[blackphantom]

HELP

This thing has been giving me problems for months now I have tried everything I can think of and still cant get the car to start up.

I checked every wire to this car from under dash to engine to distributor etc all wires are installed and hooked up correctly. I have an hei dizzy on the chevy 350 and its getting the 12v it should. I get gas and spark. The car will crank and crank but just wont fire up. Sometimes it backfires through the carb.

I was thinking the dizzy is 180 out because I replaced the coil and igniton module so I know this is not the problem also cap and rotor are practically new also.

back to the the dizzy being 180 out. I pulled the #1 plug removed the dizzy and set the car to TDC correct me if I'm wrong but its suppose to be set TDC on compression stroke correct? When the piston is at the very top near the plug. If so this has been set correctly and the dizzy dropped back in and pointing at the 530clock position close to #1. Still nothing. Unless the previous owner did something with the crank and timing chain that I dont know about im stumped.

Any help? I dont know exact numbers but the 350 is running a holley 770 carb edel heads, big cam, was set if for NOS but all that has been removed and returned back to stock.

[Vega$69]

Originally Posted by blackphantom

HELP

When the piston is at the very top near the plug. If so this has been set correctly and the dizzy dropped back in and pointing at the 530clock position close to #1. Still nothing.

How did you determine TDC on compression stroke as opposed to exhaust stroke?

[blackphantom]

Im hoping you can tell me its 180 out that would be great. Read up online and did the whole process.

Pulled dizzy
Pulled #1 plug driver side closet to fron of car.
Rotated engine by hand
Put a small guide in the cylinder so that it backed out slowely when i turned the motor over by hand.
Waited till the piston came to the very top of the motor.
That is TDC correct on the compression stroke?

[Vega$69]

Originally Posted by blackphantom

Im hoping you can tell me its 180 out that would be great. Read up online and did the whole process.

Pulled dizzy
Pulled #1 plug driver side closet to fron of car.
Rotated engine by hand
Put a small guide in the cylinder so that it backed out slowely when i turned the motor over by hand.
Waited till the piston came to the very top of the motor.
That is TDC correct on the compression stroke?

Piston comes to top on both compression and exhaust stroke. You can verify compression stoke buy either pulling the valve cover and making sure both valves are closed at piston TDC or as I usually do is put my finger the the spark plug hole while somebody rotates engine by hand until I feel the air push my finger out as it comes to TDC.

From your post sounds like 180* off.

[blackphantom]

I will do this tonight and see what happens. So there is no possiblity of an error I will just pull the valve cover off and watch the valves to make sure they are closed at tdc

[Vega$69]

Originally Posted by blackphantom

I will do this tonight and see what happens. So there is no possiblity of an error I will just pull the valve cover off and watch the valves to make sure they are closed at tdc

Yes. As you rotate the engine the exhaust valve will close and the intake valve will open as the piston goes down then will close as the piston comes up to TDC. Both Valves will be CLOSED at TDC Compression Stokre. At TDC the mark on you balancer will line up with TDC mark on the indicator. Drop your dizzy so the rotor lines up with #1 on the Dist Cap. Make sure you have clearance for the vacuum advance canister to move if needed for final timing set.

[blackphantom]

To see if i was 180 right now. Couldnt I pull the cap off valve cover off and remove the #1 plug rotate the motor to TDC when both the valves are closed and see if the rotor is pointing correctly? Obvious if its not I couldnt simply remove it and redrop it in correctly.

[Vega$69]

Originally Posted by blackphantom

To see if i was 180 right now. Couldnt I pull the cap off valve cover off and remove the #1 plug rotate the motor to TDC when both the valves are closed and see if the rotor is pointing correctly? Obvious if its not I couldnt simply remove it and redrop it in correctly.

Yes but why are you removing the spark plug? Just line up timing marks on balancer

[Steiner]

Rotate engine until timing mark is coming around and about two inches from the pointer. Put your right thumb over the #1 spark plug hole to plug it.
Pull your breaker bar with your left hand to continue rotating the mark towards the pointer.
If you're coming up on the compression stroke of #1 you will feel pressure build against your thumb and squeeze out if you lift it a little.

[blackphantom]

I have never seen the timing marks on this motor. The car was a complete mess when I recieved it. I will have to look hard for the timing marks on the car as there not as easy to spot as my other cars are.

[Fred Ficarra]

Well Batman (sorry), if you don't know where your timing marks are you're shooting in the dark. Nothing we tell you here will have a reference point.
Once you have a clear timing mark things should fall in place.
Here's what many of us do;
I use a remote starter push button switch. It's hand held. I've installed a junction block on the firewall that holds the starter motor relay wire. One end of the switch wire goes on it and the other connects to a full time hot terminal on the radiator bulkhead. If your battery is not in the trunk just use its positive terminal. Then a button-push rolls the engine over. Great for setting valves or bumping to a desired spot such as TDC. And that way too, the high tension leads can't knock me on my butt.

OK, back to your problem. There's no need to pull the distributor,,, yet. Just remove #1 spark plug and roll the engine over with the starter motor until compression blows your finger off the hole. Next look at the timing mark on the balancer. Get the mark and timing cover indicator close, then pull the distributor cap. You want the rotor pointing to #1. There's nearly a 100% chance that yours won't be. So after making SURE which wire on the cap goes to #1, adjust the distributor rotor to do so. If the rotor is close then all you have to do is rotate the distributor housing just as when setting timing. If it's not close you'll have to lift the distributor clear of the cam shaft drive gear and rotate the 'rotor' to point before #1 terminal. You have to place it ahead of the terminal because the distributor will not drop into place until the engine is cranked because of the oil pump quill shaft. Once done, find TDC again and repeat as necessary. Then lock down the distributor so that it's snug when turning the housing by hand. Then hook up your timing light. THEN make sure your ignition wires are correctly positioned on your cap. The wires are clockwise, looking down at the cap, 18436572. Then start it and set timing. Simple. Standing by,,,,,,,,,,,,

[blackphantom]

Dumb question I have the valve cover off and watching for them to both come closed however I have rotated the motor and it seems only you of the valves close at the time. Is this true or should both be closed.

[BobKovacs]

If only one is closed, you're on the exhaust stroke, and the exhaust valve is open. Rotate it one full rotation again, and you should see both closed. If not, you've got bigger problems than your distributor being 180 out.....

[X-77 keith]

I think that looking at the valves ara confusing you. As stated before , pull the number one plug " driver front" turn the engine over , by hand or have someone bump it over till you feel the compression. It will also hiss. Then you can put the thing in the plug hole that you used before.With the piston all the way up on compression stroke you should be at TDC. Then look at the number one valve springs " both should be up, not compressed by the rockers. Your ballancer should have a timing mark " hash mark going across".If no timing tab , turn engine over till the hash mark is around one o' clock or piston all the way up. If you have a timing tab, line hash up with the zero. Then set dist like before mentioned.

[Vega$69]

Originally Posted by blackphantom

Dumb question I have the valve cover off and watching for them to both come closed however I have rotated the motor and it seems only you of the valves close at the time. Is this true or should both be closed.

Closed is when they are both in the up position.