The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop HELP!! with 228 ci timing

Hello , am i correct in thinking that when the flywheel pointer is in line the two rockers on No1 cylinder should be at the rocking stage , engine stopped suddenly today turns over ok but wont start, sounds expensive
any ideas anyone .

yes, is it in line with the U/C mark or the ball? regardless it should still fire. when the engine stopped suddenly did it make any noises to sound expensive or is that a generalized statement. do you have a spark? what year 228?

I don't understand what you mean by the "rocking stage". If by that you mean both valves are closed and there is a little play between the rocker and the valve stem, then you are correct.

When the No1 cylinder rockers are moving together there are no marks to be seen through the pointer hole , yes i have a good spark its a 228 from a 1951 GMC suburban there was a noise when it came to rest , there looks to be no bent rockers and all the valves move freely , when the pointer lines up with the ball the distributor rotor is pointing at no6 cylinder , hope this all makes sense

Yes Cletis thats the point i mean, i assume i shouls see something in the pointer hole , but i dont .

The flywheel "ball" will line up with the pointer two times once on #6 and the again on # 1 the cam rotates 1/2 the crank speed so now its 180 deg. off of TDC spin the crank over again and the next time the BALL comes up the rotor should be pointed at # 1.

If the disy is moving when you turn the crank and lines up to #1 the cam gears should be good ,as you're turning the crank look at the valves and see if they are all going up and down that will tell you if you have a busted cam. If you still can't get it to start do a compression check.

When looking for #1 TDC watch the #1 intake valve ,when it starts to close the TDC mark should be close to the pointer.



Pete

thanks for that Pete i will have a look again tomorrow ,susspecting the worse i have allready done a compression check getting readings from 140psi down to 110 psi which i thought wasnt too bad , unless you know different .

That's OK on the compression ,I hope You're cam is good.

Pete

If your distributor is rotating and you have spark than maybe you have a fuel problem. Try dumping a few ounces of gas into the carb and then try starting it.

Hello all, had another go today, to try and get the engine running , poured petrol down the carb , nothing but my gut feeling is timing , so i moved all the plug leads back one space on the distributor , and hey presto , it fired up , and ran , a bit rough but it ran !!, So for some reason my timing has moved , very strange , any one got an idea what has happened
thanks Lez

Remove the distributor and check that the pin thought the gear on the distributor shaft has not sheared. This can be checked by holding the shaft in soft jaws in a vice and trying to turn the gear by hand. Any play means the pin is worn out and needs replacement.

Couldn't this be checked by popping the cap and trying to turn the rotor? The gear would be held from turning by the cam.

Yes, but if the pin is 99% gone, it may or may not break and leave the gear in the engine when the distributor is removed.