my car runs like crap hesitates, stumbles, pops, and stalls its a 350 tbi its actually in a truck but same difference. I noticed my timing at idle with the timing wire unhooked is right at 0 degrees once the timing wire is plugged in the timing goes 19 degrees retarted.... before i go and replace the ESC anyone know what could be causing this? I know the knock sensor will retard timing if it detecs a knock so i tried checking the timing with it unplugged and still pulls 19 degrees, I believe its either the esc module or a bad computer any ideas what else could cause this?

 

A few years back I had a blazer with the 4.3 vortec.It ran like crap from the day I bought it.I hooked it up to my mac/otc scanner and it showed the timing was at 40 at idel and when I gave it gas it retarded down to 8 degrees.I tryed everything esc mod,computer w prom,knock sensor,module in dist ,you name it.I finally found out whoever had it before me installed the distributor on the exhaust stroke not the intake stroke.So I pulled the dist reset the timing from scratch and it was like a hole new car.I thought the comuter would not let it run on exhaust stroke but it did.Your prob sounds like it might be the esc mod but keep this in mind.One more thing is you check engine light on?Any codes thet might help you?

 

no engine light had a esc light once but only for a minute. the distributor is set on the compression stroke i reset the distributor already no difference.

 

IIRC, if the pickup coil has been hooked up backwards itll cause the timing to be retarded rather then advanced, or so Ive been told. If your getting the timing ATDC, then its worthwhile checking. There is a tab on its connector that should line up with the tang on the module, which locks it in place. Also make sure you restart the motor after youve hooked the EST back up before checking the timing. Other then that, if it persists, then get another module. They go bad, especially if not properly grounded.

 

Actually, you probably heard that from me. I have actually seen an Autozone Reman'd distributor setup that way. I put it in a Caprice 9C1. When the timing wire was connected, it would retard the timing back so far the engine would stall. A real stumper. I could unplug the timing wire and the thing would line right up at 0* and idle. I plugged the timing wire back in and it would retard the timing and stall with a BIG backfire. After pulling it apart like 5 times and 2 days later, I found that the pickup coil connections were reversed.

 

Physics..

Physics won't let it run with a spark only on the exhaust stroke.