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Symptoms of distributor 180* out?

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Old 06-17-2004, 05:26 PM
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Car: 1988 GTA
Engine: 5.7L/L98
Transmission: 700r4
Symptoms of distributor 180* out?

What would the car run like with a distributor installed 180* out. Or would it run at all. Would it be driveable?
Old 06-17-2004, 05:27 PM
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Car: 95 E-150 & 07 Kawasaki ZX-6R
Engine: A slow one & a fast one
Transmission: A bad one & a good one
Axle/Gears: A weak one & a chained one
Uhm...it WILL start, at least from what I've heard....after a while! I imagine it'll crank quite a bit, then barely start, and idle like holy hell. I mean, you *are* misfiring every cylinder... Can it run? Yes. Is it driveable? Definitely not.
Old 06-17-2004, 05:35 PM
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Engine: Sb2.2 406
Transmission: Jerico 4 speed
Axle/Gears: Ford 9" 3.60
When mine was 180 out, it didn't start at all. It backfired through the carb, sputtered, coughed, weezed.
Old 06-17-2004, 05:38 PM
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Cool thanks, I searched for an hour to get a general idea of what it would cause if installed 180* out and couldn't find anything that specific. Well I definatly know mine must be in right then.
Old 06-17-2004, 05:45 PM
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Car: Z28
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What is your engine doing (or not doing, for that matter)?
Old 06-17-2004, 05:58 PM
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Car: 1988 GTA
Engine: 5.7L/L98
Transmission: 700r4
Well I did a major intake swap, Manifold, runners, injectors, Holley AFPR, the works. When I first went to fire it, it would not idle and ran real rough. I found a vacuum leak and plugged it, (ran a little better), reset my timing (ran a little better) changed plugs (ran a little better), So now I can drive it (once fully warmed up), its really rough on cold startups (will not idle until warm) runs rough, and hesitates slightly. Maybe EGR?

Last edited by omcrider; 06-18-2004 at 01:39 PM.
Old 06-17-2004, 07:15 PM
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Car: 85 firebird
Engine: Pos 2.8 pulled and replaced with a 350 tpi motor converted to carb.
Transmission: 700r4, vette servo,shift kit, hayden 15"x8" trans cooler.
Originally posted by Stekman
When mine was 180 out, it didn't start at all. It backfired through the carb, sputtered, coughed, weezed.
Yup mine too
Old 06-17-2004, 07:21 PM
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Car: 89 camaro RS
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Mine had a giant FIREBALL shoot out of the carb and started a fire in the carb....Scary crap..
Old 06-17-2004, 11:32 PM
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It will barely run if at all if the rotor is 180* out.
Old 06-18-2004, 05:46 AM
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recheck your work, most likely you caused your problem. check wire order, timing, FP, and leaks.
Old 06-18-2004, 01:26 PM
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Engine: LS1,LS6,L98,L83
Transmission: 700R4, 4060E,Turbo 350, Turbo 400
No symptom whatsoever.

Install the plug wires to match the distributor orientation and ......race on.

Actually on second thought there will be ONE symptom....:
The ignition wires won't be in the 'standard' position on your distributor cap.

Here's how it works......

Close your eyes and drop in the distributor.....
Turn engine until # 1 cylinder comes up on compression stroke.

Remove dist. cap and see which wire the rotor is pointing to.
That will be number ONE.
Route the rest of the wires in order from that one using the normal firing order 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2

Crank'er up and set the timing with your timing light.

It'll run like a top although you may not like the physical positioning of your distributor, the engine won't know or even care at all.


NOW... if you installed it 180* out of phase AND installed your ign. wires in NORMAL position then......it WON'T RUN.
May be some poping back thru the intake as you try to crank it.
Old 06-18-2004, 01:30 PM
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Car: 1988 GTA
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Yeah I got the distributor in correctly wires, routed properly, this is something else. I have a coupel things I want to check over the weekend, we'll see how it goes.

The only other thing I have changed that may have something to do with it is the PCV and CCV systems. I have read much debate and back and forth banter on this subject and tried something I thought should have worked. Simply I moved PCV to passenger side routing Vacuum line around back into the regular vacuum intake nipple. I then put a breather on the Passenger side and capped the nipple to CCV off the throttle body. Now theres one long time member of the boards thats swears this messes up the MAF reading by introducing a fresh air source (the breather on valve cover) that is not registered by the MAF. So I will reroute it and see if he's a genius because pretty much when that argument came up a long time ago it didn't get much support.

Last edited by omcrider; 06-18-2004 at 01:36 PM.
Old 06-18-2004, 03:51 PM
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Car: Different One Every Day
Engine: LS1,LS6,L98,L83
Transmission: 700R4, 4060E,Turbo 350, Turbo 400
Welll.... I can't see what difference that would make whatsoever.
It doesn't matter which side of the engine the PCV valve is on.
It doesn't matter what side the breather into the TB gets it's air.

It was just designed that way so that AIR THAT IS FILTERED goes into the engine to relieve the crankcase pressure and be sucked back out by the PCV valve.

The ONLY FILTERED AIR SOURCE is behind the MAF in the intake tract.

Both valve cover areas are at the same 'potential' as far as crankcase pressure is concerned.

As far as design is concerned, either way will offer the same,exact 'calibrated leak' into the system PAST the MAF.

I'm with you, that's not the problem.
Old 06-18-2004, 06:14 PM
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Car: 95 E-150 & 07 Kawasaki ZX-6R
Engine: A slow one & a fast one
Transmission: A bad one & a good one
Axle/Gears: A weak one & a chained one
I agree... I don't see how the PCV and MAF have anything to do with eachother really... The only air the engine is going to actually pull in and combust as far as I can imagine is air run through the intake and MAF as normal....there shouldn't be any air drawn in for combustion through the valvecovers because of the valveseals...and by the head design of course, pulling air through a passageway not just from anywhere it can get it...

To toss a simple idea out...you mentioned you did an injector swap and added an AFPR. Have you 'tuned it'? What did your plugs look like....maybe your fuel setting is off.

And I noticed you mentioned EGR earlier.....well I'd say that could be a possibility. An EGR stuck open will cause a pretty nasty, choppy idle. If you've got a vacuum EGR, I believe there's a way to test it with a vacuum pump. Digital EGR...well, that's anybody's guess....
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