My 68 CdV still running bad...maybe I have found something....UPDATE!!!

[Steve W]

OK.still trying to find out why my car is running bad...hesitation, missing, etc.

Re-checked timing with the light...its off about 5*...re-set timing.

Re-checked dwell with the meter...its at 35*...should be 30....put the allen wrench on the points adjuster (thru the window)and noticed some play..slight up-and-down as well as side to side. Its the plate that the points sit on. Just touching the allen wrench to the adjuster changes the way the car runs...and now I hear a slight "clacking noise" coming from somewhere in the distributor.

Anyone have any ideas?

And, man, that a/c compressor is just in the way of EVERYTHING...can barely get to the points...can't adjust the carb and can't take off the fuel inlet to check the mesh screen because I can't get a wrench on it because...you guessed it...the a/ccompressor is in the way!

Not a fun car to work on at all.

[curly]

From your description, it sounds like the distributor bushing or bearing is shot.

FYI, you need to adjust the points first and then the timing. Changing the dwell on the points will directly affect timing.

T Lewis

[dirtycustom40]

Best tool i have found is a coat hanger about 16 inches long and hammer 1 end flat.Its still a pain but gives you a little wiggle room.

[R Schroeder]

As I said in the first posting,and Mr Lewis is saying, I think you have a worn distributor shaft. You didn't say who made your parts either. Good parts or cheap parts.
Mr. Lewis is also right about doing the points first then the timing.
I sure would rebuild the distributor ,before going on to anything else.
Just my 2 cents.
Roy

[TJ Hopland]

GM V8 points distributors are one thing I have hardly tangled with but it does seem like something has to be going on in there.   

Like someone else said what brand of points do you have?  Most of the points out there the last several years are crap.  I have engines that I have ended up tearing down for major work, got back together only to find out I still had the same issue.  One I was so mad at I just let it sit for almost 2 years till one day I was killing some time in a small town and went to their parts store where they had an old stock set of Standard Blue Streak points.  I came home and threw those in to that engine that had been sitting for 2 years and it started right up and has been running for 3? years now with no more issues.  Its a seasonal toy and in the past in the spring I have had to do the dollar bill trick between the contacts after sitting for the winter.  Since this set I have not touched them.   I think they are still made but not a lot of stores carry them. 

Again I don't know the V8's that well but in general the points are mounted to a plate that pivots based on the input from the vacuum advance.   This means that there is a main pivot point that could wear and one or more slides or supports that could have issues and are letting the plate float around more than it should.   The usual wear issue is the bushings for the main shaft that then lets the shaft and therefore the points cam wobble around.   This will usually show itself in a unsteady dwell reading especially when you rev the motor.  I don't really see this being affected by sticking an allen wrench in there unless the thing was so bad it was just rattling things apart and the wrench is settling things down.  IF it was that bad I would expect to see the dwell jumping around a lot.   

The other factor in this system is electrical. When you insert the allen wrench is it possibly touching the metal distributor body?   Perhaps thats improving the ground connection and that is why it makes a difference. Its making a ground connection.  The black wire to the coil connects to the moving part of the points.  The mounting side of the points (where the allen screw is) is the next part of the chain.  This grounds to the main plate which moves so there is usually a small braided wire that connects that moving plate to the main body which then grounds to the engine block. If the ground wire has broken you are depending on the ground through the pivot which is not going to be ideal.   I have also seen it where the black wire has scuffed or cracked so it depends on the position from the vacuum if the connection is possibly ok or being shorted to ground.   

[76eldo]

There is a tool for adjusting these points. Like a screwdriver with a flexible shaft and an Allen tip.

Not hard to do with these.

Fuel line is tough. Maybe get some cheap wrenches and grind them thinner to make access easier.

[Guidematic]

Has anyone thought of the breaker plate in the distributor? That will allow the points to float all over while the shaft stays where it should. It was a relatively common problem with GM distributors in this era. Both 6-cylinder and V-8.

I had that issue many years ago with my '70 Fleetwood. Constant speed cruising would have the engine sputter and miss. I looked in the distributor, and although the bushings were fine, the breaker plate was floating about. Dwell angles were changing by as much as +/- 5 degrees from the desired 32.

That's when I rebuilt an HEI distributor I had and installed that. I have never looked back, it was the best thing I ever did to that car.

Mike

[TJ Hopland]

Does your AC work?   

If not just yank the compressor till you get these other issues worked out and decide to fix the AC.  You then get shorter belts for the power steering.  I believe back then they even listed them in the manuals because there apparently were cars that came without AC.  If there is still pressure in the system be sure to take the proper precautions and procedures to de pressurize the system.  Also note that one of the rear mount holes goes into one of the intake runners and will need a bolt put back in it to plug the hole.

If it does work you can get the belts off and move the compressor out of the way so you can get at the fuel line on the carb.  The threads on the carb are really easy to strip so you don't want to be screwing around with poor access.   

[76eldo]

Should be able to unbolt the compressor and move it forward?

Also, on the last 425 (similar to 472) I worked on we changed out the carb.  There's a little vent tube that pulls out, and that gives you more access.

Brian

["Cadillac Kid" Greg Surfas 15364]

Steve,
First by taking the cap off the distributor you will be able to access all the internal parts you need to determine if in fact there is something loose in there.  I know the compressor fits tight up to the carburetor, but there IS enough room to check the vacuum hoses and connections at the carb.  The PCV hose is the most notorious for cracking and leaking.
Greg

[Scot Minesinger]

yes, you are right that compressor is always in the way, but... remove the belts, electrical plug in con., and five bolts that anchor it down and lift it off and over to the passenger side inner fender.  It was designed so that the hoses allow this.  I have done this several times and it seems like a pain but it is well worth doing.

Replace the condenser if you have not already as it is very inexpensive (thimble shaped capacitor under distributor), that is a very common issue that leads people to replace timing chains and waste countless hours chasing down a simple problem.

Good luck

[Steve W]

UPDATE!!!

I was at my wit's end with the car! I just couldn't seem to fix it myself! And on top of that, I had to do a gig in Oklahoma last week and I was going to be gone for a few days, and had a ton of jobs lined up when I returned and I NEED my car to do them.

So, before I left, I bit the bullet (financially) and took my car to a guy here in So Cal that specializes in carbs, distriburors, ignition timing and advance curves. That's all he does. And he does it amazingly well. He's the Super Tuner!

All you guys were right on!
There was a faulty ground at the breaker plate. Plus the dizzy needed to be rebuilt. And the carb was WAY out of adjustment. And the mesh screen filter in the fuel inlet had stuff in it. And the vacuum advance didn't work at all. And, I told him to go ahead and change to the Pertronix system. And he adjusted the carb (he took the carb apart and it looked good) and did all the advance timing curves at all these differnt RPM, etc, that I still don't quite fathom.

End result?...The car has never run better!   

I took it on the freeway last night and today and it ran fast, smooth and sounded just great...AND, I think I'm even getting better gas mileage!

It was expensive, but reasonable...and frankly, the work needed to be done...especially by someone as technically proficient as he is!

And now I love my car again!!!!

Thanks for all the tips, advice and help guys!

[Raymond919]

Congratulation on your success. You'll love your '68 as I loved mine. How stupid I was to ever give it up. We all do stupid things sometimes.
Many happy miles to you!