When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
First timer here, gents; thanks in advance for your time and consideration!
Yesterday I was using my new Innova timing light on my '61 Starfire 394, and had it dial-in at exactly 7.5 degrees BTDC, when suddenly the marks disappeared entirely. And no amount of turning the distributor either way brought them back into view. There was no change in the way the engine ran, and the strobe kept flashing away, but the timing marks were gone...
Any ideas? I've been trying for some time to address a persistent knock under load (even at shift points) and excessively high idle, and thought I'd start with the timing before I yank the carb and send it to Daytona. All idle-related adjustments were dialed down as far as they'll go and the engine still raced (1,200+ RPM in drive), especially when hot. With the timing set she was finally purring like a kitten, until...
(...my day ended when the upper radiator hose suddenly popped off of the radiator, hot coolant hitting me square in the face and treating me to my first-ever ambulance ride to Herman Memorial Houston's burn unit, but that's another story...)
Dave, I hope you're stable after being seen at the hospital. 🥵
Once you get back to your project I'd start her, then dial the timing light back and forth until you see the timing mark. No need to move the distributor to advance and retard the timing until you find your timing mark. Especially if she starts and runs.
Well if you want more than the single-page instructions that come with the light you have to download the full manual from Innova's website. Turns out there's a right and a wrong way to attach the induction lead to the #1 plug wire - who knew? I reattached the lead with the arrow pointing towards the plug and it worked fine again. But even at the factory-prescribed spec and replacing a vacuum advance unit that looked like the factory original it still knocks under load and idles at 30 MPH (I have to keep it in second gear to avoid getting a ticket in our neighborhood.)
I've been running 93 octane ethanol-free but maybe I'll try adding octane (or my pilot neighbor's "AV gas") and see if that helps. It used to fry the tires from a rolling start, with a lot less than full pedal, but I don't dare try it now. Thanks, guys...
That's too bad about you getting burned, hope you're feeling better.
Have you checked the dwell? When was the last time you replaced points etc.? Check all your vacuum lines for leaks. Listen under the dash board for leaks too.
Dwell first, then timing. Hook up a vacuum gauge and dial in the idle mixture screws on the carb to achieve the highest vacuum possible and then set the idle speed.
I switched it to Pertronix ignition so no dwell. And I gave up trying to address all the under-dash vacuum leaks long ago so I capped that line at the firewall (I bypassed a leaking heater core so they wouldn't do anything anyway). The idle has never responded to the mixture needles (screwed all the way in changes nothing) so I set them both at 1-1/2 turns out, the prescribed initial setting.
The hotter it runs the faster it idles so I want to address the overheating situation first, especially after Saturday's popped hose debacle. I prefer the aux. fan alternative to a goofy looking aluminum radiator. Is there a best fan option y'all can recommend? I know I could do a thread search and spend a few days reading but I'd rather go straight to PayPal...
Thanks for all the well-wishes BTW. Yesterday I felt good enough to clean her up and drive-dry her; my wife had a fit when she saw me. "You spent an entire day in the ER and all you care about is that damn car!!". Yep...
1. I hope you are healing well.
2. Welcome to CO from the Hill Country.
3. As a girl, when your wife fell off her bicycle, she got back on again. You're doing the same thing.
4. Together, your car's symptoms could point to a large vacuum leak.
To expand on that last point, too much air acts like the throttles are open, spark knock results from lean mixture caused by air bypassing the carburetor (no fuel gets added to it), and unresponsive jets result from their flow being tiny compared to the idle air volume.
An easy way to find an air leak is to spray brake cleaner around the base of the carb, along the head-to-intake gasket, along the base of the intake at front and back, and into the valve cover breather or oil fill tube. If the idle speed increases, you have found your leak.
When I was a young mechanic, we used an unlit propane torch to do the same check. Seems a little riskier today.
Great suggestion, Gary, except to me the unlit propane torch sounds less risky, as brake cleaner is just as flammable and the spray is a lot harder to contain (I think). I actually use (unlit!) propane to displace the oxygen before re-sealing a can of varnish, thus preventing skinning-over. My other expensive hobby -
That is one gorgeous boat. It was old even when your car was new.
Even the license plate on your trailer is around 40 years old. I bought that same design for my Vista after I got it from the original owner. It was my registered plate until three years ago when a CA registration processor flagged it because I didn't have a CA mailing address.
That's not a boat I own, just one I had on my office computer. Here's mine, a '47 Gar Wood Ensign that I won with a $5 raffle ticket (and help from a bunch of ticket buying friends) at our Keels & Wheels event here back in '05. Pile of firewood that took me 7 years to restore. I sent the engine, a straight-6 Chrysler Ace, to a rebuilder in Michigan who actually worked in the factory
where it was made, albeit not at the same time. It came back a powder coated, brass polished jewelbox, so I called him to ask if he had another engine I could put in my boat, as this one is going in my Livingroom
Hi Dave, all,
Bit late, but also from my side the best wishes for your fast recovery!
I had a similar effect on my 66 starfire 425 engine. Turned out that the rubber in the harmonic balancer was loose and the outer ring with the timing mark slipped (see attached pics).
I bought a new one (from damperdudes), now it's perfect again.
Previous owner even added a second mark. However, this is useless, since once it starts to slip, it will continue..
Here you see the rubber coming out of the gap.
New damper from damperdudes, okay and engine rebuild. Just crankshaft nut still needs black paint :-)
X2, confirm that with the #1 piston (LF as seated in the car looking forward) at TDC exhaust or compression doesn't matter is zero on the balancer. If it is zero paint the line on the balancer and the desired base timing on the timing degree tab. If it doesn't zero at TDC the balancer needs repair.
X2, confirm that with the #1 piston (LF as seated in the car looking forward) at TDC exhaust or compression doesn't matter is zero on the balancer. If it is zero paint the line on the balancer and the desired base timing on the timing degree tab. If it doesn't zero at TDC the balancer needs repair.
My preference is:
Paint the timing mark on the balancer WHITE. This will make it easier on the eyes when setting.checking timing.
A half the hub width WHITE line at 30 degrees will help total timing.
