Thread: HELP... red hot exhaust manifold

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I think Streets may be on to something with a plugged cat, or a stuck heat riser. If one side is plugged, the exhaust may be trying to go from the plugged side thru the heat cross over in the intake manifold and all out one side.

find the timing marks first - therer will be a line on the harmonic dampener (behind the lowest pulley, the crank pulley) this is likely dirty. once your find the line, it helps if you paint it with nail polish or something white/bright easy to see. there will be a tab sticking out from the engine over the pulley at one side - this is the timing marks. clean them and highlight the one you need (the spec should be on a label under the hood - probably around 8 degrees BTDC)

Attach a timing light to plug #1 wire, idle car, warmed up. remove vac line from dist and plug it (golf tee works well)
shine light down at lowest pulley on engine, the crank pulley where you highlighted the marks.
with the car idling at the proper speed - 700 RPM +- 50 (see label) the line on the dampener should line up with the mark on the tab. If not, double check everything so far - idle speed, vacuum line, which plug you are on, what you marked, the label, If you are correct on the data, then you loosen the bolt at the bottom of the dist that clamps it in (do this with the car off is easier) and then you can turn the distributor and watch the mark move. you will not have to turn it very much. when you are sure it is right, tighten the bolt and re check to make sure nothing moved out of adjustment.

Also, since you had the dist out for the intake swap, double check that yo ugot it back in right - when you slide it it the gear will move the dist shaft as it engages, so yo umay be off a whole tooth. As long as yo can get the marks to line up it won't matter, but you may not get the dist to turn far enough to line up the marks.

Thanks for getting us back on track Chris. Even for someone like me who tries to preach "do the basics first before making it complicated" sometimes need to be reminded what the question was.

Yes, set the timing properly first, especially if the car did not have the problem before the distributor was removed.

Thanks, I will try the timing tomorrow and get back to you.

All chevy harmonic balancers are not the same with relation to where the TDC mark is placed on them , make sure yours is the same as the one you took off .

Ok, I set the timing today and the car now idles where it should be. The problem I have now seems to be with the transmission vaccum(I think)? The car shifts very late and it won't shift out of second into third. Any help would be greatly appreciated.