JoshDT91

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I noticed my car was holding RPMs abnormally high then shifting. At first I thought transmission but then I noticed the idle seemed a little rough, almost like it was missing. So I checked the timing and it is set at 8 degrees not 10 where it is supposed to be. Would this small difference in timing affect me in the way I described?

redbird8628

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having your timing out like wouldnt matter much, i would look for a vaccum leak. look for disconnected/broken/dried/cracked vaccum lines

JoshDT91

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I looked for a vaccum leak and could not find one. Once I adjusted the timing it seemed to be ok. I'll find out if there is more of a problem next time I fill up with gas and get the mileage.

TomP

Something you should check, too, is the balancer- make sure the outer ring hasn't slipped. Bring #1 (frontmost PASSENGER side on 2.8/3.1s) up to TDC of compression- then make sure the balancer's mark points to zero on the timing scale.

But as far as the trans; check the TV cable, it may be out of adjustment. See the article in thirdgen.org's tech area here: https://www.thirdgen.org/detent

Now if the transmission is worn out, setting the TV cable to its proper adjustment can do more damage then good! So here's what I like to do: Before you move anything, take white out (or a sharp razor blade) and paint a dot (or scratch a line) where the square "D" in that picture (the cable) goes into "C" (the adjuster). This way, you know the original setting.

Next, set the TV cable as the article says. Make sure when you move the throttle to WOT (of course, the engine is off!!) that you open the throttle ALL the way. The cable will get tight and then "POP" out of the adjuster. If you're in doubt, after you adjust it from the engine compartment, go inside your car and push the gas pedal down to the floor.

So now that it's adjusted, check out the "before" mark you made... there should be some difference in position. Now test drive the car- if it shifts badly (it will be very obvious that something is wrong!!), quickly pull into a side street, push tab "B" in, and slide the cable "D" back into the adjuster "C" until it's at the original position before you started.

Then start saving $$ for a transmission.

Oh on my car I use a screwdriver to push the tab in, and a screwdriver as a "lever" on the linkage to open the throttle to WOT.

JoshDT91

iTrader: (1)

Hey Tom. Now that I have driven it a few days it seems fine. The engine just almost seemed like it was slightly hiccuping during idle. I just thought it odd the timing was off since the last time it was touched was when I had the distributor replaced about a year ago. I assume the timing was set at the shop that did the job. I replaced my TV cable last year when the plastic connector at the end snapped off, that was a fun one. One thing I also did was adjust the TV cable. I think it might be all in my head that the shifting was off. It shifts from 3rd to 4th at about 55 mph at WOT just about 500rpm or so before the yellow line on my tach.

One thing I want to ask everyone is what brand of spark plug cables are you using? I have been using Accel and they are ok but they seem to have a habit of not lasting more than 2 years. I was looking at MSD wires as well, any suggestions?

Xophertony

i run Taylor 10.4MM wires on BOTH of my cars. my advise (regardless of wires) is to spend some dough on boot protectors. i use the "SUMMIT" ones. they are cheap and nice. my wires have lasted 2 years on my six and about 4 months next to headers on my GTA. (the no name 8MMs lasted about three weeks, but no boot protectors at the time.) the Taylor wires have nice thick boots... which is where most of the heat is.

JoshDT91

iTrader: (1)

I use the factory metal boots. I never had these for the first couple of years I owned the car. When I bought the car I only had one metal boot on the #1 cylinder and now I have them on all of them. Do you think these help?

TomP

Ouch, yeah, that TV cable seems like a nightmare to run! Hey how much was the cable, and did it come with a new adjuster? I'm wondering if I should buy a spare...

I threw all those metal boot protectors out

I've run the MSD 8.5mm "custom" (cut your own length and crimp your own ends) wires for, wow, I guess about 10 years! I used to replace them every year, then I got lazy- and this set has been on there for 3 or 4 years; still works great. They bond the plug-end of the wires to the plug boots so you never tear an end.

Actually once I tore 5 out of 6 boots! The ends melted to the plugs and despite all my twisting, the ends tore off. I called MSD about it- they said they'd repair them for free- and they actually Made New Cables for me!! Turnaround time was about a week, too! Now that's customer service!!

Tip- if you get the MSD 31179 set (universal cut-your-own-length V6 set with multi angle plug boots), think about buying the MSD 31199 set instead- that's the V8 version of the set. For about $10 more you get 2 more plug wires to use as spares... OR... after buying 3 plug wire sets, you'll have a "free" v6 set out of it. The V8 wires are a bit longer too, which means after you trim them up to fit your v6, you may just wind up with a long enough "left over" wire to make into an extra coil-to-cap wire.

Hey Summit's got a $5 off instant rebate on the MSD-31199... not sure when it expires...

JoshDT91

iTrader: (1)

Tom, I used part number 25521266 which on gmpartsdirect.com it is $12.56. You might also want a new gasket for the transmission too where the TV cable goes in. That is part number 25518260 and is $3.55. Of course gmpartsdirect charges shipping but it might be better than going to the dealer. Yes, the new TV cable does include a new adjuster. That was the hardest part to run to the throttle because of its size. I had to loosen up the top half of the plenum to fit it under.

I have been cutting my own wires for a while now. It just seems I can run the wires better and further away from the engine. Do you know what the difference is between the part number you gave me and MSD-31189? Only thing I can figure is the boots.