Anyone got a good link to a walkthrough on setting timing on a 440?

[Lord Warlock]

Have to go get a timing light, or borrow one from autozone, but plan on setting timing on a car that the distributor has been out of the car so think I have to determine TDC on cyl 1 and work from there, but could use some advice,  haven't done it in 30+ years, think I may have forgotten more than  I should have.  Determined to get this old gal purring again, and this is the next step.  Thanks.  I've got a firecore distributor in the car right now, but not sure if the old distributor was correct before, so have to set the engine up to run again.  can put the old distributor back in if I have to. 

Have looked through and searched, but need to get started doing it instead of looking for how to do it. 

[b5blue]

  Pull the valve cover and watch for #1 cylinder intake valve to open then close. (your now at #1 TDC more or less.) Install the dizzy so the rotor kinda points at the carb. not down at the Alt. (It can only go in 2 ways.) Check that the cap can rotate around +/- on #1 plug wire a bit.
  Done and ready to adjust. 

[BSB67]

Find #1 TDC on the compression stroke.  Do this by pulling the #1 plug and turning the engine over by hand and feel for air escaping from the cylinder with your finger.  Then line up the timing marks on the balancer.  That will be TDC #1 firing.   Put a mark on the distributor body that lines up with the #1 plug wire when the cap is installed on the distributor so you know where it is without the cap on.  Install the distributor.   Normally the rotor will point to 6:00 position.  If so, put the #1 cylinder mark at the 6:30 position.  Install cap.

[c00nhunterjoe]

Find #1 TDC on the compression stroke.  Do this by pulling the #1 plug and turning the engine over by hand and feel for air escaping from the cylinder with your finger.  Then line up the timing marks on the balancer.  That will be TDC #1 firing.   Put a mark on the distributor body that lines up with the #1 plug wire when the cap is installed on the distributor so you know where it is without the cap on.  Install the distributor.   Normally the rotor will point to 6:00 position.  If so, put the #1 cylinder mark at the 6:30 position.  Install cap.

Everything he said, then use the light to set the timing at 34 total for starters and work up in 2 degree increments until it pings then back it off 2 degrees.

[b5blue]

Find #1 TDC on the compression stroke.  Do this by pulling the #1 plug and turning the engine over by hand and feel for air escaping from the cylinder with your finger.  Then line up the timing marks on the balancer.  That will be TDC #1 firing.   Put a mark on the distributor body that lines up with the #1 plug wire when the cap is installed on the distributor so you know where it is without the cap on.  Install the distributor.   Normally the rotor will point to 6:00 position.  If so, put the #1 cylinder mark at the 6:30 position.  Install cap.

"6".....my bad then! (Could've sworn it was different?)   

[Lord Warlock]

Number 1 should be front drivers side, correct? getting ready to pull the plug, that was the way I remember it, think I'll need a 2nd set of arms to turn motor and feel spark plug hole at same time.  Still looking at timing lights, not sure what to buy, as probably will use it once, for a few days. I think renting one makes more sense, may have to make some calls tomorrow. 

[b5blue]

Kinda what I meant about finding #1 intake valve. I never had anyone around to help. 

[c00nhunterjoe]

A regular old fashioned light from harbor freight is probably 15 or 20 bucks.

[Lord Warlock]

When my dad and I did it, he'd put a piece of insulated wire in the hole and wait for it to stop moving outward, still needed someone else to help at the time to watch the wire.  I meant to bring home my dad's old timing light...but forgot to get it out not once but twice, was home for thanksgiving and xmas, forgot it both times.  I'll look at HF, they have stores here.

[b5blue]

A remote cranking switch is a must have for my tool box. http://www.harborfreight.com/12-volt-remote-starter-switch-35448.html

[BSB67]

When my dad and I did it, he'd put a piece of insulated wire in the hole and wait for it to stop moving outward, still needed someone else to help at the time to watch the wire. 

That won't tell you if you are at #1 compression.

It does not take two people.  Pull #1 plug and start turning it over, you'll figure it out.

And as mentioned, you'll need a timing light.

[firefighter3931]

I would recommend a dial back timing light....unless you have installed timing tape on the harmonic balancer. 

The FireCore RTR comes with approx. 22* of mechanical advance pre-set from the factory. Start with 12* BTDC and rev it up to 3000 to check the total timing and see what you've got. 


Ron

[Lord Warlock]

time to look at it again, finally getting around to timing the car.  Have a timing light, had to get a new harness, got it installed except the positive blue wire because it has a D shaped end/connector and the firecore distributor has a round positive terminal, so looks like i'll have to drill out the end connector.  I also have to do something with the two wires that used to connect to ballast resistor, and the voltage regulator.  think it may be in another thread.  Dropped the nut from the coil positive terminal, can't find it of course, so took the coil off to go get a replacement nut tomorrow. 

Also picked up a remote starter switch, removed #1 plug, cranked til it started to blow my finger out of hole, caught it about midway in the stroke, then ran into a quandary, B5 said at this stage to point distributor toward carb and not the alternator, the #1 plug normally sits at the 5:00 position which points at the alternator, why do we point it at the 11:00 to point at  carb?

should I hook up the vacuum tube from distributor to carb? or just leave blocked off til get it to run, then worry about vacuum advance? Going to reread the comments, as will be trying to play with the engine a little while tomorrow.

[RallyeMike]

Now that you blew your finger out, as was said earlier, you need to back off or forward the engine until the timing on the indicator and crank are lined up at TDC 0 degrees. Then set/point the dist rotor approx toward the carb, and then twist the dist to line up the rotor with #1 plug wire on the cap. You might have to pull the dist/oil pump gear in and out a few times until the rotor/cap/carb alignment comes together.

Never mind any clock hand views/alignment because the view point depends on how you are looking at it.

As long as you have spark and gas it will at least start, and be prepared to adjust timing from there.

Remember to set fire order counter-clockwise!

[cdr]

#1 location on the dist

[cdr]

quote. Also picked up a remote starter switch, removed #1 plug, cranked til it started to blow my finger out of hole, caught it about midway in the stroke, then ran into a quandary,,,,,,,,,,,,,,                                                                                                                                                                                              now turn the engine & set the timing mark to about 10 deg before tdc, now set the rotor pointing at the #1 on the cap,leave the vacuum off start car & set timing

[BSB67]

Also picked up a remote starter switch

Wow.  Here is mine

[b5blue]

Hey that's a screwdriver! How do you stand next to the passengers side fender to be by the #1 cyl. and dizzy and jump the start relay with a screwdriver? Are your arms 6FT long? (While reaching over the entire engine.)   

[BSB67]

Hey that's a screwdriver! How do you stand next to the passengers side fender to be by the #1 cyl. and dizzy and jump the start relay with a screwdriver? Are your arms 6FT long? (While reaching over the entire engine.)   

Hmmmm. On my car, the #1 cylinder is on the drivers side.  But anyways, I can reach the relay from the passenger side too.

[Lord Warlock]

Looks like I'll be nudging the motor manually, been looking at a trusty chiltons manual, which looks the same as the one above, only it indicates the fan position is to the left side of the picture.  And I'm standing on the passenger side fender, so the picture would be upside down.  We've traced the wires to cap.  

Also think i'm going to look at the fuel line, it doesn't seem to be pumping fuel from the bottom of the fuel pump to the carb, I've already verified the lines are primed to the tank.  Considering how much we've cranked the car over in the last few weeks, I would expect gas to be coming out the fuel line to the carb.  Manually pouring fuel in the top should be enough to get it to fire, if we can get spark to show. but the fuel pump bothers me. So I'll be verifying the hoses for that as well.  

Its the two things needed for it to run, fuel and spark, and don't have either right now, but hope to in the next few days.  

I wouldn't expect a need to move the oil pump drive gear, that part hasn't been out of position since it ran last time, good to know if I need to though, didn't plan on playing with that part.

[BSB67]

Looks like I'll be nudging the motor manually,

Right.  The finger in #1 spark plug tells you that you are on the #1 cylinder compression stroke, but you need to manually line up the timing marks to put #1 cylinder at TDC on the compression stroke.

Note that in the little diagram above, it actually shows the orientation of the distributor drive slot, i.e. horizontal

[Lord Warlock]

Car won the weekend attempt to start, doesn't want to fire, not getting coil to fire, not even worried about firing order or distributor, coils should spit out spark if ignition is on, maybe i'll try a different set of wires, after that its getting a tow. 

[firefighter3931]

Car won the weekend attempt to start, doesn't want to fire, not getting coil to fire, not even worried about firing order or distributor, coils should spit out spark if ignition is on, maybe i'll try a different set of wires, after that its getting a tow. 

LW,

Check with a voltmeter to make sure you are getting 12V to the coil (+) terminal in both the start and run positions. The brown & blue wires coming from the bulkhead need to be tied together and sent forward the coil positive terminal.


Ron

[Lord Warlock]

I'll have to find the brown wire from bulkhead, I know the blue is generating power to the coil.  Not sure about the brown.  Tan wire for tach I know is on the negative, or just left disconnected.  Can't tow the car to the shop unless it is tagged and insured, and that means spending 400 on insurance just to get it to run again, don't mind putting insurance on it as was going to have to do that eventually, but tag transfer is another chunk of change. 

Will be looking at it again in a few hours, have to go talk to the oncologist this morning and find out if i'm getting better or worse.