Dont laugh at me!!! with my rookie tuning :(

[ValerianMagnum]

Ok !!! So my car was running crappy for a couple of days and the performance got worst and worst ,

1- i thought it was the timing because the car was becoming "shaky" at low speeds / idle , i pulled off some timing and it helped a bit.. for some time.

2- i had a sudden stalling problem..changed the relay / am meter bypass / fixed the fused link... still the car didnt run right ,

3- i thought it was maybe my points ..redid the points ( new set ) gap at 16' , at the cam and lubbed up.. didnt changed much , after that i was f*ck it i tought i was Jake King and said ill fix the timing myself...never good at that , but i wanted to try , brought the damper at 0 tdc , distributor seemed off pointing in the middle of the engine , did another rotation and it was pointing the firewall , so i was like..okay , i took a magnet, too the gear and turned several times , but the best i could do was to have the rotor pointing at cyl # 3 , piston #1 was up and valves seemed to be close...i think...tried to start it several times...didnt wanna go , reajusted the points....and BANG...right muffler exploded...i think it was enough for today , but im very sad and frustrated about the timing thing , i have hard time understanding it correctly ( to do it the proper way ) i cant really do it by ears...i bought at regular timing light..but im all confused now , with a car that doesnt start and was knocking / pinping and shaking like crazy...was running very good 4 weeks ago and now its broken , just standing there in front of my place , i really wanted to practice and do it by myself but it backfired at me , in everyway !

 

[TF360]

Ok, so when the Balancer is on 0 (compression stroke only and piston at TDC) the Rotor on the Distributor should point straight ahead. The oil pump drive gear points at the front left intake manifold bolt.

 

[TF360]

So it sounds like when your Distributor was pointing toward the center of the engine, that most likely correct.

 

[ValerianMagnum]

So it sounds like when your Distributor was pointing toward the center of the engine, that most likely correct.

So...when it was pointing in the middle it was alright? I moved the drive gear to have it pointing cyl #1..but the best i could do was cyl #3 at 0 tdc

 

[AJ/FormS]

ONE MORE TIME:

Where the rotor is pointing to, relative to the #1 cylinder, makes absolutely no difference, at the time that ANY one cylinder is at TDC/compression!
What matters is which tower is above the rotor at TDC compression, of the chosen cylinder, and where that associated wire is going..

You can move the Drive gear to ANY position whatsoever and, you can pick any cylinder you want to;
>put it at TDC/compression,
>install the rotor,
>mark the outside of the distributor as to where the rotor is pointing when the contact breaker opens,
>install the cap and find your mark,
>then install the wire to connect the marked tower to whatever spark plug belongs to the cylinder that you have put at TDC compression.
>Then install the rest of the wires in the correct firing-order sequence.
>That's all there is to it.

We work with #1 cylinder just because the timing marks are factory engineered to be synchronized when #1TDC/is at the top of the compression stroke, to the cover Tab, and #1 Wire will sync to the tower marked #1, so that Custom wires will fit. It's purely a matter of consistency and convenience.

In the event that, when you turn the distributor body to the point that the breaker points just barely open, etc, and no tower aligns with your rotor tip,
SOMETHING IS WRONG! and you will have to fix it.
>Most likely, your piston is NOT at TDC/compression, and you will have to verify your balancer Ring has not slipped. This will require the use of a piston stop.
>There could be other reasons, like;
the distributor cam is stuck somewhere not on the mechanical stops, or
The driveshaft is drilled wrong, or is broken,
the rotor alignment index tab is busted off, or
the cap is not indexed properly, or
You just made a mistake somewhere in the procedure.

EDIT
the point is that you can waste all afternoon chasing the rotor around in circles, and getting the oil-pump engaged, for NO gain at the end of the day.
Yes, there is a factory way, mandated by custom-length wires, so they all look pretty when draped over your valve-covers.
But if your wires are NOT barely long enough, like the factory wires were, then it matters not a whit ........ to the engine.
What does matter, very much, is that when yur done, that the rotor ends up sweeping a tiny arc, under a tower, as it goes thru it's advancing cycle. We have seen some aftermarket-distributor cases in the which, the drive gear and distributor cam were not indexed properly, and as the advance-weights flew out, the rotor got too far from the correct towers and began to fire to wrong towers.
And the other thing that matters, is that the engine fires up, hits on all eight, and revs cleanly to the limit of total advance.

 

[AJ/FormS]

As to your shaky engine, my guess is it's carb related

 

[ValerianMagnum]

Carb is brand new...the engine was refreshed last summer from a to z..but we didnt change the rings ( new heads but didnt touch the rotating assembly ) and it looks like it has some blow-by on the driver side vs the passenger side , the muffler exploded on the driver side too , car was overheating a lot so now i am wondering if its the engine that has a problem , but like i wrote before , looks to be a pita to adjust new points and redo the timing, i never did that before , last summer a did my points and never had the timing right ( but my old engine was busted real bad ) i didnt tought that this refreshed 318 would cause me problems ..the more it ran...the more weird it was acting...exactly like an engine doesnt have enough timing , thats why i wanted to fix all of this. (New double roller timing chain too , new heads , new springs , new gasket set , new plugs etc etc )

 

[AJ/FormS]

Well then, with this new information, I would have taken a guess that the cam is on it's way out;
Except you didn't mention top-end noise..

 

[ValerianMagnum]

The cam really ? No, no knocking or tick tick noise....

 

[junkyardhero]

after all this you probably just had a vacuum leak that was getting worse and worse.

 

[Bewy]

The ' brand new' carb looks like an Edel AFB. You have to check the float level [ 7/16" ] on these, they are very often out. Refer to instruction book. Also, while carb top is off, invert it & suck on the fuel inlet. If you can suck air, needles & seats are leaking, maybe trash got in during the install.

 

[Kendog 170]

Your balancer may be slipping. You should use a bump stop and see if your timing marks on balancer are correct. You did say you adjusted the timing and it was good for a while.
Question About Using a Piston Stop Tool

 

[TF360]

So...when it was pointing in the middle it was alright? I moved the drive gear to have it pointing cyl #1..but the best i could do was cyl #3 at 0 tdc

Yes, "factory set up" is to have the slot in the oil pump drive gear point to the front left intake (drivers side) manifold bolt. Then when you drop the distributor in the Rotor should point straight ahead when in proper position. Make sure your on the compression stroke

 

[ValerianMagnum]

so....when it was pointing in the middle it was alright? I remove ans rotated the drive gear to point in towards the cyl #1...pointed out at #3 , so i have to remove it and point it back in the middle ? & i have to be 100% sure that the #1 cyl is up in the compression cycle right? I just dont know the rest , i never removed a distributor and timed an engine afterwards....still wondering if the other muffler will explode on the other side

 

[318willrun]

so....when it was pointing in the middle it was alright? I remove ans rotated the drive gear to point in towards the cyl #1...pointed out at #3 , so i have to remove it and point it back in the middle ? & i have to be 100% sure that the #1 cyl is up in the compression cycle right? I just dont know the rest , i never removed a distributor and timed an engine afterwards....still wondering if the other muffler will explode on the other side

View attachment 1716424541

View attachment 1716424542

pointing the gear slot at #1 means nothing if your tang and rotor aren't' pointing in the same direction

 

[ValerianMagnum]

Tang and rotor are off....

 

[318willrun]

Tang and rotor are off....

then clock it so the rotor is pointing at #1, not the tang. Or, just move the #1 plug wire to where the rotor is pointing.

 

[ValerianMagnum]

The best i was able was to point the rotor was on #3 , and in the middle..i was never able to point in at #1

 

[69hemibeep]

Umm did you change the condenser? They will do that, I carry extras with me now.

 

[318willrun]

The best i was able was to point the rotor was on #3 , and in the middle..i was never able to point in at #1

then just move the plug wires on the distributer and be done. In other words, #1 plug wire will be where number 3 is now. then go around the firing order from there

 

[TF360]

so....when it was pointing in the middle it was alright? I remove ans rotated the drive gear to point in towards the cyl #1...pointed out at #3 , so i have to remove it and point it back in the middle ? & i have to be 100% sure that the #1 cyl is up in the compression cycle right? I just dont know the rest , i never removed a distributor and timed an engine afterwards....still wondering if the other muffler will explode on the other side

View attachment 1716424541

View attachment 1716424542

Right- so figure 56 ( position of oil pump shaft slot) is where the oil pump shaft slot should point. Then when you slip the Distributor in the Rotor should point straight ahead and on the Cap it should be pointing at #1 Plug wire terminal. Tha's factory positioning. Like the guys are saying, if you drop it in and it points to # 3 on the Cap, you can make that #1 as long as you have everything else correct. I like my Distributor set up properly.

 

[ESP47]

You more than likely just have a vacuum leak. Start simple before getting into some of the way more difficult, costly and rarer issues that are less likely to be the culprit.

 

[ValerianMagnum]

You more than likely just have a vacuum leak. Start simple before getting into some of the way more difficult, costly and rarer issues that are less likely to be the culprit.

For sure....now i need to fix my timing...and to buy a new muffler , wondering if the other one will explode too

 

[ValerianMagnum]

I redid it... and i changed the distributor gear , tang is more pointing on cyl #1 middle ishhh , my mecanic when he did it it was between cyl #1 and #3 , point of the rotor pointing at the firewall ( black sharpie mark ) .. engine is a 1972 318

 

[ValerianMagnum]

Rotor's pointing before i removed it to change the points