Thread: Timing issues, please help

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So, I have a 1979 Chevy 350 sb engine I’m working on !!
I’m assuming it is SO screwed up I don’t know where to start.
The main issue is when I put the timing light (a innova digital timing light) I find that the mark is about 7:00 on the balancer??? That bothers me. The engine will start and run but when it gets HOT and I go to start it again it sounds like the starter is eating the engine or flywheel. This is a second engine install and the first one, a 327sb did the same thing only the timing mark was within the 2-3:00 position around the gauge at least. It’s a simple setup with old school points and Carter 4732s carburetor. No electronic ignition or anything modern to deal with. Where should I start??

so its not an HEI dist????????

Welcome to CHR:

It sounds like you have some timing issues. Seeing the timing mark at 7:00 o’clock tells me you are on the wrong plug. As mentioned above, you need to get to basics.

Perform the following on a cold engine. First and foremost, you need to identify top dead center (TDC) for number 1 cylinder. That’s the cylinder closest to the front on the driver’s side of the engine. When you have number 1 at TDC, both the intake and exhaust valves will be closed and the timing mark on the harmonic balancer will be at 0 degrees on the timing tab. Pull the coil wire and have an assistant tap the starter until you see the mark. The distributor rotor should be pointing at the number one plug wire on the cap, typically straight toward the front of the car. Check the cap and make sure that your wires are installed correctly, i.e., 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2, going clockwise around the cap.

I’m very surprised that a 1979 engine still has points and condenser – but with a point type distributor, you need to set the gap at .018 (fine tune using an Allen wrench with the running using a dwell tach to 30 degrees).

Once the dwell is set to 30 degrees, adjust the initial timing (with the vacuum advance removed from the distributor) to 8 degrees before dead center (BDC). Tighten the distributor down and your hot start problems may just disappear.

Good luck,
Glenn

I just got back to it today but thanks for your understanding and concern denny!!
Things are pretty messed up I believe and forgive me please for not being an expert on this as to why I was reaching out to ask!! When I hit “a” tdc I’m not sure which one it is!! Both times it seams like the exhaust and intake valves are even ??

It's okay - we all start this process as novices and learn from those who have done before. TDC is when the intake and exhaust valve are both closed and the number 1 piston is all the way up in the cylinder. When you say, "... the exhaust and intake valves are even." how are you determining this? Did you remove the valve cover?

As a suggestion, you might reach out to someone in your area to literally walk you through this. There must be a club or a garage where you can meet someone and have them come to your house and help you with this. While not difficult (to someone who's timed a zillion engines) it's frustrating until mastered.

Good luck!
Glenn

Good to talk with you on this - here's a link that you need to look at, re; harmonic damper sizes and timing tab locations:
https://www.crankshaftcoalition.com/..._TDC_lines_SBC

Glenn

Sorry Denny, I get real frustrated sometimes when I interpret messages !! A lot of times on some of these forums there is no interpretation, they hide behind there computers an outright call you an idiot or worse!! So I apologize again!! I just had an long phone conversation with Glenn and he was extremely informative and patient as I turned the crank with a ridiculous amount of limited space no help and time while he waited on the phone. And we determined it’s possible they put the wrong harmonic balancer on. So I guess I was at a major disadvantage from the start!! He was nice enough also to send me a link to read and learn what balancer should be on this thing. Unfortunately I live in an are where a new chiseled mark would be the norm and good enough but not for me !! Thanks for all of you guys help so far!! I’ll keep ya posted.

“UPDATE “ found the ROTOR cap not the distributor was broken and on backwards!!!! My friend/mechanic that installed the engine stopped by and asked if maybe the fingers were sticking, I unscrewed the cap an it was falling off as I loosened it!! The square alignment tab was broken off and the round alignment tap was sitting over top of the broken square one and cockeyed!!! Don’t know when that happened but it’s one thing I would NEVER have thought of and I guess it’s been like that for the five years I had it struggling to time it right with a 180 degree rotor cap and crooked. It runs great now!!!