Just fitted new cam, fitted distributer with timing mark on balancer at 8 degrees, the pickups under rotor lined up but the rotor should point at no 1 in the cap right? It seems to point about 10 degrees out. When I turn motor so the rotor points at no 1, the timing mark on balancer indicates its about 20 degrees advanced! What have I done wrong?

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84 Trans Am HO L69 WS6
5 Speed manual
Vortech Cherrybomb no cat
JB Headers
Comp Cams XE262H-10
Removed A/C A.I.R. Hdflap
H/made tri cld air induction
K&N
Otherwise STD
Currently painting

 

Sounds like you are close enough to fire, light it and time accordingly.

Doesn't sound like anything is wrong.

FWIW, I usually don't worry about what the pick up is doing, just #1 rotor referance on the cap.

Good luck.

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ASE Mechanic/Machinist/Smog Tech

1999 NBM Trans Am
1986 Chevy 3/4 ton pick up
1981 corvette
1995 Kawi ZX6R
and 2 POS commuters...

R.I.P. #3
"He can see air"

 

Thanks Engineboy. I just want to be sure its going to fire up first time with the new cam and all. I thought that logically the rotor should point directly at the no1 in the cap, and I can only set it to one side or the other. How can I tell which side would be correct? I did mark the manifold and from what I can see the old timing was at 14 degrees which dosen't sound right does it?

 

Just turn the dist to make the rotor point at #1 directly.

You would want the rotor a little to the left (closer to the drivers side) to give it a little advance, you do not want to break the cam in or run it for any length of time retarded.

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ASE Mechanic/Machinist/Smog Tech

1999 NBM Trans Am
1986 Chevy 3/4 ton pick up
1981 corvette
1995 Kawi ZX6R
and 2 POS commuters...

R.I.P. #3
"He can see air"

 

OK but that would require that I turn the distributer clockwise as the rotor is curently past 5 oclock and no1, so I would be retarding it. To advance it I would need to reset the distributer one tooth (which puts it before 5 oclock and no 1 in the cap) and then turn the distributer counter clockwise to line up with no1 and disregard the position of the pickups under the rotor. Does this sound right? Do I worry where the timing marks on the balancer end up or the relation of the old marks on distributer and manifold are? I don't know what the timing was set at before, but the car has given me 13 years of trouble free driving.

 

OK, lets start from the top.

Forget where they marks were before and forget about the relationship of the pick up coil.

TDC #1 compression with the timing marks on the balancer at 8 or 10* (it really doesn't matter where you put them, you can put them at 15 or 0* )

Drop the dist. in with the rotor pointing directly at #1 terminal.

Turn key.

I felt we were talking circles....

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ASE Mechanic/Machinist/Smog Tech

1999 NBM Trans Am
1986 Chevy 3/4 ton pick up
1981 corvette
1995 Kawi ZX6R
and 2 POS commuters...

R.I.P. #3
"He can see air"

 

Thanks for your patience. I'll redo it tomorrow.

 

Sorry if I sounded impatiant, I thought I might be misunderstanding you, so I started over..

Let us know how it goes.


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ASE Mechanic/Machinist/Smog Tech

1999 NBM Trans Am
1986 Chevy 3/4 ton pick up
1981 corvette
1995 Kawi ZX6R
and 2 POS commuters...

R.I.P. #3
"He can see air"