Thread: Timing out by 55 degrees!!!!!

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Hey everyone. Ok, i'm a pulling my hair out. Here's why:

Took my car out for the first time a couple days ago...ran fine. Took it out again friday and it started missing from just off idle, getting really bad around 2000rpm. Also the starter was barely able to turn the thing over. Today i check the timing and it's sitting at around 55 degrees (vac advance disconnected)!! Ok, that explains things but how the hell did it move that much?!!?

I had originally set the initial at 14 degrees. Vac advance has 10 degrees. I'm running an accell 300+ ignition box, matched coil and an accell street billet distributor. Everything is tight inside the distributor and it can't physically move 41 degrees without hitting the intake or dipstick tube. So now i'm thinking it's the ignition box.

If anyone knows a way to test the box or has had any experience with this kind of problem please let me know!! Thank you.

-KevD

Well i think i figured it out... I decided to swap in my HEI distributor to see if it would run.. After bringing #1 cyl to TDC on the firing stroke, i pop the cap and the rotor is pointing at the next terminal on the cap!!! 360/8 terminals is 45 degrees seperation between each terminal, and also about the amount my timing was off!

Looks like my distributor jumped a tooth!! Insane! Bear in mind everything was tight (i double checked the hold down clamp). I'm gonna pick up a new hold down clamp just to be sure... Any suggestions????

Use a stud and a nut to hold the clamp instead of a bolt. Don't buy the cheapo chrome hold downs, they are famous for bending.

Pat

You might want to check the roll pin that holds the timing gear to the dist. shaft

Thanks guys. I'll check that roll pin and i'm gonna buy a good clamp for sure. The stud+nut sounds good too! Car ran fine with the HEI dist and the same clamp last nite... Weird...

Ok, i found that the accell distributor wasn't seating all the down. I pulled it and compared it to my HEI. Seems the tang that engages the oil pump drive shaft was about 1/8" shorter on the accell. I carefully trimmed it up to the same length as the HEI. Put it back in and it seated properly. I also installed a heavier duty hold down clamp with a stud.

Took it out for a test. Ran awesome until i punched it. I actually heard a small knock sound and then sure enough, the engine is missing again: distributor jumped a tooth again! So what gives?? The HEI stays put and runs fine. The accell runs good until you mash the gas... I'm thinking maybe the distributor gear isn't meshing properly with the cam gear. Should i try the gear off the HEI???

On a positive note, i'm really good at swapping distributors and setting timing now!