Quote:

Sounds like the plugs are OK & likely the wires are also & I'm assuming 5/7 ain't crossed. I would ohm them & wiggle the ends as you watch the meter & power brake the eng at midnight with the hood open & see if there's a light show (grab a helper). You really need a vac pump (they're pretty reasonable) to check phasing/gap as the vac adv (only) alters phasing and gap so the pump lets you check em anywhere from no vac (what you have if on ported at idle) all the way to full vac. Holler how it turns out & what it ends up being



I've double and triple checked. firing order is all good. Engine fires up fine and ides clean and smooth at 850rpm.

I will definitely check for a light show in the dark.

What do you mean by 'ohming' them. I'm assuming you mean checking the resistance? Can I use a regular multimeter? How exactly is this done?

I do have a vacuum pump. When I had the distributor out, I noticed the reluctor gap closes a bit when vacuum is introduced. However, since trying to diagnose this issue, I've had the vac adv disconnected and the port on the carb plugged.

So, after checking the plugs and wires for resistance and shorting and checking for a rounded cam lobe, what next? Should I replace the orange box with a parts store replacement temporarily to see if that changes anything?

Thanks so much for the help. This is starting to get really frustrating.