Ok so heres the deal i bought a v8 305 smallblock carbuerated 85 camaro. Replaced plugs redid vacuum lines. Replaced cap and rotor plug wires changed oil. Brought it in to smog and was double what my hc should be at. I figure i need some tuning. So i adjust everything to factory emissions specs labeled under the hood but the car would stall out when i reconnected everything and tried to drive it. It runs really rough at factory specs. labeled and stalls out. However if i up the idle a good 200 rpms the car runs but still a little rough. Any suggestions on why it wont run at factory timing and idle. I have a feeling it might be too lean or there is incomplete combustion somewhere

 

Its not uncommon for the balancer to slip making your timing mark unusable. Try moving the distributor around a little and see if it runs better. Is that even the original engine and carb?

 

All original only 90,000 miles on it.. well ite doesn't seem to be slipping now. So maybe it's a few degrees ofF. When me and my buddy look at it later we can try to find true top dead center were going to check the plug gap and **** too. For some reason the rotor is already dirty. Only after a couple weeks. Were gonna clean it. Do you know the best way to find true TDC

 

Easiest way and if you dont have a piston stop,then just take a 6 inch piece of wire and insert it into no.1 spark plug hole and turn the engine over by hand until it stops. To be even more precise, after you turn it and it stops look at your timing pointer and look for 0. Mark your balancer . Then turn the engine the opposite direction until it stops again and look at the timing pointer at 0. Make another mark on the balancer. Split the difference between the two marks and that is TDC of your engine.Also at this point if you find that the factory mark on the balancer is lining up to the 0 on your timing pointer then the balancer is ok and has not slipped. Now for the distributor . If the rotor is not pointing to no.1 then it is off by a tooth or so.

 

So I never got the chance to check true top dead center. Because my buddy bailed on me and it's impossible to do with 1 person it seems. I did pull the plugs andand find thethe gaps were incorrect. So iI regapped them It runs at emissions specs now. Still a lil rough but its an old motor. I did play with the timing but that didnt seem to help anything. Im not sure what else to do. I think ill smog it today and see what happens

 

One person can easily do it in like 3 minutes. I told you to take out no. 1 spark plug and put in a piece of wire. Turn the engine over clockwise by hand using the crank bolt and socket wrench. Turn until it stops. Look at 0 on your timing pointer and make a mark on your balancer. Turn the opposite direction until it stops again and do the same thing. Then you should have two lines on the balancer. Make a mark directly in the center of them and that is TDC. This middle mark should be right at 0 on the timing pointer if all is well. If not then your balancer has slipped somewhere along the line. No big deal. Just make sure the rotor on the distributor is now pointing to no. 1. Now, you know if you are at TDC! if the rotor is not pointing to no.1 , then you need to take out the distributor and adjust it so it is.

 

Well when i brought it in the guy didnt want to waste my money. He was telling me the car runs too lean. And it lurches when you put it in drive. Which is another sign. So im pretty sure theres something wrong in the carb. Maybe a clogged valve or screwed up adjustment .i dont want to mess with the actual air fuel mixture screw because everything tells me not to. Also. Does anyone know what the idle air bleed valve does