Yes, if the timing is slow it will cause it to heat up. The reason is when the gas mixture explodes the piston is further down in the cylinder than it should be and so more of the cylinder wall is exposed to the heat.
If the vacuum advance is not bringing the timing up as the engine rpm is going up it might cause the same problem. The mechanical advance should bring the timing up if the vacuum is not, so might check the mechanical advance to make sure it is free to work. It is inside the distributor under the breaker plate.
Check the basic timing at idle to make sure it is correct.
While idling the engine you can reach down and slightly turn the distributor to see if the engine rpms go up slightly. If they do and the engine runs smooth then the timing needs to be checked to make sure it is not slightly slow.
if it was too fast the engine would make a rattling sound as you open the throttle under a load.
Last edited by Roy Rodgers; 05/05/2016 3:05 PM.
