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Re: help me ID the inside of this distributor...
[Re: OzHemi]
#1237630
05/23/12 02:07 AM
05/23/12 02:07 AM
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 12,589
Sacramento, CA
cal_gecko
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Well, I adjusted the air gap between the reluctor and pickup.. tightened up the gap to where it should be ... started it up.. no noticeable difference  .. I tried adjusting the idle mixture screws, didn't see any improvement. I turned off all the lights in the garage, and looked for any arcing, didn't see any .. was hoping something might be obvious. I swapped out all the plugs with brand new plugs (same kind, the Autolite AL65's, gapped to .040).. this seemed to help.. I was able to reduce the idle speed down to where it was ROUGHLY idle around 600 rpm and stay there... but it was bucking around in the engine bay like a PO'd bull, and the vacuum dropped to about 5 ... also noticed some smoke coming out the breather on the valve cover.. is that because I had the PCV disconnected and plugged? The exhaust was really pungent too... 10pm came around quickly (I didn't get home from work until 8pm, and then had dinner), so that's about where I wrapped up. The VERY interesting thing, is that according to my dial-back timing light, the best idle I was able to get was with about 25 degrees of initial timing.
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Re: help me ID the inside of this distributor...
[Re: cal_gecko]
#1237632
05/23/12 04:22 AM
05/23/12 04:22 AM
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Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 18,493
Granite Bay CA
Kern Dog
Striving for excellence
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Striving for excellence
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 18,493
Granite Bay CA
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Quote:
Well, I adjusted the air gap between the reluctor and pickup.. tightened up the gap to where it should be ... Set to .008, right?
I swapped out all the plugs with brand new plugs (same kind, the Autolite AL65's, gapped to .040) Using a factory distributor, the plug gap should be at .035. ... also noticed some smoke coming out the breather on the valve cover.. is that because I had the PCV disconnected and plugged?
All street engines need some sort of PCV system. Even zero mile engines produce blow-by. The PCV evacuates pressure from the crankcase AND creates a suction that PULLS the rings outward, helping ring seal. The smoke coming from the breather will occur unless you run a PCV system. It shouldn't be dismissed as "Smog crap" since it actually helps performance while making the engine run cleaner.
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Re: help me ID the inside of this distributor...
[Re: cal_gecko]
#1237634
05/23/12 10:41 AM
05/23/12 10:41 AM
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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 5,048
Atlanta Indiana
Dave Watt
master
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master
Joined: Nov 2003
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Atlanta Indiana
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Quote:
for reference, here's a better shot of the top of the distributor.
I'll swing over to the auto parts store on my way in to work in a bit, and pick up some brass feeler gauges. I'm guessing my steel ones won't work accurately with the magnet 
I don't think that is a stock pickup. The factory ones are a black molded plastic, yours apprears to be shrink wrapped or electrical tape. Maybe it is an early Pertronix? Also the white wires are not what you would see on an original or aftermarket. I'd be tempted to install a stock one in there and see how it acts. My buddy went through 2 Pertronix before getting a good one the third time. 
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Re: help me ID the inside of this distributor...
[Re: Dave Watt]
#1237635
05/23/12 11:22 AM
05/23/12 11:22 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 75,015
U.S.S.A.
JohnRR
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Quote:
Quote:
for reference, here's a better shot of the top of the distributor.
I'll swing over to the auto parts store on my way in to work in a bit, and pick up some brass feeler gauges. I'm guessing my steel ones won't work accurately with the magnet
I don't think that is a stock pickup. The factory ones are a black molded plastic, yours apprears to be shrink wrapped or electrical tape. Maybe it is an early Pertronix? Also the white wires are not what you would see on an original or aftermarket. I'd be tempted to install a stock one in there and see how it acts. My buddy went through 2 Pertronix before getting a good one the third time.
It's not a factory pickup that is for sure and it's definitely not a pertronics as they don't use a reluctor wheel like that.
Mark as far as your idle 600 is TOO low , car is an automatic it's going to stall as soon as you put it in gear. set your idle speed to 900 .
As you noticed the timing dropped but the one thing you have to remember is the MSD fires multiple times on each fire of a cylinder below 3000 rpms and as mention some timing lights don't like that .
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Re: help me ID the inside of this distributor...
[Re: JohnRR]
#1237636
05/23/12 12:19 PM
05/23/12 12:19 PM
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 12,589
Sacramento, CA
cal_gecko
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OK.. so one issue resolved - as it turns out, I had the timing light pick-up backwards on the plug wire... I turned it around, and the timing mark isn't bouncing any more... hallelujah for one issue being resolved. I adjusted the idle some more this morning... here's a video of it idling right at 1000 rpm, along with vacuum gauge readings. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PJFZTCcdfoIt's still not idling as smooth as I would expect, especially based on some other videos I've seen posted of 360's with this same cam. Also, I'm not understanding how/why it will idle the BEST with 30 degrees advance
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Re: help me ID the inside of this distributor...
[Re: cal_gecko]
#1237637
05/23/12 01:00 PM
05/23/12 01:00 PM
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 12,589
Sacramento, CA
cal_gecko
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Frankenduster - thanks.. I thought the plug gap was supposed to be .035, but I had read on another thread somewhere on Moparts (in all my Google searches for ignition problems I've been doing) to set it at .040 ... I still need to re-do my compression test.. so when I pull the plugs out for that, I can re-gap the new plugs. I do remember reading that this cam (Comp Cam XE268H) will have a more noticeably rough idle in an engine with stock compression.. since this is a reman. engine, it does have stock compression - around 8.4:1 I think is what was stock. Gonna swing in to NAPA today and get a cap/rotor for the distributor.. .just part of the process of throwing money at it, hoping to make a difference
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Re: help me ID the inside of this distributor...
[Re: cal_gecko]
#1237638
05/23/12 01:21 PM
05/23/12 01:21 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 75,015
U.S.S.A.
JohnRR
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Quote:
It's still not idling as smooth as I would expect, especially based on some other videos I've seen posted of 360's with this same cam. Also, I'm not understanding how/why it will idle the BEST with 30 degrees advance
You need to bring the RPM up and see what the timing is doing! If it keeps advancing you are going to have a huge problem when it tries to run with almost 60 degrees advance , nevermind when the vacuum can starts adding more ...
heres something dumb I didn't ask , can you see the springs on the advance weights when you look down inside the distributor ?
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Re: help me ID the inside of this distributor...
[Re: RobX4406]
#1237639
05/23/12 01:23 PM
05/23/12 01:23 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 75,015
U.S.S.A.
JohnRR
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Quote:
Quote:
plus get that timing dialed back once you get the gap set.
WRONG!!!
Fix/weld the mechanical advance plate so the engine can have the proper initial.
Carry on
No , not really.
That is something he could/should eventually do but for right now to figure out what is going on he needs to keep it no higher than 5-8 .
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Re: help me ID the inside of this distributor...
[Re: cal_gecko]
#1237640
05/23/12 01:26 PM
05/23/12 01:26 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 28,067
Irving, TX
feets
Senior Management
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Senior Management
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Posts: 28,067
Irving, TX
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Do you have a vacuum gauge?
If so, stick it on the engine. Get your idle up to 900 rpm as suggested. Diddle with your timing until you have the highest vacuum signal. It needs to be as steady as possible despite the rough idling cam.
Once that is set, turn your idle mixture screws in until the rpm begine to drop. Then turn them out until you have the highest steady vacuum signal.
If you still have issues other than a lumpy cam idle let us know.
We are brothers and sisters doing time on the planet for better or worse. I'll take the better, if you don't mind.
- Stu Harmon
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Re: help me ID the inside of this distributor...
[Re: feets]
#1237641
05/23/12 01:29 PM
05/23/12 01:29 PM
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 12,589
Sacramento, CA
cal_gecko
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OP
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Quote:
Do you have a vacuum gauge?
If so, stick it on the engine. Get your idle up to 900 rpm as suggested. Diddle with your timing until you have the highest vacuum signal. It needs to be as steady as possible despite the rough idling cam.
Once that is set, turn your idle mixture screws in until the rpm begine to drop. Then turn them out until you have the highest steady vacuum signal.
If you still have issues other than a lumpy cam idle let us know.
I adjusted the idle some more this morning... here's a video of it idling right at 1000 rpm, along with vacuum gauge readings.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PJFZTCcdfo
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Re: help me ID the inside of this distributor...
[Re: JohnRR]
#1237642
05/23/12 01:35 PM
05/23/12 01:35 PM
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Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 12,271
Overpriced Housing Central
RobX4406
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Quote:
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Quote:
plus get that timing dialed back once you get the gap set.
WRONG!!!
Fix/weld the mechanical advance plate so the engine can have the proper initial.
Carry on
No , not really.
That is something he could/should eventually do but for right now to figure out what is going on he needs to keep it no higher than 5-8 .
How much total it has right now don't mean jack shyat...
He needs to get his idle issue sorted out and TOTAL plays absolutely no part in that area of the equation. Time that car at 5-8* initial and it will run worse than he could ever imagine.
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Re: help me ID the inside of this distributor...
[Re: JohnRR]
#1237643
05/23/12 01:35 PM
05/23/12 01:35 PM
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Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 12,589
Sacramento, CA
cal_gecko
OP
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OP
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Sacramento, CA
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Quote:
Quote:
It's still not idling as smooth as I would expect, especially based on some other videos I've seen posted of 360's with this same cam. Also, I'm not understanding how/why it will idle the BEST with 30 degrees advance
You need to bring the RPM up and see what the timing is doing! If it keeps advancing you are going to have a huge problem when it tries to run with almost 60 degrees advance , nevermind when the vacuum can starts adding more ...
heres something dumb I didn't ask , can you see the springs on the advance weights when you look down inside the distributor ?
When I bring the RPM's up, it does increase the total timing, I believe it went up to around 42 or so...
I didn't see the springs.. this was the view...
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