Rebuilt 318 install problem
I tried to PM you but your inbox is full. Does the intermediate shaft have to be in a specific location? I installed it so that the rotor tip is pointing towards the #1 cylinder and the reluctor is centered on the pick up when I install the cap I have been installing the #1 spark plug wire in that location on the cap (where the rotor tip is pointing).
Is that not a correct procedure?
Yes and no, The end result of the factory location is to get the rotor pointing to the frontmost intake bolt on the drivers side,at TDC compression #1; so that the tower that may be marked #1, will end up directly above it, when the Vcan is properly located as far towards the firewall as possible, and then advanced to the nearest reluctor vane. This just makes it easy on the assembly line I guess.
In the field, it does not matter where the rotor is pointing after syncing to the reluctor, as long as you put the #1 plug wire into whatever tower ends up being directly above it, AND you can still advance/retard the housing without the V-can banging into something and limiting your timing efforts.
If you cannot sync the tower after the reluctor vane is centered then the reluctor has to be resync'ed until the rotor is under a tower within a few degrees. A small allowance has to be made to allow the rotor to fully advance yet remain within a bit less than a half-tower from the intended tower.
From reading your last post, it seems you are good to go.
The trouble I see is that your timing lite can't find the index mark,even tho you have stated multiple times that with #1 TDC compression, the marks line up. This can only happen,AFAIK, in one of two ways;1) you are using a multi-strike ignition system with a standard dial-back lite; most are incompatible. Or 2) the inductive pick-up is on the wrong wire or is seeing an impulse from a wrong wire. This leads me to think #1 ain't where you think it is. And that also points out to the rough and fast idle in the video. My guess is you screwed the speed screw way in to keep it running in a way-retarded mode. And that is why I said to just reach in there and advance it without regard to the numbers. At idle, the engine will continue to speed up with increasing advance, until she is seeing close to 30* advance;indicating she likes it. As long as the engine speed continues to increase...... at idle you cannot hurt her. Then you can slowly back off the speed screw,back to normal, backing off the timing as you go, still without regard to the actual timing marks. Eventually, if there is no vacuum leak and the PCV is properly plumbed, and the Vcan has been defeated, eventually the Rs will fall too low to support the engine running, lol. So quit when you get down to about 700 to 800rpm. Now smooth out the idle quality with the mixture screws, targeting the middle of their range; about 3/4 turn with a Holly or Holly-type, or 1.5turns with a Carter or Carter-type. Now on the off chance that your new D is already advancing at 700/800, just slow it down as far as you can and still have a running engine.
Now, it's time to go find the index marks. If you can't find them using #1 wire, then try an adjacent wire like #2 or #8. Or whatever until your lite finds the balancer index slot. The only way the engine can run at this point, assuming you earlier correctly identified the mark is if; #1)WHATEVER wire you found is #1 wire, or #2) if the cam-timing is way out to lunch; and if the cam-timing is out, the engine will be running very rough as the valves are not closing at the right times. If you get to this point, the next check is to see where Split-Overlap is occuring. Or;
If the cam is out of phase; the easy test is a Leakdown Test with the piston at TDC compression. If a valve is open at TDC compression, this is BAAAAAD. A compression test will read low to very low. If you do either of these tests with these kinds of results, then Split Overlap is next.
Earlier you asked about pumped up lifters holding the valves open. Your thinking is good, but the scenario is highly unlikely.
But of course most of this post assumes the engine will run.....lol. On a Mopar, the #1 cylinder is the drivers side front, the first rod on the crank, just in case.
So if it will not start just tug on the distributor a lil at a time until it wants to and then a lil more, and give it some air. If no luck, I would go straight to a Leakdown test.
EDIT
After thinking about this, I think I would do the compression test first.
As to the leakdown test, Bad cam-timing would not necessarily mean the valves are hung open at TDC It's a long way from the design Ica to TDC. Depending on your cam, it might be 120* give or take about 10*. So if the compression test is low, Then it's kindof a toos up as to LD test or SplitOverlap check. Since the LD is way easier and faster, I'd go there second, to rule out non-closing valves.
To recap the order of the tests;
1) compression
2) LeakDown
3) split overlap
BTW Split Overlap almost always occurs within 6* of TDC usually on the advanced side. That is to say both intake and exhaust valves of any one cylinder will be approximately equally far open
between TDC and 6 degrees advanced, with the piston at TDC- OVERLAP cycle which is one full crank turn from TDC-compression. It is easiest to use cylinders #1 or #6..... if you trust the balancer TDC mark. If we have to go that far I or someone else can detail the how-to of it, just ask.
