Weekend fixer

[Tourniqet]

HI guys,

I am back from school for the weekend and my girlfriend is all tied up with school so that leaves time for the other lady in my life.

I think I have recently messed some stuff up on my car (again). Here are my questions.

1. Where do all the hoses on the intake manifold go? They are plugged right now. (I have no smog stuff and weber dgv's)

2. How can I tell if i need new points, rotor etc.?

3. Can I hook my stock distribs vacum advance to my DGV's? (if so where)

4. I try to set the timing but the mech advance on the distributor will not turn that much. Can it be that out of whack? (or maybe I am going for the wrong notch...)

5. Oh and also how DO you you set the timing. (73 240)

THanks

PS more will probably come up...

[speedyblue]

Have you got a manual for it? It helps with all the technical data.

Leaving all the water pipes disconnected from the intake keeps the manifold cooler, giving more power. (Just a little though)

There are two bolts you can loosen to adjust the timing. Undoing both should give heaps of allowance.

I actually replaced my points dizzy with an electric one from a skyline with the L24E motor. Cost $110 AUS but well worth it. Virtually never needs adjusting now, whereas the points needed it every few months.

You wil need a timing light to set the timing, with the vacuum advance hose Disconnected.

[Rusty1]

O.K. I just checked my 260 with original carbs, so I may be wrong, but here goes.

1. Most of the hoses from the intake manifold vent into the standard air cleaner (bet you don't have one)

2. Take your points out and check the contact faces for pitting, they can be cleaned up with a file of they are not too bad. The rotor button should have a clean unburnt electrode end, also check the distributor cap for cracks and excessive deposits on the contacts, they can be cleaned of they are not too worn.

3. The vacum advance on my car is hooked up to the intake manifold, the hose nearest the front where the front carb mounts, it just happens to be nearest the distrubutor.

4. Timing should be set at 10 deg B.T.D.C. on a stock motor, if your mechanical advance wont adjust that far the distributor may be a tooth out but don't take my advice, wait to hear from an expert. I don't know how the timing marks are set on your L24, on the L26 there is a graduated scale mounted next to the crank pulley.

5. To set the timing, warm the engine, block the vacum advance off, use a timing light on the crank pulley and adjust the mechanical advance until you reach the desired setting.

[Tourniqet]

I was told by a fellow member that the advance should not run off the intake manifold. It should be the front carb ??? He said it was WAY to much vacum and would probably ruin the diaphram in the distributor. He may have been right because I set it up that way and then a week later tried to test the vacum by sucking on the hose into the dist, nothing...

Which way is advance when i turn the distributors mecanical advance, clockwise or counterclock?

[Rusty1]

Clockwise = advance

Anti clockwise = retard,

The distributor in my car actually has a scale, similar to timing marks on the mounting plate.

As for the vacum advance, yes there is definitely a heap of suction but it seems to work O.K.

Have a look at some of the engine photo's in the gallery to see how other guys have it hooked up, most seem similar to mine, intake manifold near the front carb mounting plate.

[Tourniqet]

Rusty I think you are right.

I took the cap off the dist. and sucked and could not see it move... Then I sucked really hard, and right before I started to see stars, I saw the little diaphram move. So I suppose that It sould be hooked up to the manifold.

Thanks speedyblue for the post about the second bolt that will lossen the adjustment collar on the dist. My collar was right in the middle. I turned it quite some bit and have the feeling when I time it today that I will have to turn the other one a bit as well. Is this normal? Maybe I hooked the plug wires up one in retardation.:cross-eye

Thanks guys

I was searching the forum last night and could not find enough novice friendly advice on adjusting the points. I think I could physically do it with the wrenches and the jam nut, how do you measure the gap??? with what? I thought it had to be some fancy micrometer or something?

[Bambikiller240]

Originally posted by Tourniqet

I was searching the forum last night and could not find enough novice friendly advice on adjusting the points. I think I could physically do it with the wrenches and the jam nut, how do you measure the gap??? with what? I thought it had to be some fancy micrometer or something?

There are "feeler" guages used for measuring the gap when adjusting valves and setting the gap on points, ect. Any auto parts store worth a damn (or Sears, etc.) should have them.

BTW, my 72 with stock Round Top SU's has the vac advance connected to a small pip at the bas of the front carb. That's the way it came from Nissan.

[Tourniqet]

Hmm.

I set the timing to whatever the mark is. You guys say 10 BTDC but I dont know what that is so, I just lined up the mark with the pointer when the light was on the first spark plug (one closes to radiator). It ran better but, I forgot to put the vacume back on when I took it for the test drive. When I put it on it ran even better. I am not really sure what "pinging" is but I suppose it is when you you give the car a little gas at lower rpms usually, and it kind of hops, bogs and hesitates on you. I read some posts about guys just adjusting timing untill it does not ping... Well I would like to do this but dont know wether I advance or retard for less ping, if that even is pinging.

I am going to the auto store now to get a "feeler gauge". I know all of you guys encourage learning how to tune your vehicle for many valid reasons, but I have never adjusted valves before. So wish me luck or post quickly and tell me to stop HAH

[Rusty1]

Pinging (or detonation) usually happens under harsh acceleration, or heavy load. You can't really feel it through the accelerator, it certainly doesn't cause the car to hesitate. It is a sound that you can hear, it is a pinging rattle noise, I don't recall how to change the timing but higher octane fuel can fix it. Pinging is bad.... I just can't remeber why.

[speedyblue]

Pinging is bad because it is the first sign of detonation! Very bad for an engine. It is a souund that can be heard from the engine. The engine would be most likely to ping going up a hill at low revs (about 1000rpm or so working hard) with the accelerator to the floor. Hard to explain what it sounds likethough.

If your car pings, back the timing off a degree or two.

There should be a little metal tab on the block right near the front crank with numbers on it. It may be dirty and need to be rubbed with a rag to see the numbers clearly. Something like this.

^^^^^^^^^

l 8 6 4 2 0 2 4l

l-----------------l

plus it may have a little 'F' and 'A' or perhaps different to specify degrees before and after top dead centre.