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greengiant0311

greengiant0311

1/2 ton status
Joined
Jan 19, 2007
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Camp Warner
Hey all. I am having some problems. I just finished a intake manifold gasket replacement on my 80 Scottsdale. It has a 96-98 350 5.7 litre with vortec heads. Got it all back together and now it either dies or chugs up hills. Also hard to start sometimes and loud clanking/slapping noise after shifting into next higher gear. Any ideas? Thanks
 
coulda missed a tooth on the distributor.in that case its 15 degrees or so off and bad missfiring.also as was said also check to make sure the plug wires are on the right spots on the cap.2 plug wires off means a quarter of the engine isnt working correctly.is the intake gasket on correctly and torqued the bolts in the right order?a leak in the gasket will cause many problems.vaccuum lines all good and put back in the right spots?a few things to think about.
 
Checked the wires and they are on right. Couldn't find any info on the hei coil distributor points though. But I think they are the same right? Do I need to pull the distributor and re stab it or can I adjust it by advancing or retarding the dizzy. I've checked all the other stuff as near as I can tell.
 
Did you point the rotor to the same spot it was in before you removed the distributor? If so, it is still possible to maybe get a tooth off. Do you have a timing light?
 
I marked the distributor so I would get it back to the right spot. I don't have a timing light but I have a buddy that is willing to help me figure it out but I haven't been able to get in touch with him yet. Hope he calls me soon.
 
the easiest way to make sure is to take off the distributor cap and turn over the engine by hand until you get compression on the number one cylinder.that would be top dead center.at that point the rotor should also be pointed to the number one cylinder on your distributor.then make sure the number one plug wire on the cap is at the same spot as the rotor on the cap.if not reset the wires to match the correct spot and firing order.there are no points on a hei distributor.there is a button with a spring that will burn out under the coil if it gets too hot.if you have a aftermarket coil it will burn out the coil button much faster if it is stock if you dont change that with a high performance one as well.i founf that out about 5 minutes after i put a accel super coil in and didnt change the button.
 
How do I know when the cylinder is tdc? And turning the engine over by hand? Sounds complicated to me. Is there an easier way? :)
 
you can bump the starter with the plug out and finger over the plug hole til you feel compression.i didnt mean literally by hand.lol.you have to put a ratchet and socket on the crank bolt and turn it over til you feel the compression on the number one cylinder.at least then you will know it is close and if the distributor is close or not.make sure the cap is off the distributor or the engine will start.figured id mention that too if you use the starter to bump the engine
 
Since it will run, you can line up the timing marks to TDC, then look at where the rotor is pointing. If it is pointing to the firewall, roll the engine over one more time and line up the marks. This should give you TDC for number 1 cylinder. Then look at the rotor and which plug wire it is pointing to. If it is not pointing to the plug wire for number 1, pull the distributor, rotate the rotor so it should point to the number 1 plug wire, then drop the distributor back in and check it again. The timing will still need to be set with a timing light.
 
Thanks for all the great info y'all. My buddy never called so I guess I'm on my own(as usual) its all good though. I'm the only person I can depend on.
 
I finally got a timing light! Now... does anyone know what the timing should be set at? I think it's 15 degrees at this altitude. Not sure, anyone know?
 
At idle. Make sure you plug the vacuum advance also or it will not give you a true reading.
 
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