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| | | Joined: May 2007 Posts: 222 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: May 2007 Posts: 222 | Greetings:
I think I really messed it up; 1949 panel truck, 216 engine. Just changed the vaccum advance and when I went to start the engine upon completion it just sputtered and blew out through the carb. I think I either moved the housing to a diffrent position or I got the distributor shaft mistakenly turned 180 degrees out when put back in. I not sure which, but it will not start at all just bucks and kicks. Please, which should I do, move the housing or pull the distributor and rotate the shaft 180 degrees? Thanks for the help.
God bless,
Dave
Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
| | | | | Joined: Dec 2001 Posts: 14,522 Moderator: Welcome Centre, Southern Bolters, Legion Hall | | Moderator: Welcome Centre, Southern Bolters, Legion Hall Joined: Dec 2001 Posts: 14,522 | pull number one spark plug and get it on top dead center on the compression stroke. Then check if your rotor button is pointing toward #1 on the cap....if not pull the dizzy and rotate it so it does..... There are other ways but this is the way I like to do it.
To find the compression stroke just put your thumb over the spark plug hole and have someone bump the starter. Once it blows your thumb off then you can stick a piece of wire down in the hole and turn the crankshaft by hand...and get it DEAD ON top dead center! | | | | | Joined: Mar 2005 Posts: 1,636 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Mar 2005 Posts: 1,636 | Pop the cap off, pull the number one spark plug. Have someone crank the engine while you hold your thumb over the plug hole. Watch the rotor position when your thumb get blown off the plug hole. Set the distributor as close as you can to where the number one wire will line up with where the rotor was pointing when your thumb came off the hole. Should get you close enough to start. | | | | | Joined: Sep 2011 Posts: 116 'Bolter | | 'Bolter Joined: Sep 2011 Posts: 116 | What they said is great advice. When I fired up my rebuild, it would run but really rough. After doing the above sequence of fixes I found out I was one gear off. Couldn't believe it even would start. I changed out the vaccum advance also and marked the shaft before removing the old one and still had to adjust it on the shaft to get the timing set right. If you do have to pull the dist. you may also have to take a screwdriver and turn the oil pump a bit to get the dist. to set all the way down. Good luck..
1955 Second Series GMC"Done - A 50 Year Journey"Follow in the DITY-- No one said it was going to be easy
| | | | | Joined: Jun 2010 Posts: 1,001 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Jun 2010 Posts: 1,001 | Probably just need to rotate the rotor 180 degrees. I suspect you installed dizzy with piston at top dead center on exhaust stroke like others have said.
I usually just watch the valves to determine whether intake or exhaust stroke. | | | | | Joined: Mar 2010 Posts: 1,660 Curmudgeon | | Curmudgeon Joined: Mar 2010 Posts: 1,660 | I had a similar problem until I read an old posting from chiphead. I pulled the valve cover off and watched the rocker arms. Yep, I was 180 off. How to set timing?
"Adding CFM to a truck will only help at engine speeds you don't want to use."
"I found there was nothing to gain beyond 400 CFM."
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