Thread: Timing

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First time post. I feel like an *&(& . I just picked up a 350 from a guy that has a few nice cars , so I thought it would be a good deal. Cutting to the problem.. I can't get the timing set. It will start ( great if the weather is warm) but its hard to. With the vacume advance unplugged the mark on the balancer is at 11 o'clock . When I try to pull it back it dies. I have checked the centrifical weight and they are not stuck. The balancer on the engine looks to be the same as a spare I have . I mean I held the two up and look at the key ways and the timing marks and they appear to be the same , ruling out a slipped balancer. Then there is a pop in the drivers side exhaust that sounds more like wires and plugs then a sticking valve. I have even made a hard launch and had some ping. So I know the timing off. Would the little model in the distributer have an effect on this problem. It has an hei stock dist. accell wires...any help would be welcome

Originally posted by dozzer
First time post. I feel like an *&(& . I just picked up a 350 from a guy that has a few nice cars , so I thought it would be a good deal. Cutting to the problem.. I can't get the timing set. It will start ( great if the weather is warm) but its hard to. With the vacume advance unplugged the mark on the balancer is at 11 o'clock . When I try to pull it back it dies. I have checked the centrifical weight and they are not stuck. The balancer on the engine looks to be the same as a spare I have . I mean I held the two up and look at the key ways and the timing marks and they appear to be the same , ruling out a slipped balancer. Then there is a pop in the drivers side exhaust that sounds more like wires and plugs then a sticking valve. I have even made a hard launch and had some ping. So I know the timing off. Would the little model in the distributer have an effect on this problem. It has an hei stock dist. accell wires...any help would be welcome

WHAT DIRECTION ARE YOU TURNING THE DISTRIBUTOR?DOES IT POP OUT THE CARB. ALSO?WHEN YOU UN-PLUGED THE VACUUM LINE GOING TO THE DISTRIBUTOR DID YOU PLUG IT SO YOU WON'T HAVE A VAC. LEAK FROM THE CARB?

I'm guessing this is a used motor. If so proceed with caution. I would rotate the engine to TDC for firing cylinder one and verify the timing mark is where it is supposed to be; very near the zero mark.

Your symptoms could be caused by many things including a timing chain that is stretched and has possibly slipped. I would definitely stay off the throttle until the problem is diagnosed.

Good luck, Kitz

I second the timing mark confirmation and the chain stretch.

Drop in a new chain and start from there.

I was afraid of the timing chain . Well I guess tomorrow I will pull the plugs and confirm number one compression stroke and check the timing mark. Then it will be the chain. I was hoping it would be off a tooth or so

I did close off the hose to the vacume advance , and it is a used engine with 1000 miles on it ( i really don't believe it but it look fresh on the out side and in the valve covers)

Sounds like the distributor is a tooth or two off. Check where the rotor is when #1 is at tdc and go from there. I would also check the resistance of each of the plug wires. If you find much more than 1k of resistance on any given wire I'd replace the set with something other than Accell.

".....was afraid of the timing chain . Well I guess tomorrow I will pull the plugs and confirm number one compression stroke and check the timing mark. Then it will be the chain. I was hoping it would be off a tooth or so......"


Should that not work and you end up pulling the front cover to check the chain, check and see if it has a multiple keyway lower gear. Several cams show some of symptoms you are describing if they are not set up in the "straight up" position.

Extremely worn timing chain.......Used engines are veryhard to determine their condition......best advice.....take off the old chain and put a new one on......a stretched chain can through the timing off so bad that the motor will not even start.....no matter what......those old stock nylon teethed gears are garbage.....double roller chains are very cheap........and last alot longer than what you got....good luck with the motor...and welcome to the site........

This is related to my other post . I only had a little time today to get to things so I pulled the cap , put a wrench on the crank and turned it first clock wise and look at the rotor....cap turned as soon as the crank did. ..then counter clock wise...crank moved 1/2 before rotor did. The rotor is pointing right at number one and the mark ( balancer) is at 0 . Still stretched right ? Now when I make my trip back to town besides the *^((&% WOOPING THAT seller HAS COMING what is a good timing chan. I don't need a gear drive like whats in my coupe or a double roller . just a little better than stock and NOT plastic.

Originally posted by dozzer
This is related to my other post . I only had a little time today to get to things so I pulled the cap , put a wrench on the crank and turned it first clock wise and look at the rotor....cap turned as soon as the crank did. ..then counter clock wise...crank moved 1/2 before rotor did. The rotor is pointing right at number one and the mark ( balancer) is at 0 . Still stretched right ? Now when I make my trip back to town besides the *^((&% WOOPING THAT seller HAS COMING what is a good timing chan. I don't need a gear drive like whats in my coupe or a double roller . just a little better than stock and NOT plastic.

A DOUBLE ROLLER CLOYES WITH THE LARGER DIA. PINS WILL WORK FINE FOR WHAT YOU ARE DOING.

Rocking the crank back and forth is a good quick check for a worn timing chain. With a little practice you can feel the slack, but it takes a bit of experience to know how much is too much.

well today i pulled balancer and timing chain cover off and found a double roller timing chain , steel gears with one dot timing mark on each gear. I last rotated the engine clockwise when setting the balancer mark to "0". Theright side of the chain is tight and the left side has about a 1/4 side to side movement. I don't think this is stretched but I have a new chain so it's going on. the crank gear of both set's has only "one" keyway slot.
Now I am having a brain fart!!! is it chevy that has the timing chain dot's lined crank dot at 12 and cam dot at 12 or is it do to dot...never should have worked on that FORD.
This thing is lined upcrank at 12 and cam at 12. checked compression stroke and confirmed with the rocker arm movement before tear down.If these marks are correct this problem has to be eletrical.

Crank dot at 12 o'clock, cam dot at 6 or 12, same thing. Easier to set "dot to dot". A quarter inch of slack in a roller chain is minimal, not enough to cause a problem.

Actually either way would get the cam in the correct position.

The cam turns at 1/2 the engine speed so number 1 piston will be at TDC in both places. With both marks on 12 O'Clock as you have them it is on TDC compression stroke (ready to fire the cylinder).

With the crank gear at 12 O'clock and the cam gear at 6 O'Clock number 1 is at TDC, exhaust stroke (having just finished finsihed exhausting the cylinder and ready to start taking in a fresh intake charge). The bith intake and exhaust valves in this TDC position should both be slightly open (overlap).

While it would be acceptable to install the cam with either method, it is normally done with the crank at 12 and the cam at 6 to make it easier to insure the dots are straight across from each other. It is also normally recommended that after the chain is installed to turn the crank over 2 complete reveloutions by hand and to recheck the marks and insure they correct (before you put the timing cover back on.

If you do set it at 12 and 6, just make sure to turn the crank 1 complete reveloution after it's all back together to bring number 1 pistion back around to TDC compression stroke before you put the distributor.