My New Engine Pings
Posting Legend
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 30,255
Likes: 37
No offense but you really need to take the vehicle in to someone who has a distributor machine and can give your engine a dyno tune. If you know what you are doing and have a few simple testing tools you can dial a distributor in on the engine but it sounds like you do not have the tools required.
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Tuned
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 454
Likes: 0
No offense taken, for sure. I know what you mean. I did take the truck to a shop last weekend, but the mechanic there didn't have an advance timing light. Perhaps I will try and take it back to the machine shop that did the build for me, but that is a bit of a drive from where I live so I will have to plan for that.
Postmaster
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 4,270
Likes: 5
From: Delaware
Disconnect your vacuum advance and plug the vacuum.
Try to set your timing to 10 degrees BTDC, if the motor slows too much and stalls, increase the idle with the idle screw.
Continue this process until you can idle with 10 degrees advance at 800 RPM or less.
Then reconnect your vacuum line and check the timing. It should still be at 10 degrees BTDC.
Try to set your timing to 10 degrees BTDC, if the motor slows too much and stalls, increase the idle with the idle screw.
Continue this process until you can idle with 10 degrees advance at 800 RPM or less.
Then reconnect your vacuum line and check the timing. It should still be at 10 degrees BTDC.
Posting Legend
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 30,255
Likes: 37
He still needs to call around and find a shop that knows something and has the proper equipment for tuning his engine. After it is tuned and the settings recorded it is easy to do it again. I can't believe a mechanic that does not have an advance timing light... Must be a newbie that only works on computer cars. Not exactly the kind of guy he needs.
Check out the post I made here on 1971 distributor specs for some good starting distributor specs.
Check out the post I made here on 1971 distributor specs for some good starting distributor specs.
Cargo Master
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,232
Likes: 3
From: NE Texas
I remember reading an article by Jay Leno where he talked about a young auto tech who was supposed to be a brilliant EFI and computer control tech. Jay asked him if there was ANYTHING that he was afraid to troubleshoot. The kid said "yeah, I'm afraid someone is going to bring something in here with a Carburetor."
There are indeed lots of good young techs who would be almost lost trying to make a car with a carburetor and a distributor run right.
Have a great day,
Doc
There are indeed lots of good young techs who would be almost lost trying to make a car with a carburetor and a distributor run right.
Have a great day,
Doc
Thread Starter
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Tuned
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 454
Likes: 0
When I took my truck into the exhaust shop, after I got the motor running and the new headers put on, I had cut the old pipes off away from where the manifolds had been, and I drove it with open headers to the exhaust shop to have the pipes attached. They had to order collectors because he said "we just don't get any cars with headers anymore, so I don't keep any supplies". Makes me sad....
I turned up the idle screw on the carb and lowered the timing again. It is sitting at about 12 degrees now because it won't turn any farther...the vacuum advance unit is up against the A/C unit. Then I took it out on the road and the pinging had almost stopped completely.
I'm gonna take the dist out and advance it one tooth, then retard the timing some more to get it down to 8-10 degrees.
The thing that surprises me the most is that the machine shop who built the motor is the one who orginally set the timing. Of course it had open headers at the time, but still...I would think they should have set the timing lower than 25-30 degrees BTDC. I'm gonna go talk to them on Saturday and see if they have an advance timing light and get them to set it to what I want.
Thanks for everyone's help.
I turned up the idle screw on the carb and lowered the timing again. It is sitting at about 12 degrees now because it won't turn any farther...the vacuum advance unit is up against the A/C unit. Then I took it out on the road and the pinging had almost stopped completely.
I'm gonna take the dist out and advance it one tooth, then retard the timing some more to get it down to 8-10 degrees.
The thing that surprises me the most is that the machine shop who built the motor is the one who orginally set the timing. Of course it had open headers at the time, but still...I would think they should have set the timing lower than 25-30 degrees BTDC. I'm gonna go talk to them on Saturday and see if they have an advance timing light and get them to set it to what I want.
Thanks for everyone's help.
Postmaster
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 4,270
Likes: 5
From: Delaware
When you remove the dist to advance one tooth, you may have to manually turn the crank to get the dist to drop and engage the oil pump shaft. The oil pump shaft is a Hex and will be mis-aligned when you rotate the dist. one tooth.
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Tuned
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 454
Likes: 0
Yea, I put that in, so I know what you mean. I'll make sure not to mess that up 
I am great at putting stuff together and taking it apart, but not at the tuning part.
I am great at putting stuff together and taking it apart, but not at the tuning part.
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Elder User
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 650
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Earlier in this thread, the topic of using a 71 vacum advance unit was discussed- my question is- there is one made by crane in my summit catalog that is adjustabe for the stock ford electronic distributor- would this be an acceptable substitute???
Posting Guru
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 2,003
Likes: 2
From: chicago burbs
kc5hwb, have you seen the new Crane distributor? it has a digital advance curve system that is easily adjusted from the outside. if you are up to spending the $$$ then this is the dizzy you are looking for. it'll be the next one i buy when the time comes.
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Tuned
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 454
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I may upgrade to something like that soon. I got the pings to stop by moving the timing way down. I had it too high. The vacuum advance unit is now pressing against the A/C bracket and I cannot turn it down any farther, but now it does not ping. The timing is set at about 12 BTDC. I may try to re-stab the dizzy and advance it one tooth so that I can retard it down to around 10 BTDC or so.
Posting Guru
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 2,003
Likes: 2
From: chicago burbs
good deal then. i would get that squared away like you said by restabbing the dizzy. the internal relationship of the rotor and plug terminals will be off if the diz is out of phase. instead of the rotor pointing directly at the plug terminal when the spark goes off, they are out of wack and the spark jumps on a diagonal. some people find that the engine won't tach out when the diz is out of phase like that. should only take a couple minutes if your oil pump shaft has the retaining ring on it?