Basic timing for a 74 318

[Deleted member 22463]

Title says it all, I've seen references to factory specs online, but can't find what those specs are.

The car is an automatic 318. Should timing be 10 degrees before TDC?

 

[1wild&crazyguy]

Set it to 12* btdc at idle with vac canister disconnected.

 

[Deleted member 22463]

Set it to 12* btdc at idle with vac canister disconnected.

Thank you sir.

 

[1wild&crazyguy]

You r welcome.

 

[YY1]

My book (Motor's) says 0* for my 73...and darned if it don't spark knock at anthing greater than 0*.

That's on pump 87 oct, though, and 89 didn't help, so went back to 0*.

 

[72bluNblu]

My book (Motor's) says 0* for my 73...and darned if it don't spark knock at anthing greater than 0*.

That's on pump 87 oct, though, and 89 didn't help, so went back to 0*.

Wow! That's strange.

Niether of my 318's will even RUN at 0*. My Challenger is at 18* BTDC, I had to limit the mechanical advance to keep me at 36* all in. Duster isn't quite that far advanced, but its more than 12*.

 

[67Dart273]

My book (Motor's) says 0* for my 73...and darned if it don't spark knock at anthing greater than 0*.

That's on pump 87 oct, though, and 89 didn't help, so went back to 0*.

You need to either recurve your distributor or buy a performance one with a shorter curve. It will run WAY better. The "smog" distributors had a LLLLOOOONNNNGGGG SSSSLSLLLLLOOOWWWW curve in them. You cannot just "bump up" the timing on some of them as then they will over---advance at higher RPM. Some of them had a lot of advance in the vacuum can, too.

I'm currently running a "was all stock" early 70's 318 I found on Craigslist with low miles. It runs the equivalent of close to a 340 cam, but even before I swapped the cam, I ran it with the Accel dist at over 12*. The cam in there now runs at 15* BTC. It runs REGULAR gas and never pings, at about 36 total