The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Timing 180 degrees off

If you have the timing on a 350 180 degrees will it run at all? Or will it run rough?

Thanks

Hey,

How did you line up the marks on the cam gear and the crank gear? If you brought the number 1 piston up to absolute TDC, you should then have the crank gear "dot" at 12 o'clock and the cam gear "dot" should be at 6 o'clock. If you do this you should be within 2-4 degrees one way or the other and this would be ok with a stock engine. You should then be able to set the valve lash and then you should be able to turn the engine 180 degrees and have the number 1 cylinder come up on the compression stroke as you are turning it. Remember that the crank gear turns twice for every one full turn of the cam gear. Degreeing the cam is a good thing to do, especially on a modified engine with a big cam and and performance pistons.. The more that I think about this, I am not sure if you can even be off 180 degrees on the cam timing. You may be off on how your distributor is set. You may have it off by one cylinder or 180 degrees off on the distributor. I may be way off here, if I am, maybe some of the more experienced bolters can set me straight.

No, it won't run at all. Best way to check for #1 firing position is to hold your finger over the plug hole and turn the engine by hand. When the pressure blows your finger off the hole, you're approaching the top of the compression stroke, which is where the cam gets stabbed in.

Update time:
It was not the timing after all. The truck will start and its running however it sounds like it is missing. Let me recap what was done. I put a new edelbrock 2101 manifold on it (spreadbore) with my holley 80457-2 (squarebore) carb. I do have a adapter plate on it. I have double checked the intakes bolts they are all nice and snug. Carb is on there real good to. The pcv, vac advance, and tranny cooler are on there good to. Any thoughts as to why it would be missing or fell like its got a vac leak?

Thanks

Because its got a vacuum leak.

A miss condition can be caused by several things.
Cracked distributor cap
Two plug wires switched
Valve adjusted too tight
Bad plug or wire
carburetor on backwards :p (just kidding on the last one)

I saw that done once with a one bbl. Good thing the idiot couldn't get the linkage connected cause someone that stupid could really screw something up.

I would have to disagree and say it will run 180 out with a 350 V8 and number 6 cylinder can be used to do the timing set up. Starts 1-8-4-3 at 0 deg. and 6-5-7-2 at 180.

I used that 2101 on a corvette and needed an adapter plate for the carb. Found that after the fact from the parts place.

If you use #6 to set the timing with the engine 180 out, its the same as using #1 straight up. Thus, the motor isn't really 180 out. Show me a motor that runs when the plug fires with the valves open, and I'll show you a truck coasting downhill. Loudly. Until the starter burns out. And the mufflers blow off.

Check timing, plug wires and vacuum leaks. May have to richen carb to handle engine, depending on mods. Make sure vac modulator line is hooked up at tranny. Prepare for some strange tuning with an adapter plate.

*clicks heels together 3 times*
theres no place like quadrajet
theres no place like quadrajet
theres no place like quadrajet

Thanks for all of the good info including the backwards carb. LOL Here is the latest. It was not out 180 and it is not a vacumn leak it was a bad plug wire. I am happy to report that it is purring along at 800 rpm, nice and smoothly. Thanks to all for the assistance.

glad you got your problem fixed. I am dumb as dirt so i can tell you from experience that a 350 v8 chevy will fart and spit and shoot flames when 180 off but will not run.

jerry

It wasnt doing any flame shooting but it was popping out of that carb. First time I heard that. Scare the crap outta me. LOL