Time to ask for help. Timing and tuning problems.

[ssm200]

Glad i bought t-handle valve cover bolts lol. The new chrome valve cover i bought (come to find out it's chinese ) makes the bolts impossible to get to with a socket.

Thanks folks. Sorry it takes me forever to make progress. I'm lucky if i get literally 5 minutes under the hood.

 

[bubba22349]

well if your making any progress at all then it's all good, it will go faster too as you get more and more comfortable! Good luck

 

[chad]

"...takes me forever to make progress…"
don't worry, bro. (I've used the hell outta my bronk since '83 but) you've made more mods than me in that whole time…
Money & Time, Money & Time….

 

[B RON CO]

I'm betting your lifters are pre loaded. This has a huge effect on vacuum. I'm glad you are going in the right direction. I'm glad my rockers are adjustable. I've heard shimming the rocker shaft pedestals is acceptable, unless that is where your oil feeds from, mostly the solid lifter motors I think. I would research adjustable rockers, rocker ratios and upgrades to your rocker arms in general, especially if there is wear to the shaft or the rocker arms itself. We used to disassemble and clean and inspect these things all the time. Some well worn rocker arms may have tips that are gouged (this will match the tip of the valve) or may be egg shaped ( this may match it's home on the shaft, but the shaft is harder steel). Be careful and put them back the way they came apart if you try this. If you look close you may see the rocker arm creeping over some of the valves which are supposed to be closed. You want all the push rods that are in the closed position to easily roll between your thumb and finger. good luck

 

[philford]

“ Electronic ignition and distributor from a 78 fairmont, IIRC”

- bubba has way more knowledge than I and I know 0 about a fairmont but wondered if this distributor might actually have a vacuum retard and you think it’s a vacuum advance

In my 66 Volvo I took a distributor from an automatic I came with a simple ignition box so it eliminated points and gapping them constantly., it had a vacuum retard and I was able to flip some parts over , then it advanced and basically added more advance than just the springs in the distributor would allow . I did some engine mods and balanced it do it revs up more . did not have means to check the advance curve but somehow it all just worked out and has run fine with no adjustments for 20 years

Maybe you and Bubba could know or look to see if your vacuum unit is advancing your timing or retarding it , I just thought that by chance it might be moving your timing in the wrong direction ? That might throw a guy off a lot if it were the case. I don’t know that it is.
I think I do have a Haines manual for a fairmont , I found it reassuring to realize same company that made my underwear also made car manuals pretty sure it’ll say to go to the dealer for this issue

 

[Frank]

philford- check the date on the last post. . Also, our dear friend and walking encyclopedia bubba passed away a while back. The forum has not been the same since.

 

[PSIG]

Maybe you and Bubba could know or look to see if your vacuum unit is advancing your timing or retarding it , I just thought that by chance it might be moving your timing in the wrong direction ?

The vacuum canisters (single and dual) advance with vacuum. All of them. Dual-vacuum canisters limit advance under normal conditions when using a DVCV thermal valve on restricted-emissions vehicles. Part of the emissions was low mechanical timing to create additional heat in order to reduce certain exhaust gasses.

The DVCV is located in the thermostat housing to sense coolant temperature, and applies vacuum to both the primary (outside) and secondary side for normal operation (fighting and limiting the primary advance side). If the engine overheats, the valve stops vacuum to the secondary side to allow more primary advanced timing for higher idle speed, reduced emissions heat, and cooler operation. Either way it advances, but more if it's overheated.

1978 Fairmont distributor with single canister:

1978 Fairmont distributor with dual-vacuum canister:

 

[chad]

haines and haynes, that pretty funny philford.
I feel like they get together when I have a fire on carb back fire.
OR
last wk when I dropped a bolt to spark @ +/- on starter and enflame the spark plug hole
where I’d just taken out a plug to begin to dry out a top end full of gass from chitty carb
spewing into all cylinders (big’uns - cheb 454 bored over in 80K$ plastic “32 Chevy Hot Rod”...