Thread: Timing issues??

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yes i have points. ive got my motor as close to TDC as i can get it with crude tools. The timing mark on my balancer shows that im about 13degrees advanced. if i get the mark to about that 4-6 degrees advance the rotor is just past its rotation pointing towards the #1 cylinder. does this mean i could be a tooth off? should i pull the distributor and line it up again??

Just some info for ya,...not sure if its relevant or if you already know this.
Rotor position is variable,you can have no#1 at any position you want,standard is pointing to the front driverside .The one tooth off thing comes from trying to get no#1 to that position.No#1 can be anywhere on the cap as long as you follow the proper firing order around the cap.One tooth off becomes a problem when you do not have room to move the distributor left or right far enuff to get the timing where you need it.If you have enuff room to rotate the distributor 360 degrees it does not matter where you drop it in at or where the rotor is ,you simply rotate the distributor untill the rotaor is lined up with any one of the plugs ,use that one as no#1 and go around the cap with the proper firing order.

I hope this helps, the one tooth off is a myth,any possible position you can drop the distrubutor in at is the right spot ,having room to move it back and forth is the only concern.It does not matter which post is no#1,as long as you go from there around the distributor in the correct order.
I would try to keep it as close to standard as possible as to not confuse anyone who buys it or works on it.But its really irrelevant to the engine as far as no#1 position on the cap.If you do not have the play to adjust it left or right far enuff,just simply pull the distributor out and move it a tooth or 2 the way you need it.
The only thing the engine cares about is that the rotor is pointing at no#1 plug on cap{any position} and that when its pointing at no#1 cap that no#1 cylinder is at approxamatly 10 degrees before top dead center.I try to set the distributor in at a position that allows me plenty of left to right movement for adjustment with the settings I mentioned.
Please correct me if I am wrong anyone,I think I have pretty good reading comprhension and have tried to pay attention to what has been posted in the past so I can help others.This is how I did my engine and it worked great ,it fired right up.

You might want to rerun your valves and double check there, also tell us more about the "horrible oil leak"

That "cranks three times and fires" bit sounds like you have the dist. wires on the cap the wrong way around, it's only firing on two that are directly opposite on the cap. Did you disturb the wires while fixing the leak?