Ok something odd here..as noted in a previous thread my truck has been bogging down etc. After replacing everything almost I noticed the vacumm advanced isnt working. So I buy a new Distributor.

I mark the old one, and notate the location of the rotor etc. i then pull the old dizzy and put in the new, lining everything up as best I can.
Starts up on the second try and I'm thrilled, but its running really rough almost like the spark plug wires had been rearranged incorrectly. Not the case there though because I didnt change them.

So I decide to do it the ole fashoin way from TDC. so i align the marks on the motor and pulley to TDC, pull the dizzy and reseat so that the end of the rotor points to the #1 plug wire. In this case its actually hitting a little before #1.
Give her a try and nothing, so I double check everything and now its way off. Very odd I say.
So I attempt to redo it putting the end of the rotor slightly past the #1 plug wire. Same thing truck just turns over.
So I move the dizzy counter clockwise and its trying to start but no go.

What am I missing here? Is the TDC method not the best?

 

it's how I did mine and the timing marks weren't even close...like 90 degrees off. So I white markered a new zero on the harm. bal., started it up and adjusted from there to 10 bdtc. In your case, you might be on the exhaust stroke of tdc.

 

Make sure that it is "TDC" on compression not exhaust stroke. That will make the dizzy 180 out!

 

How do you verify its on the compression stroke and not just the exhaust stroke? Thanks

 

Same thing happened to me; installed the distributor using the TDC notch on the [new] balancer as the reference but it wouldn't start. Advance/ retard the dist as far as it would go but still no "GO". Reversed the plug wires to rule out the 180 goof and it backfires like mad. It kinda sorta almost would start with the dist turned counterclockwise as far as possible, so I moved all the plug wires CCW one post and it fired up. Good timing had the dist turned still further CCW [advanced?] and the #1 plug wire stretched tight, so I pulled the dist and repositioned the rotor slightly over 60 degrees to put things as they should be.

I know the TDC indicator on the balancer is dead on because it was installed before the head went on. There were no other timing marks so I had to make them at that time to match the timing cover [driver side] and pointer [pass side] marks. Was also careful to install the dist at what I thought was "dead on", yet it wound up being a good 60 degrees off [retarded?]. WTF??? [pardon my french abbreviation].

The end of the rotor button covers about a 12-15 degree arc, and I'm wondering just where along this arc the pickup actually energizes and triggers the coil? There will obviously be some difference depending on your ignition system [points, Duraspark, TFI] but I really "don't get it" how working timing could be so far off from what looks like it should work. The dist drive gear has 16 teeth so that's 22.5 degrees of adjustment per tooth, which means I was off by a whopping 3 teeth [67.5 degrees] on my 1st attempt.

 

Place your finger over the plug hole and have some one turn it over until the pressure blows out and that will be compression. Another way is to remove the valve cover and check that both valves are closed.

 

So get this I am spinning the motor over by hand since no one is at home, with thumb in the 1 one plug, get to a notch that says TDC but the piston is all the way down. What in the world I think. Then I start to rotate the motor more, and there is a second timing notch on this harmonic balancer put that at TDC piston is at the top, set the dizzy based on this other notch and she fires right up.
Its really weird because the notch is shaped exactly like the other one, like it was mean that way.

 

Mine has two notches also,but neither one brings the piston to TDC. Did like Havi did. Made my own mark and timed it from there. (I don't get it)

 

My new balancer [Dorman brand] had one single notch on the back edge [nearest the block] and it lined up perfectly with the #1 piston, pointing up at TDC. Very handy while the engine is out but once installed it is pretty much hidden by the water pump... sooooo... before installing I scratched markers to match the two visible pointers.

When I set the distributor the lifter cover was off so I could easily tell the engine was at TDC on the compression stroke. It's much easier to tell where the valves are by looking at the lifters. Still managed to get the timing way off though.

 

A thought and question? Which timing marks are you using? The marks to use are on a tab on the passengers side of the engine. The marks cast in the timing cover are for an unknown "what ever" use. All I6's time from the tab marks!

 

That would make sense,because i'm about that far off. Why on earth would they put two scales not one. (one high on the t/c cover and one low by the balancer on the wrong side of the engine?) Its in such plain sight I never gave it another thought. Thanks I will look on the other side today. It would have bothered me forever, not knowing it is not timed exactly right.

 

I have seen 3 ballancer types on I6's
1. A line all the way across and a notch at 180*. This is what my trucks has and the line is the mark.
2. 2 notches at 180*
3. 1 line or 1 notch. either/or but not both.

Plus the I6 ballancer is noted for slipping after many years. Seems more-so than other engines.

 

Thats interesting. I have a notch which i figured was for magnetic timing and a line.

 

As mentioned b4, my new balancer had just the one notch at "0 degrees". The other two notches I made while building the engine so they actually have some meaning.

The original factory balancer had two notches at varying degrees from the crank key. No lines. One notch aligned with the hidden pointer on the lower pass. side and the other matched nothing. Compared it to the new part and it had not slipped [but only had 75k miles on it too].

 

Ok found the tab on the other side of the motor. Question,Do you line it up with the deep groove,or is before or after that? The reason I ask is, There is no way to see the scale because of the air pump and alt. belt. As of now I put it on the deep groove. Im thinking I will just time it with a vacuum guage instead. Any thoughts?