM weights, will try the light/medium combo sometime soon.

Still dunno why I get33* base/initial timing (idle with vac adv plugged).

Also, have a oil leak from the nylon fitting behind the intake going to a mechanical sunpro guage, how can i fix it? i read on the interenet the copper line is better i bought it but havent intsalled it yet, will it fix the leak?<!-- google_ad_section_end -->

 

Oil line either try tightening the fitting or replacing the little sleeve on the line,copper will work fine also. Untill you do the piston stop and find the REAL TDC quit mumbling about the 33 * initial numbers.

 

I had the same problem, turned out when I changed the valve stem seals and reattached the rocker arms I over tighten the rocker arms which kept the valves opened just enough that I had to advance the timing to fire much earlier than if the valves had been closed for proper duration. Check your valve lash you might find that you have the same problem that I had.

 

You answered to a ????...... 7 year old thread.

 

It's hard to let go sometimes

 

How true it is.......