I need some direction on my problem.

[trykflyr]

Mezzz, you've saved me a buttload of troubleshooting. I'm having the same problems with my 76. Steve's been a great help. You've covered about all the checks I've made and your numbers match up pretty close to mine. Haven't pulled the cap and checked the timing yet, but that's the next step.

[MEZZZ]

Mezzz, you've saved me a buttload of troubleshooting. I'm having the same problems with my 76. Steve's been a great help. You've covered about all the checks I've made and your numbers match up pretty close to mine. Haven't pulled the cap and checked the timing yet, but that's the next step.

Glad t help you out, even if unintentionally Stephen has been a HUGE help on here, not just to me but MANY others over the years. Like I said in my last post, pull the cold start valve connection and see if that helps. I still havent pulled it from the engine and done the test outlined in the FSM, putting it in a glass jar and turning on the car. I am thinking at this point it is constantly spraying fuel. Whether that is a result of a bad valve or its getting a bad reading is next on my list. I checked out the water temp switch and it seemed in line with the manual. I have to check the thermotime again as I cant remember what reading I got but I think it was inline as well. That being the case, I want to double check, it would be the cold start valve. Not a cheap part at all from what I have seen, $140+.

I am a bit out of my league here as I knew NOTHING about cars when I bought mine. I am learning as I go but if I can straighten it out soon I may have to get some professional help

[beandip]

Ive done some searching on here and in the FSM. I know I haven't had the oil pump out but that doesn't rule out a P.O. If it was running well when I bought it (it was) would this still be the case? If I pull the distributor and make sure cylinder #1 is at T.D.C., the shaft should be at 11:25, correct? If it isn't, I have to drain the oil, pull the pump per the FSM and realign it. Also, can I check it by making sure #1 is at T.D.C and pulling the cap and seeing if the rotor is aligned with the #1 wire? Not sure about this. Lets say I pull it and the shaft is at the correct 11:25 position. Could the pulley then be off? Would I have to pull it and realign at that point?

MEZZZ on this question on timing and the Dist. If the #1 piston is on its compression stroke and at the top of its travel. When you remove the Dist cap. Where EVER the rotor is pointing is the right place for the #1 spark plug wire to be . Then the rest of them , in correct firing order. So many times people just turn the engine over until the pointer is on TDC and try to align the dist to that setting and wonder why the engine is 180 degrees out of time. I am aware you know better . But some others reading this later may not. All the best. Gary

[doradox]

For a quick check to see if you timing marks are correct you can pull the #1 plug, bring the engine around to the compression stroke, then carefully, insert a straw or some other long plastic thing into the plug hole, then slowly BY HAND rotate the crank pulley. You can see whatever you put in the plug hole rise and fall as you reach and pass TDC. Rotate the crank pulley back and forth and eyeball the straw, or whatever and you can get within a degree or two of TDC. Now check to see if the timing mark lines up with 0. You should be close if you were careful.

Z distributors can be off a tooth or so off and if the plug wires have been shifted you can get her to run. BUT, you will use up all your timing adjustment and maybe not get back to correct time. That's usually a clue that the timing gear was not installed correctly. A stuck centrifugal advance (fully advanced) can make it hard to have enough adjustment also. Not to mention not run too well.

Steve

[sblake01]

A stuck centrifugal advance (fully advanced) can make it hard to have enough adjustment also. Not to mention not run too well.

I'm kind of leaning torward that one having experienced it myself on the 810. Have you checked as to whether or not the advance mechanism moves freely?

[MEZZZ]

Thanks guys, I will check into all of your suggestions and let you know what I come up with. I have to educate myself on the centrifugal advance vs. vacuum advance. I know it is done with flyweights I remember reading but not sure. I am a bit concerned with that black plastic piece I was just floating around under the base plate.

[MEZZZ]

I had a couple hours to play this morning. I did the straw trick with the #1 cylinder. It was hard finding a 29mm socket btw...I went several places, I ended up with a 1 -1/8, it worked well enough. I removed all plugs to make it easy to turn by hand and used 2 straws so I could see it from underneath as I turned the crank pulley, not the easiest thing to see. I eyed it the best I could and the timing mark was on 0 and the straw had some resistance pulling it out.

I pulled the dist. cap and the rotor was facing the #6 wire, about the 3 o'clock position. Obviously, this isnt correct, at least if I was at T.D.C. as I am thinking, but still not sure.

If this is the case, I am thinking a P.O. put the oil pump in backwards as Ive read on here, would that be accurate?

Also, on the advance question. The only thing I did on this so far was remove the vaccum advance hose, put in a longer piece and blew on it. I did not see anything move in the housing at all. I also re-checked the air gap and noticed a little play in the shaft. When I went to gap it, I could actually move it a little, therefore in my limited opinion, the gap is not staying correct if I have movement. I am thinking this should have no play in it?

On the plus side, it did seem to run a little better, not much smoke at all, only if I rev it very high and then the smoke is minimal. I was actaully able to drive it a couple hundered yards without it belching smoke, backfiring or stumbling terribly. It is still not right, but better, so I have to be on the right path.

[sblake01]

If the timing mark is a 0 and the rotor points to #6 I'd say the distributor shaft is not in the right position. As far as checking the advance, you don't blow into the vaccum hose, you suck on it or use a vaccum gun. You'd be looking for clockwise movement of the breaker plate assembly and it should spring back once the vaccum is stopped. If not, and the vaccum pot holds vaccum, the ball bearings beneath the plate need to be lubed or they're damaged/missing.

[MEZZZ]

Oops, I blew not sucked, no pun intended. I have read so much I must have mixed some things up. I will go and check that out and see if I have movement.

What about the slight wobble in the shaft? I am guessing this isnt normal? I set the air gap and if I push the shaft the gap opens up a bit, not much but definitely more than the .012-.016 limits in the FSM.

I will check out the advance and then pull the distributor, set the pulley at 0 TDC and look at the shaft. If it isnt at 11:25, with the wide end to the correct side, I will drop the oil pump and realign.

Is it possible for the car to run 1/2 way decent if the oil pump was installed 180 degrees off? I did what Beandip recommended, after setting the car at (what I beleived to be) TDC, pulling the cap and resetting the #1 wire to that position and then the correct firing order from there. The car would not start, I put them back how they were and it fired up at the flick of the key.

I appreciate your help (and all others) as always.

[sblake01]

It will run that way as long as the wires coincide with the position of the oil pump but you'll have a tough time getting your timing set or even getting an accurate reading. Too much wobble in the dizzy shaft isn't a good thing but it won't affect things as badly as the timing being off.

[MEZZZ]

So are you telling me that when I took off the cap and the rotor was pointing to 3 oclock, as long as my #1 wire was to coincide it would run? I tried to run the #1 from that position, with the correct firing order to follow and it did not run at all. Im confused now, sorry.

Or are you telling me that if the oil pump was installed for all intent backwards, it would still run with the wires in the correct position for a properly installed one?

Here is a pic I posted of my distributor from awhile back. The car starts with the wires in this order.

Sorry if I am missing something, 1st day back in the office after a week off, 13 hour day and more to follow, Im a little off tonight

[sblake01]

Actually, that's the order that my wires are in and I do believe that it is the correct setup and, as per that picture, the rotor would be pointing at #1 when the engine is at TDC. Possibly when you were checking TDC you weren't on the compression stroke? What I meant in my last post is that if the distributor drive is off, wherever TDC ends up, the car would run as long as the #1 wire is at the point where the rotor is and the rest of the wires follow the firing order from there. I hope you get what I'm saying. I'm better at doing it than explaining it.