scooter123

Well went back at it again today...changed springs to 1 heavy and 1 medium....inital at 12 deg and still getting engine ping......tried it with the vac-advance plugged...and still no good!!!

Im starting to think my engine is higher compression than we calculated....I think my next step will be to try a few gallons of 110 race fuel mixed with 91 oct pump gas.

I called a hot rod shop/engine shop and cant get the car in till after june

oldcutlass

Have you had any luck in getting this straightened out?

scooter123

Well here is the latest.....I put 20 litres of race fuel..110 oct...cost me $80 It helped quite a bit!!
Im starting to wonder if the old cam that I took out had more performance than my new one!!

I also picked up a new HEI distributor/cap/coil/rotor.....see if it helps....any step by step instruction how to wire this

Thanks guys for all help so far!!!

oldcutlass

It's pretty easy, the coil is under the top of the cap, once you take the cover off the old one you'll see how it goes together.

Where is your total timing now? What you may need to do is install a stop to limit the amount of mechanical advance to allow you to get more initial.

scooter123

I don't already have a hei......I have a petronix electronic ignition with a msd coil!!

right now I have the red wire from old distributor going to the positive site of the msd coil and a yellow wire(starter wire???) and a black wire???
I think my tach wire goes to ground on the old coil

I will have to remove the old coil..I know that because the new distributor HEI distributor/cap/coil

So the new coil has a red/black/yellow wires......so do I just connect yellow to yellow........red to12volt ignition......and black to a ground????

And where would I wire my tach wire to??

This will be my first time installing a HEI so stay with me here...lol

coppercutlass

It's not that hard. With an hei it's just a batt. wire. Non resistor wire! lol Depending on if you ran your current dist. through the resistor wire You may not be able to use it because hei needs 12v all the time. Most point dist. voltage dropped after some run time. So find a key sourced 12v hot when the key is on and hook it up to that. That's pretty much it.

scooter123

So copper are you saying I can omit all the wires to the old coil.......and just

1. run a hot(12 volt) off the ignition to the new red coil wire

2. new coil black wire to ground???

3. what about the yellow wire on the new coil????

when it comes to electrical im as dumb as a rock

coppercutlass

The coil is on the cap and is prewired. All you have to do is provide the power source. I am running mine off the firewall junctionbox. That is hot all the time but I have it on a switch and doubles up as anti theft.

MDchanic

12V switched from the ignition switch to the BATT terminal.

Tach wire to the TACH terminal.

Tape off the other wires, because it sounds like you need to Keep It Simple.

- Eric

cutlassefi

As usual incomplete information. Christ we're all getting tired of correcting your posts.

Make sure you find a 12v source that's hot not only during key on engine off, but also during cranking. Windshield wiper type circuits will turn off when the key is in the cranking mode but be hot when it's just in the key on position.

And the voltage drop the Mr. Incomplete mentioned is because of two different wires running to the old points style distributor. One is active only during cranking and supplies a full 12v. The other is active during running and supplies approx 9v. That helps prolong the life of the points and condensor. HEI's need a full 12v all the time.

Hope this helps.

coppercutlass

Mark only you and jim correct me. I was just keeping it simple. I don't think the instructions where for you. You wil now be on my block list aswell.

cutlassefi

So you don't think that if he connected it the way you said, by not telling him about the different types of circuits, that he may not have had a problem?
Bullcrap, quit trying to justify your incomplete, off the cuff answers. You're wrong and obviously a bit of a hack, plain and simple.

coppercutlass

Calm down gramps I never said I was right or wrong. Again sometimes explaining in fine detail confuses people. He already mentioned this is not his are of strength. I think eric explained it very well. And yes I know how to do this too. Sorry if you feel I'm a hack. Hack or not I have had much better sucess than many many many other people so I must be doing something right considering I also spend a lot less money too.

cutlassefi

Up yours punk.

coppercutlass

Bahahaha that's so stereo typical. Haven't been called a punk in a long time. It's been proven if you relax you live longer. The icing on the cake would have been the "back in my day" line. Quit getting your depends up in a bunch over nothing.

oldcutlass

OK that's enough bickering, it does not help getting this thing dialed in.

scooter123

Haha...thanks Eric and all others for the help.....I noticed last evening that napa sold me the wrong coil cover!!!

As for the bickering.....just sing together now "why cant we be friends"

Cheers guys and be good to one another.

cutlassefi

You're correct, and neither does CC's half assed answers.

Keep us posted on your progress Scooter.

coppercutlass

He tried the 110 and it did something. Compared to everything else. I just don't get it only mark jim and nick give me crap. I guess some people just really dislike me enough to try to knock me down a peg which is fine but again ., half assed answers or not if someone cared enough for my help they would ask more if they felt I was unclear much like shcool. The teacher will tell you something if you don't get it you ask a question and then go into further detail. I'm young enough to remember school. Even when I was in m vo tech program. When they teach you on how to bump metal they show you the simplest quickest way on how to hammer and dolly a dent out if you don't understand why at that point you ask how or why the position of the dolly matters a lot. Which I have to explain to my apprentice things every day. I give him the basics if he is having a hard time he ask's me then I go into detail. Again halfazzed to you not to the op. Whose thread is this. Not yours so why do you care. It's up to the op who's advice he runs with or who he decides to ask what what is. You obviously have an ego problem where you have to publicly have to give me crap. You did pm me about it but it seems this is a personal issue with you not anyone else ., oh yeah jim too same issue with you two guys.

scooter123

Just a little update...I drove the car to A&W to get some dinner and after I got home I removed the old coil and attempted to remove the old distributor....**** it was too hotlol. will wait till tomorrow evening.

So here is another question.....I looked on the fuse block for the igniton terminal and I already have some things one it(my lights to my rpm/oil/coolant gauges) Can I still add a wire to this with all the others for my 12 volt power to the coil????

442rocketdave

I am glad the fuel has made a difference and soon you should have that timing problem nipped in the bud, plus any carb adjustments then you should be smokin those tires soon!! On the fuse box I try not to over load any terminals too much might check for another terminal with a constant 12volts.

oldcutlass

I'm hoping this does it for ya Scooter. If you don't have a resistor wire to start with then you can just simply transfer the connection from the old coil+ to the HEI BATT. Just put a 1/4 in female spade terminal on the 2wires and your done. If you did have a resistor wire in there (I did not read back thru the thread to check, but I thought we covered that), that might of been your problem with the old distributor.

scooter123

Another update....today I got the cover for the coil cap.....but it didn't come with any screws anyone know what size screws that would the coil cap???

I also now noticed with the new distributor cap my old 8.5 MSD wires don't fit this cap right....****...****...**** If its one thing its something else

Is there some way to re-use my old wires...new ends????

On a brighter note I got it wired to the ign on the fuse block with 12 gauge wire!!

Here is a pic of what was going to my old coil on the positive side which I have now taped up...hope its ok.
image-2_zpsceb1f37a.jpg

also in the coil instructions it mentions something about a secondary ground....I just grounded the coil with the coil screw..is this ok

442scotty

http://jandssafeguard.com/safeguard.html Anyone tried this for knock control?

I have one that I have not installed yet as a last resort. Im going to try dialing in my 455 a little better first as Im having similar issues as Scooter123 when I try and boot it. I was also thinking of dumping my HEI for a MSD 8529 Distributor. Thoughts anyone on these ideas?

oldcutlass

Hey Scooter, remember way back when I asked this question? I think that tan wire you posted a pic of previously is the resistor wire that should not have been there to start with. And what is that black wire with the insulation missing that's attached to it? This might have been what was causing your problem all along.

Yes you can change the ends on your wires but HEI's like a spiral wound wire. I use Taylor Spiro Pro 8mm, plugs gapped @ .045.

scooter123

Thanks old cutlass....im off to napa in da marning to get me some new wires....do you have any idea of the screws that hold the cover to the coil...I bought a new cover but no screws???

oldcutlass

Scotty, that's a very good distributor, have not heard any complaints. Just follow the instructions. As far as the knock sensor system, I would think it would work fine and seems simple enough to hookup.

oldcutlass

Be careful of the screws, they can't be too log or they will crack the cap. I would be willing to bet the auto parts store would have some.

What are the black and tan wires in the picture.

scooter123

that was the two wires to the positive side of my old coil....plus a red from my old distributor

442scotty

Thanks for the imput...Thought these might be options for Scooter to try if all else fails...

MDchanic

The black wire is the resistor wire.
The tan wire is actually yellow, and goes to the starter solenoid.

That is the original factory arrangement and terminal end.

- Eric

scooter123

Eric ...will it still work with the old wires omitted?????

oldcutlass

That tan wire is the resistor wire, it should not be used. Where does the black wire come from, the starter?

Scotty, that box will make scooters problem worse, when it detects ping it puts a delay in the timing signal. We need to get his problem corrected.

MDchanic

Yes. That's what people have been telling you.

Tape these off and run a wire straight from a 12V source.
I prefer the heavy pink wire from the ignition switch, but a terminal plugged into the IGN tap on the fuse block will work, too.



I really think it's yellow.

Scooter, is there any way you could give the "tan" wire a good rub with lacquer thinner to clean it up a bit, then post another pic?
Also, is there any way you could post a macro pic of the terminal end itself, showing the way that the black and "tan" wires are crimped to the terminal?



I disagree - for a mere $700, including necessary peripherals, it will retard each cylinder individually and create a separate timing map for each one.
That way, if he's got one oily or carboned-up cylinder, that one will be retarded, but all the others will remain advanced.

If I had the scratch, I'd get one. I tried one from the '80s in my 455 around '92, but I couldn't get it to work right.
The technology's like from a whole 'nother century now, man!

- Eric

scooter123

Eric....I have it all taped up and nicely tucked away....sorry

oldcutlass

Eric I only looked at the first one of those boxes and read the instructions, I did not see 8 channels.

oldcutlass

Does the black or the (tan/ yellow) wire run to the starter?

MDchanic

Yes, the first one doesn't show individual channels, but the description says it maps and retards each cylinder individually.

Really interesting, actually... Amazing, really.

- Eric

scooter123

I think so!!

oldcutlass

Can you let me know which one?