ok, i swapped out my cc Qjet and distributer for a manual vaccum advance set up. The distributer finally got done today, and when driving it, i've found that it boggs slightly right around 4000 rpms and doesnt want to go any further. With the old one in, it skyrocketed to 5000 rpms nice and smoothly with no bogging. someone tell me whats going on!!

------------------
86 Z28 red,
originally LG4,
new 350,
non comp Qjet,
T-5 five speed with new clutch,
stock 3.23 gears, Edelbrock Performer intake,
crane 272H cam,
Accel 8mm wires,
Edelbrock performer cat- back,
Homemade cold/forced air intake.
KYB GR-2 struts and shocks.
Grant GT leather wrap steering wheel.
Sony X-plod stereo.
Optima 6x9's

Future mods:
NOS,
Edelbrock TES headers, hi flo cat.
4th gen interior
6 point roll cage
3.42 gears
hurst billet/plus shifter
Edelbrock STB
Telstar rims

cars i've beaten:
95' Avenger, 88 Mustang GT, 70' Mustang , 97 Dodge Ram, 94 firebird formula, 92 Mustang GT, 94' 3000GT VR4, 97' Accord Rice Rocket (just barely), countless many ricers....

 

20 years of computer-controlled cars has left people forgetting how to fine tune their Q-Jets and recurve distributors.

How much total mechanical advance are you getting? I'll wager that the computer allowed much more advance that what your particular HEI is giving you. See if you can find a HEI distributor kit with extra springs, weights, etc so you can fine tune the curve and get more advance if needed. Get one of those cheap spark checkers and see if the coil is putting out a strong spark. It could be wussing out for some reason.

 

the computer wasnt putting out any timing advance, because the non comp q-jet was already on it. I swapped a vaccum advance distributer in so i would actually get some advance, but it seems to be running worse than before. As for the rest of questions, i will check everything out as soon as i can(its dark and raining right now)
thanks for your help,
keep the advice coming....

 

UPDATE:
Now the car wont start at all. it is sitting in the parking lot outside my work- dead. It started once, sputtered and died, and it never came back to life. i opened the hood and started looking the distributer over, and i find that the cap is loose, and the whole thing rotates easily with my bare hands. it is getting power from the coil-that i know becuase it shocked the hell out of my dad. Someone please help me out...

 

okie dookie lets start, first i've been in that position myself! so here goes!

you'll have to reset timing manually, bring #1 piston up to top dead center on the compression stroke (take out that plug and put a piece of paper or a rag in the hole ) that way when you bump it around it'll only burst the object out on the compression srtoke!, bring the balancer up to top dead center the rest of the way manually ( turn balancer by hand) to 0 degrees. on the compression stroke! then take out the distributor, take a flashlight look into the engine to see the oil pump and turn the shaft witha long screwdriver or a tire tool( my favorite!) then re- stab the distributor, in the fashion as to aim the rotor at #1 post on the cap(kind of complicated iknow) and lower into the engine. it should start right over in a few rotations! if not you have either the wrong stroke or the distributor is stabed wrong! if all is right after that be sure to have aditributor wrench to tighten the distributor (the problem to begin with.) thats why it was so easy to turn! and use a timing light to set the timing to about 10 degrees btdc. or wherever you put it. it will take a bit to get correct if its you rfirst time doing it! if it back fires after you get the timing correctly set ( witrhout advance plugged in!) then you just have to start over because it a tooth off on the ditributor . email me at:

burnoutrpm@hotmail.com if you have any questions at all!!

------------------
1989 firebird formula

Mods: converted from T.B.I. to a carburator 305 to a 350. Flowmater exhaust,hedman shortie hedders,202 heads,350 horse cam,bored.40 over, Edlebrock torker2 intake.

Future mods performer rpm air gap intake (polished) and 600 edlebrock carb, comp roller cam, and way better headsa 400 defintely in the works!

[This message has been edited by burnoutrpm (edited January 22, 2001).]

 

It sounds like your problem is more basic than I realized. Beg, borrow, steal , a timing light! Get your initial timing right. Then the other stuff can be looked at.

Will the coil from the computer controlled HEI swap over? I'm just thinking that something may be causing your vacuum advance HEI to be putting out a weak spark. HEIs really need full battery voltage.

 

the coil came out of the old computer controlled distributer, as did just about every other part possible. As for it starting i went out there this morning and it started right up for me. The timing is still way off and it wont idle, but i know how to fix that!! It wasnt backfiring so im assuming the distributer is in there right(thank god, i would have hated to have to take it out of there, its a real pain in the *** ). Im heading back out there in about an hour to pick it up and drive it home.

On another note, i was told that the cold starting problem might have to deal with my choke themostat being either bad or out of adjustment, anyone have any thoughts on that? Someone emailed me fairly detailed instructions on how to reset that so if i need to, im pretty sure i can do it with no problems...

[This message has been edited by zupmanZ28 (edited January 22, 2001).]