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38 Cad.Engin Timing -Forgot to Mention

Started by Joseph P. McCormick CLC#14142, October 01, 2006, 06:35:16 PM

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Joseph P. McCormick CLC#14142

I forgot to mention that I am getting a good blue spark at alla the plugs.  Thanks.  Joe

Porter

Joseph,

Im not a flathead expert but same deal, get somebody to hold their thumb on the # 1 cylinder plug hole, you crank the engine over and when they give you the signal ( thumb pushed away ) stop cranking.

Rotate the engine backwards and line up the mark or forward almost two rotations  because the engine will have spun past the timing mark when you stopped cranking.

Then you can drop your distributor in and line the rotor with # 1 wire terminal on the cap.

Dont crank the engine over anymore with a spark, if that distributor is 180 degrees you can cause some problems if it does fire up in some cylinders.

I did this with my 66 429, I can rotate the engine with the alternator pulley nut with a socket, dropped the distributor in and it fired right up.

Maybe John Washburn, etc. can tell you how to rotate a flathead by hand.

HTH,

Porter

joseph P. McCormick CLC #14142

Hello Porter,  Many thanks for your reply.   Joe

Porter

Joe,

A few years ago somebody had a flathead and the distributor was oriented 180 degrees backwards, you would have to do that if the timing mark was lined up but the engine was not at TDC.

It takes two revolutions of the crankshaft for a four cycle engine and you will be at TDC or halfway throught the full cycle at the timing mark.

Once you find TDC the distributor only has one location, a few stabs might be required to get the teeth to line up just right, or you can take a long screwdriver with the distributor out and rotate the drive a tad if required.

The timing adjustment is minor, should fire right up then you set the timing and break in the engine.

Which leads to proper break in procedures, mainly the camshaft.

The other experts can jump in here, maybe even recommend the GM EOS product. Ive never broken in a new engine, not my area of expertise.

HTH,

Porter



John Washburn

Joe and Porter,

Not sure what the problem is, but if someone has mucked with the engine and re-adjusted the spark plug wires so that they will fire 180 out (works perfectly), it might cause you a few problems if you are trying to put it back to original. So, just for fun and giggles, you might want to check the firing order... Or is this an old post that has more to it than my small brain can handle?

John Washburn
CLC #1067

Harry Scott

The other thing to remember on the flatheads is that the distributor base or stand also has to be in proper alingment
The distributor will only fit in two positions, any other adjustment has to be done by removing the stand which can be changed tooth by tooth. If you pull the base be sure to align the oil pump before reinstalling. Good Luck.

Joseph P. McCormick, CLC #14142

Hello Harry,   Thanks for you advice and email.   Joe

Harry Scott

When all the stars are aligned it should fire. I am off to Hershey.