Engine: 91 5.0L i replaced my distributor with a "ready to run" variant and thus deleted my duraspark ignition. i think i have the wiring correct for its install but id like to hear anyones input on whether or not this is wired up correctly... power to coil: 12v coming from ignition switch, 12v coming from ignition peg on starter solenoid, trigger from distributor - should the hot coming from the starter solenoid be from the ignition side or the starter side? or is this all wrong? ive basically been following this diagram. my only concern is that when i am idling i get 13+ volts at the coil. is that bad? second... i just cant find the right damn timing spot for this combo. I have located TDC using the piston height tool and i set the first cylinder to fire at that point and work my way from there. Typically on this engine (before the recent changes from duraspark) it was running great around 12 degrees. Now it wont run well anywhere.... at idle it sounds fine around 12 degrees but as soon as i put it in drive and take it down the road it spudders at mild throttle... and i mean MILD throttle. any thoughts?
im 99% sure its on compression... ive already flipped it 180 a c0uple times trying to see if that was the issue but ill pull the plug and make sure it is on compression... any other thoughts? i have confirmed now that my coil is rated for higher voltage so i actually needed to bypass the resistor.. which i did. so i guess now my only issue is the timing.
Is there a timing pointer installed, and numbers on the harmonic balancer? If so, rotate the engine until the timing pointer points to about 10 BTDC, then install the distributor pointing to #1 on the cap. That should get you in the ball park to run and check with a timing light. That much voltage at the coil sounds excessive to me, but I have no idea about what your setup requires. I think on a Duraspark setup you have around 9 volts at the + side of the coil. Are you unable to use the wire that previously connected to the coil? Surely someone else can advise you better.
quick update... So after fighting with the timing and no matter where i placed it, the car just would not run on mild throttle, i decided to (under the suggestion of a mechanic friend of mine) check the total advance and to my surprise there was no advance, actually it retarded. So after taking off the distributor plate and taking a look at the advance mechanism, it was apparent that one of the weights is used to advance timing by centripetal force was actually stuck in place underneath one the brackets. I freed the weight and went back to timing the engine. yet again i encountered a new problem... the car will not run right unless it is significantly advanced. At the moment it is set at 22* BTC and it runs great except for a small stutter around 1600-2k rpms (possibly a fuel delivery issue tbh, still need to mess with the carb) Things i know: - my damper didnt spin at all. i have true TDC (as true as it gets) marked on both the balancer and my pulley (with a chisel mark). the zero on the balancer and the chisel mark on the pulley line up as tdc (confirmed with a screw driver in the spark plug hole) - my coil is running with 12+ volts and it is rated for such voltage. - ignition module is built into distributor - the vacuum reading throughout the timing curve is normal which would suggest that i haven't jumped a tooth on my timing chain... Can anyone think of a reason why it would run at such a high advance? im at a loss
I am having similar issues (on my 250 six cylinder). Confirmed TDC is TDC (no damper movement). Timing marks are all over the place (which I still can't explain). I did solve some of it with a new battery and plugs, but likely not your problem. I am convinced that I have carb issues and am just buying a new rebuilt one, ughhhh. Another $200+. After new battery and plugs. it finally idles fine (but without a good timing mark to use). At at 1800 rpm, the main jets on my Carter RBS kick in and just "dog" the engine. Everything goes worse from there. This carb has been rebuilt 3 times, so I'm giving up on it. Good Luck, I will let you know if the new Carb solves this.
thanks! let me know how it goes. im not sure the type of carb you have but many times you can change out the jets. you might just have a lean spot from your main jets. a different set of jets may fix the issue but again... idk if your carb even has interchangeable jets. I have an edelbrock 1406 and they make it verrrry easy to change out the jets and metering rods. if youre gonna drop 200 bucks on another carb id suggest looking into an aftermarket carb that maybe has some customizability. I doubt you have a 4 bbl intake but i cant recomend the edelbrock enough for a daily driver type car... you know what they say... you drive an edelbrock but race a holley
