restoring a 72 ols toronado finally got it running, i have an intial timing of 46 degrees and i can not turn the distributor anymore, once i get it started it runs pretty smooth with a slight miss is it possible that the distributor may be off one notch. the reason i cannot turn the distributor anymore is it is butting against the back of the manifold with vacuum canister any advice would be appreciatedo No:
You can always reseat the distributor to a new clock position, but it sounds like you may have a root cause to nail down if it needs that much advance. Vacuum leak perhaps? Moving the clock position to solve the interference problem is one thing, but you're still stuck with the problem of needing so much initial timing to make it run. Devon
thats the thing i can not turn the distributor anymore to bring it down to 10 btdc.....so am i allowed to restab the distributor? the dwell is dead on at 30 i would like to get the timing close to the 10 degrees but the vaccumm is hitting the back of the intake.
You are remembering to disconnect the vacuum advance when checking the timing, right? Yes, you can remove the distributor and move it one tooth to gain room for adjustment. Just remember that Olds distributors spin "backwards" (counter-clockwise).
Olds motors are known for dampers that shift and the timing mark may not be TDC anymore. Should check that.....
thanks for the help, i did remember to disconnect the vacuum but how do i make sure the damper has not shifted?
Just pull the number one plug and turn the engine by hand. Make sure that TDC on the damper matches the piston being TDC. I'm sure that the guys on here will give you a better method, but you can look, and may be able to poke down in the hole to feel the piston position as it comes around.
You can make a piston stop out of an old spark plug. Knock out the porcelain, then cut off the ground electrode. Tap the inside of the plug for a 3/8" bolt and thread the bolt in. Put the stop in the #1 cylinder. Then put a socket and breaker bar on the crank bolt. Rotate the engine in one direction (gently) until the piston hits the stop. Make a mark on the balancer opposite the zero on the timing tab. Then rotate the engine in the other direction until the piston hits the stop again. Make another mark on the balancer. True TDC will be halfway between the 2 marks. You can static time the engine and put the distributor in right. It is not in right the way you have it. Take the #1 spark plug out. Cover the hole with your finger and have someone BUMP the starter over a little at a time. When the number 1 piston comes up on the compression stroke, it will force your finger off the hole. At that point, continue turning the engine clockwise(from front) using a breaker bar and socket, until the balancer mark lines up with the zero on the timing tab. Then take the distributor out. Orient the vacuum advance so that it is pointing towards the right front corner of the car. Align the rotor so that it points to the #1 cylinder tower of your distributor cap when it is fully seated. You may need to turn the oil pump drive shaft so that the distributor will drop all the way in and is fully seated. The distributor must be fully seated so that the oil pump works. Also remember that as you seat the distributor, the rotor will turn. You may need to start at a different rotor position so that as you rush the distributor down, the rotor ends up in the proper position to fire #1. A vacuum leak (from the valley or otherwise) will require a lot of initial advance to run. Check that.
While I wrote this thread for Buick engines, the principles are the same. http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?t=63475 Here's a picture of a piston stop I made for my engine.
