pontiacdog

How do I set ignition timing? And most of all, what do I do in this situation?

After rebuilding the engine, the car had been overheating and sometimes it wouldn't idle properly so I thought I'd adjust its ignition timing. Because previously I got the car to run okay by turning the distributor slowly while the car was running.

Well, I butchered it. Now I can't get the car to run nicely in any distributor position.
And now the fan, windshield washer and brake booster won't work. Did I just fry my electronics..?
At this point I'd gladly take this car to a professional but I became unemployed and I'm simply out of cash .

Ransford2987

You need to disconnect the EST to set base timing, as the distributor is retarding the timing under normal idle conditions. However, it sounds like something else is going on here, perhaps in conjunction with this. Check your grounds and grounding straps in the engine bay to make sure they are installed correctly. Your brake booster probably isn't working right due to low vacuum because it's running poorly. Can you hear any vacuum leaks while it's struggling to run? Also, check your fuses...

pontiacdog

Ground wires should be okay. The only ones I have disconnected and then reconnected are the ones behind cylinder heads. And I noticed that most electrical components such as power windows won't work if they are disconnected.

pontiacdog

Thanks!
But what exactly is the EST and where is it located?

Ground wires should be okay, fuses too.
Brake booster used to work fine before I messed up the ignition timing. So there are most likely no leaks.

For a few days the car ran just fine with my randomly set ignition timing, except for overheating issues and fan not working. Then it started stalling almost immediately after starting..

Ransford2987

the EST bypass should be a tan/black stripe wire near the Evap housing on the passenger side of the firewall. The connector you have to disconnect is normally pulled out of the wiring loom for easy access. While setting your base timing might not completely fix this, it needs to be done to properly address whatever the other issue(s) might be. Do a search on here and look for the exact procedure. I know you're supposed to ground the ALDL to put it in diagnostic mode, as otherwise you'll have to disconnect the batter because it will give you a code.

pontiacdog

I finally adjusted the ignition timing.. I set it to 6 degrees btdc while the engine was at 220F and EST disconnected.

However, when I start the car, the idle is horribly high... about 1500rpm. It settles down to normal rpm's when I put it in gear but every time I start it, the idle is so wrong.
What could cause this? Is the ignition still off somehow?

Reid Fleming

iTrader: (2)

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/tech...-location.html (post #5)

My guess is that the IAC is either gummed up with crud and staying stuck open. This would cause too much air going in. Or the TPS (throttle position sensor) isn't working right. Check the TPS with a volt meter and see if it reads 0.540 volts with no throttle and then a continuous rise up to about 4 volts at full throttle (car off, ignition on, manually turning the throttle blades)

The TPS has 3 wires going into it. You need to stick the volt meter probes in the top 2 wires where they go into the TPS. I can't remember which is red and which is ground.

pontiacdog

Ok, I'll check those sensors.

And just to be sure, can you tell me if I set the ignition to 6 BTDC correctly?
My timing tab is all rusty and this is how I think the degrees go:
http://i11.aijaa.com/b/00236/13219708.jpg

eseibel67

That is correct.