distributor turns by hand. Help!

[myraley]

Hi guys. I have a rough idle, so I thought I would looks at the distributor/spark plug wires/spark plugs. Well, I can turn the entire distributor clockwise. What the heck does that mean? And how do I fix it? I have a '75 big block (454) swapped in and veryyyyy little room to manouver in there.

 

[nerraw117]

check the bolt that gold the base of th distributor to the intake manifold? should be a 3/8's bolt(9/16's socket) on the passenger side.

 

[myraley]

You called it! The bolt one the bracket was loose. I tightened it, but I think I see what's happening. I have a 72 with a 1975 454 big block swapped in and that big HEI Distributor is hitting the firewall, which is gradually loosening the bolt. On the plus side this probably explains my rougher idle. Any suggestions? A regular distributor is smaller than and HEI distributor. Can I put one with an external coil in? How would that be set up?

 

[southernspeed]

You called it! The bolt one the bracket was loose. I tightened it, but I think I see what's happening. I have a 72 with a 1975 454 big block swapped in and that big HEI Distributor is hitting the firewall, which is gradually loosening the bolt. On the plus side this probably explains my rougher idle. Any suggestions? A regular distributor is smaller than and HEI distributor. Can I put one with an external coil in? How would that be set up?

I had this problem with the BB in a '67 Camaro. I 'massaged' the firewall a bit and got clearance. I believe there is also a narrower cap available for the HEI that tapers in quicker.

 

[myraley]

Thanks. I was thinking I would have to buy a whole new MSD distributor or something, but I'm running out of cash for all the projects. Do you know what year HEI cap is smaller, or where to get it?

 

[4X4HIGH]

AFAIK there are only two HEI caps, the large coil in cap, and the small external coil style.

 

[pvfjr]

I assume you know that turning your distributor changes your timing, right? If not, I just wanted to make sure you knew that it needed to be returned to the correct position.

 

[southernspeed]

AFAIK there are only two HEI caps, the large coil in cap, and the small external coil style.

That's correct but I'm sure I've seen an aftermarket coil-in-cap model of smaller diameter for clearance problem solving.

 

[myraley]

I know I screwed up the timing by turning it! I didnt realize it was that loose. I'm a decent wrencher on the simple mechanical parts (leaf springs, nuts and bolts) but nowhere near engine-working levels. I am going to have the car running and slowly turn the distributor left and right until it sounds the best. That was how I interpreted what another member advised me to do. Does that sound right? Then tomorrow, I'll take it to a shop for a tune-up.

 

[Can Can]

Testing by "feel" is okay, but you really need to get ahold of a timing light to set your base timing before you start tweaking things. Setting your timing is a really simple job, brother- even I can do that!!!

 

[badmix]

I know I screwed up the timing by turning it! I didnt realize it was that loose. I'm a decent wrencher on the simple mechanical parts (leaf springs, nuts and bolts) but nowhere near engine-working levels. I am going to have the car running and slowly turn the distributor left and right until it sounds the best. That was how I interpreted what another member advised me to do. Does that sound right? Then tomorrow, I'll take it to a shop for a tune-up.

20 dollar timing light will put you DEAD ON with your timing.

 

[myraley]

So you recommend I just tighten down the distributor where it is at, go get a timing light from Autozone, and time it from there? I can do that, if that is the best way... Once I do that, there is no need to move the distributor, right? Cause I would rather no, frankly. I'm afraid I'll just screw it up again.

 

[myraley]

Also, this has helped me figure out why the distributor loosened up to begin with. When the previous owner lifted the truck up, he went so high he had to tilt the engine, trans and transfer case back to help the rear driveline angle. The back two spark plugs wires on the distributor are actually touching against the recessed circle he also made in the firewall behind the distributor. I bought this truck in October and I'm still working on cleaning up past mistakes or things that were let go (like the gauges). I am thinking I can switch to, say, a MSD distributor or I can lower the truck enough so that I can tilt the engine back level, or both, but I'm running out of money. Moving the engine forward seems too complicated with all the attached wires, tubes, bolts, etc. What do you suggest?

 

[badmix]

Have you ever used a timing light? You have to be able to see the marks on the harmonic balancer and hopefully you hve the timeing tab on your motor. You hook timing lite up to #1 spark plug wire and jus point it at the timing marks. Youll have to figure out what your timing is for your motor, etc. And then you jus move the dist. very slightly one way or the other to advance or retard timing. personally, id check the timing where your sit and see how far off you are.

 

[myraley]

This will be my first time using a timing light. I read about it in the manual, and it needs to be 8 degrees before top dead center so wish me luck!

 

[Can Can]

So you recommend I just tighten down the distributor where it is at, go get a timing light from Autozone, and time it from there?

Well, that would be a start. If the truck seems to be running okay with the distributor where it's at now, then chances are you aren't doing any harm. I would advise getting the timing set sooner than later, however.

Figure out what your base timing should be set at. Then you can start advancing it a little bit at a time to get a little more jam out of the motor. If you advance it to a point where you start to get "pinging" at mid-throttle, you need to back the timing off until the pinging disappears.

That's it in a nutshell........

 

[southernspeed]

. When the previous owner lifted the truck up, he went so high he had to tilt the engine, trans and transfer case back to help the rear driveline angle.

How much lift have you got? If it's less than 6" you could probably put the t/case back up and cure your problem.

 

[myraley]

Its a lot of lift. In fact I was just about to do a "search" to see what the stock lift was so I can tell how much higher I am... If you can give me a measurement from something like the rear axle to the frame, I can go measure it. I think I am over six inches from stock though... Otherwise, the previous owner wouldnt have had to tip the transfer case, right? By the way, YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! I wish one of you lived in Southern California and I could just bring it to you instead of trying to find a good mechanic here. No one wants to work on old cars, and some stuff, especially with engines and transmissions is too complicated for me.

 

[southernspeed]

Its a lot of lift. In fact I was just about to do a "search" to see what the stock lift was so I can tell how much higher I am... If you can give me a measurement from something like the rear axle to the frame, I can go measure it. I think I am over six inches from stock though... Otherwise, the previous owner wouldnt have had to tip the transfer case, right? By the way, YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! I wish one of you lived in Southern California and I could just bring it to you instead of trying to find a good mechanic here. No one wants to work on old cars, and some stuff, especially with engines and transmissions is too complicated for me.

Some people drop the t/case to avoid doing 'a proper job' ie: shimming the rear axle or getting a decent propshaft. You could look through the 'lift/tires' thread at the top of the Garage to see if yours looks like someone's there. That would give you an idea.

hey maybe I should come set up shop in Socal. I could handle that

 

[Can Can]

There a quite a few CK5ers in the SoCal area. Maybe you need to check out the regional forums to see if someone is close by. I'm sure someone would be willing to lend you a hand if you asked nicely............