The car started running rough once I got it back from the mechanics. I told him to replace the module in the distributor. He got the car started and told me it was running rough. Well that same day I was putting it into storage for the winter and halfway to my parents place the transmission blew out on me. I am replacing the transmission this week, and I am aware it could be the fact the transmission isnt transfering all the power of the motor to the wheels bc it is dying/dead, but what else could it be?

I am starting to think that the a-hole screwed with the timing on the distributor. And I cannot remember what timing I had before (I got a tune from Akron Horsepower who does all his tuning with a computer/chips). Suggestions? Thoughts?

 

no?

 

Usually chevy v8 are around 38* degrees total timing.

 

and what about without the computer?

 

computer or not the small block chevy likes as much advance as you can get without sparknock

advance it while driving around untill you get spark knock

pull over to the side of the road and shut it off

wait 30 sec and try to start again

if it is hard to start retard it a hair and start it let it run for 2 min

shut it off wait 30 sec and try to start it again

go through this process intill it fires within two revolutions of the crank and it turns freely

take it to your computer buddy but do not tell him what is going on

just say "I think my timing moved, could you check it"

If you tell him the whole story he will say that it is way off "computer nerds"

I bet if you do it right you will be within 2 deg

 

Setting initial like that is not indicative of full advance timing for optimum power. The starter would kick back before you would hear any knock
doing it like that.

The proper method to set full advance timing is under load, and peak HP RPM
(or an RPM when total mechanical is achieved).

Knock at part throttle may not occur within 15-20 degrees, and up to six
degrees at wide open throttle. It's almost impossible to measure without
a dyno, or track testing.

Get a timing gun, or go to someone that has a timing gun to get you close
enough.

 

I used to think the same way untill I set the timing with a light and a buddy of mine set it by ear and hit the mark

then he moved it slightly and I had a ton more power

if you just listen to your motor instead of relying on equipment you will be suprised

this is not for everyone and at first I was very sceptical but all I use on my tpi to set it is a multimeter in the computer on the tps wire. the rest is by ear

 

The light cannot indicate where to set timing for the motor. The light is
simply a measurement device, however you can't set timing accurately
using the method described above.

You would have to have a known starting point, and adjust the timing +/-
from that known starting point.

The engine will respond accordingly, and the best power/MPH is result of
proper timing. The timing light just reads back what the engine likes for a
final setting.

The point I'm trying to stress with your method is you just don't know what
the full advance timing ends up to be, or how much mechanical is added
to the initial timing doing it 'by ear'.

On top of that, when you make changes and need to refer to notes, there
is no value to look back upon.

You can set timing by 'ear' ( I suppose) if you had a dyno or race track to measure the full load results.

If you're doing it on the street, you would need some sort of stop watch,
or accelerometer to measure the changes (better, or worse).

 

Set it by ear and record it with the light. Next time, set by light to your new spec and check by ear. nbd

BTW smog engines are spark retarded from factory.

 

I was going crazy with this and guess what? I found a spark plug wire that was off the spark plug. I inspected it before putting it on and it was white and chalky inside

 

thats good you found the problem

but to address timing with a computer controlled setup.. you need to set the base timing to match whats in the chip...and the timing for the rest of the rpm/load range is set within the chip tune. Playing it by ear on these motors doesnt work as the computer will pull up to 8-15 degrees of spark before anyone ever hears knock. Only way to know for sure is a aldl cable and real time scanning to watch for retard and knock counts.
So infact you could be running high timing advance but the computer wont like it and start pulling timing to 'give the motor what it wants to make the ecm happy'

only way to get more spark is to disable the knock sensor or desensitize it thru the tune.

Most fuel injection setups only want 34-36 degrees total timing. Run as much as you need to make best power. The least amount of spark you have that still makes best power is optimal for these cars