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maybe my timing is a tooth off?


EastBay521

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So I just rebuilt an L18 new rings, bearings, gaskets, clutch and what not but now that is all back together it doesn't want to start. I have spark, fuel delivery, and I even did a compression test im at 120psi for all 4 cylinders. ive got the motor to start for a few seconds but haven't had it running for more than a minute and when it is on its very weak like its barely on. could it be my timing gear needs to be repositioned a tooth or 2?

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Set TDC compression on #1. Use the timing marks to set zero. Both #1 valves must be closed and the piston fully up.

 

 

Lift the dizzy out and look in the hole with a fleshlight.

 

You should see this...

 

motordistributortiming.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

Try twisting the dizzy clockwise to advance and counter clockwise to retard. If you run out of adjustment then the only option is to re position the spindle.

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so I dropped the oil pump and rotated the  spindle and the motor fired rite up but now when im driving its running hot. I do have a small leak from an old hose I tried to reuse but my water level doesn't seem to be  affected by it but gauge is still reading hot. I also do not have much power. I have been told that if the carb is running lean it can heat the motor up so I backed the screws out a bit and I got a bit more power but my temp continued to rise. ive had 2 people tell me it could be my timing but im not sure

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so my timing gear is ok now but now I cant get the truck past what the speedometer says is 70mph but my guess is more between 50 and 60mph in 4th gear with my dogleg. the tranny is new to me aswell as the block but I don't think that would have anything todo with it not wanting to get past that speed. all of the other gears seem to rev nice from 1st to 3rd but I just cant get it to rev anymore once I hit that "70mph" mark in 4th, and once I get there it starts to heat up . I haven't tried to see if I can rev higher in any other gears because im still breaking it in. your guys' thoughts?

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70s not too bad for L18 in a heavy ass 521.

 

If breaking it in I wouldn't go full on it for extended time. Give it full throttle quick hard accelerations up through the gears and let slow down with foot off the gas. I like 3rd gear from 2K through 5K. A nice long drawn out climb up to speed and let off. Hard acceleration forces the rings against the rough bore and smooths both to a tight compression holding seal. 

 

Not going over 70 could be a lot of tune-able things to worry about later. Timing may need tweaking. Carb may be leaning out at speed.

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ok its set to 10 deg but is the timming plate crank all the way to one side to get the 10degs. this would be a sign its off a tooth. If you can go to Zero deg to +20 adjusting the dizzy left and right then your OK.

Remeber when the motor speeds up also will the advanve on the dizzy. This is why it might run near idle but once speed up it will fall on its face.

 

I will assume this is a point dizzzy and a stock coil with the ballast resisitor. If anything was changed plz tell us. I would use the stock set up or have what you had before the swap. So we know you didnt add a proplem to the works. No HOT coil or fryed points?

 

If loose power in higher RPM you change the fuel filter or ck the dizzy for a worn bushing which will make the points fire when not supposed to. maybe the 2nd barrel has a clogg in the 2ndary main jet.

 

 

a new motor might run hot.

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I have an el dizzy with a msd blaster ss coil. Everything that was on the L16 is now on the L18 block. The L18 was just the block with the internals when I got it so I swapped everything from the L16 to the 18. im watching my temp rise from the stock temp gauge I know it isn't 100% accurate  but with my L16 I could do 80mph all of the way from the modesto area wich is about 80 mile one way give or take and my temp would barely read at the middle line. Rite now the temp will stay about an eighth of the way past the middle mark and will rise if I push it. and its cutting out at what the speedometer says is 70mph but my guess would be more like 50-60mph

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ok its set to 10 deg but is the timming plate crank all the way to one side to get the 10degs. this would be a sign its off a tooth. If you can go to Zero deg to +20 adjusting the dizzy left and right then your OK.

Remeber when the motor speeds up also will the advanve on the dizzy. This is why it might run near idle but once speed up it will fall on its face.

 

I will assume this is a point dizzzy and a stock coil with the ballast resisitor. If anything was changed plz tell us. I would use the stock set up or have what you had before the swap. So we know you didnt add a proplem to the works. No HOT coil or fryed points?

 

If loose power in higher RPM you change the fuel filter or ck the dizzy for a worn bushing which will make the points fire when not supposed to. maybe the 2nd barrel has a clogg in the 2ndary main jet.

 

 

a new motor might run hot.

what do you mean by timing by timing plate crank?

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I would:

1. re-verify cam timing

2. re-verify spindle timing

3. re-verify spark timing

 

"could my timing be off a tooth" is a fair question but it seems no one has answerd it.

 

Mike suggested this - have you verified it?

Set TDC compression on #1. Use the timing marks to set zero. Both #1 valves must be closed and the piston fully up

This is verifying the cam timing, not the distributor oil-slot spindle timing.
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Set TDC as described above using the timing mark. Be sure that you turn the crank only in a clockwise direction to TDC. If you overshoot the mark just turn back at least a 1/4 turn and try again. Do as many times as it takes to get it right. Clockwise to TDC and stop. This will give the most accurate indication of cam timing. and is worth doing right.

 

Now take the valve cover off. Cylinder #1 should have both valves closed.

 

Use a flashlight and look through the top hole in the cam sprocket. On the back of the sprocket there will be a V notch. Just above it on the cam thrust plate is a very small horizontal etch mark. If the V notch is below or just slightly to the right of the etch mark your cam is properly timed. If the V is to the left, the cam needs to be advanced.

 

This cam is perfectly timed....

motorLcamtiming-1.jpg

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so the V notch on my timing gear is at the same position as the example mike posted above except I have my gear set at the #3 mark and the timing plate still has room to move over but the vaccum advance it hitting the the neck coming off of the thermostat housing wich is preventing the distributor to move anymore

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