Ok guys I'm having a problem with what appears to be my timing. Right now I'm set at 9 degrees above TDC...with the vacuum advance hooked up Im getting all kinds of hesitation at all speeds. With the vacuum advance disconnected I get a hesitation on the low end and as I accelerate it smooths out very nicely. Is this just a matter of "playing" with the timing until I find a happy medium? Or is this a timing problem at all? The distributor is brand new...and my plugs are burning clean. Seems like it should run smooth with the advance hooked up. If I had some hair to pull out it would all be gone
Not sure what you mean by above. Should be 6-8 before TDC. If above means after, your way too far retarded (the car timming, not you) which would explain why its not running right.
I’ve got that same problem… and I just cant figure it out either…my plugs and wires are good too…. I just cleaned the carb… and changed my fuel filter… and adjusted my timing too… but the hesitation still lingers like a boiling cloud.
Well I tried a few things today and it seemed to help alot... I tried a few different set points with the timing...I decided on 12 degrees before TDC was best...secondly I adjusted my Air to fuel mixture ratio on the carb...edelbrock has an easy way to do this explained on there website...you must have an rpm gauge in increments of 20 though. I removed and checked all my plugs...turns out I had a hairline crack in the plug ceramic that was almost invisible...you could tell by looking at the tip it wasnt firing right. I also removed the vacuum advance on the distributor...this made a difference in the overall smoothness of the engine at higher RPM's. I still have a slight hesitation on takeoff when I punch it hard. The next thing I'm gonna try is a fuel pressure regulator. Edelbrock states on their website that Ford 302's with a mechanical fuel pump are known to pump more than 6 psi at times, mainly on hard acceleration, and this will cause a hesitation or " flat spot" as too much fuel is fed into the intake. Gonna give it a go tomorrow...we will see.
Taking the vacuum advance off a car with an automatic that is driven on the street usually isn't a good idea . The vacuum advance is supposed to help you during part throttle acceleration by advancing the timing to give more power . It is also supposed to be hooked up to "ported " vacuum which means above the throttle plates . There is only a signal above the thottle plates at higher rpm and when the engine is under load which activates the advance system. I would suggest you make sure your mechanical advance in your distributor and the accelerator pump on your carb are working properly to more finely tune you car during acceleration before you do away with your vacuum advance system.
Well I got frustrated enough today that I took the car to a friend of mine that restores pre 1960 T-Birds for a living. Told him about my problems and the first thing he asks me if the car has a modified cam in it? Well yes it does I say and he says "Throw the timing light in the trash sonny!" and I'm like Huh? He says you have to time it by sight and sound....lol. Here is the procedure we went throught to get it right. 1.Make sure the car is warmed up and and running at idle. 2. Loosen the distributor bolt and move the distributor clockwise until the timing starts to retard the idle then move it back just a hair. 3.Kill the engine and attempt to restart...it propably wont. 4.Move the distributor again just a hair counter-clockwise and attempt a restart again...it may still not start with out draggin. Move the distributor again...just a hair. It took 3 times moving the distributor ever so slightly before she fired right up with no dragging. 5. He then tells me to run it down the road and punch it when I get over 60 mph and listen for any pinging or knocking. There was some slight pinging. He moves the distributor again just a hair counter clockwise and tells me to run it down the road again and see if I still have the hesitation off the line and ping on the high end. At this point I'm realizing the engine sounds and feels better than it ever has so I decide to see what she'll do. From a 750 rpm idle I shower down on her and the only hesitation is from my right rear tire trying to hook...I dont let off ...finally after about 15 ft. of tires spinning she hooks and I'm out of there like a bat outta hell... by the time I get back to where he is Im doin 80 and still gettin up with absolutely flawless engine performance. I turn around and pull back in to his place and before I could say anything he tells me she's "On the Money"...lol he could hear the whole run and thats all he needed to know that it was running right. By the way...the vacuum advance was hooked up during the entire process. Now I'm not a young man...and "Mr. Harvey" (thats how I address him) has quite a few years on me and has forgot more about cars than I will ever know. This experience just reminded me sometimes it pays to just shut up and listen... Ya might just learn somethin thats becoming a dying art...your best tools are your senses. Makes me glad my car doesn't have to be hooked up to some computer to get right....yeeeehaaaaw Geez I need POSITRAC :bananaman :bananaman
Glad ya got it sorted out, and neat story to boot. I have run across ole boys like that, few and far between. Like previous responses, you do need vacuum advance with an automatic and it did sound like you had the timing retarded. Once you get it all figured out and find out where you are on total advance, you will find some more ooompf left in her. Then ya can play with the jets in the carb, and well, it goes on and on. Dan
Glad you got it straight! Good to hear man! I have to time my engine by ear also. I just listen until I think it's about right, then hit the throttle, and listen for hesitation. You jsut gotta play with it, lol. Country
