I was adjusting the timing and didn't realize the distributor cap was only being held down by two out of the four clips. Now, the car idles at 12 btdc but the jumps up to 20, then back down to 12 and repeats this idle. It also dies now whenever I put it into gear.

What did I do to this thing?

------------------
Tommy

Cats...the reason God created water.

75 Camaro
78 Camaro
80 Camaro
81 Trans-Am
87 Iroc-Z28

Rotor banging into the distributor cap (which might now be broken or sitting crooked)?

Yank the cap and have a look around. Make sure the centrifugal advance is working correctly- grab the rotor and give it a twist. You should feel resistance from the springs and it should SNAP back to it's home position again when you release it.

Yeah, the rotor dig bang into the cap pretty good for a few moments. *sigh*



------------------
Tommy

Cats...the reason God created water.

75 Camaro
78 Camaro
80 Camaro
81 Trans-Am
87 Iroc-Z28

New cap and rotor shouldn't be at all pricey- if your dist is damaged that's different http://www.nastyz28.com/ubb/smile.gif

new cap and rotor i think can be gotten for under a Jackson($20)

Well, I looked at the cap and rotor and they "looked" ok. The rotor was in place and snapped back when turned it and let go.

I noticed it still jumped up in idle though...and when it jumped gas would spurt from the primary (i don't know if that's caused by the distributor) or the carb. I also checked each header and they were all hot. I checked the fuel filter and it was also fine. I just don't get it.
I guess i'll buy a new cap and rotor and try that.

------------------
Tommy

Cats...the reason God created water.

75 Camaro
78 Camaro
80 Camaro
81 Trans-Am
87 Iroc-Z28

Weird. Sounds like it is surging. Tommy, if you give it a little gas, does it still surge like that?

How fresh is the motor? A loose timing chain will make the timing go crazy like that. Is the distributor old or new?

<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Originally posted by camarochevy1970:
Weird. Sounds like it is surging. Tommy, if you give it a little gas, does it still surge like that?</font>

No, if I give it gas it's ok. I can keep it running in drive if I give it gas. It just dies when I put it in drive without giving it gas.

The distributor is a rebuilt that I bought last year. I don't know it's quality. Things were going good until I started to screw with the timing.

The engine is less than a year old and was professionally built - including the timing chain.

------------------
Tommy

Cats...the reason God created water.

75 Camaro
78 Camaro
80 Camaro
81 Trans-Am
87 Iroc-Z28

Did you break an advance spring or mess up the vacuum advanced ????
Seems like somthing let go in the top of the distributor when it hit????


------------------
Ray in Bama
78z,355 roller on the sauce!!

[This message has been edited by BIGBADBOWTIE (edited July 22, 2005).]

<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Originally posted by BIGBADBOWTIE:
Did you break an advance spring or mess up the vacuum advanced ????
Seems like somthing let go in the top of the distributor when it hit????

</font>

I don't know. I took off the distributor cap and gave the rotor a twist..it snapped back into place.



------------------
Tommy

Cats...the reason God created water.

75 Camaro
78 Camaro
80 Camaro
81 Trans-Am
87 Iroc-Z28

Sounds like a vacuum leak to me, didn't lay your elbow on a line and pull it off?

I checked them all and they're good.

I just bough (today) a new HEI super coil and distributor..but now I can't figure out where the black wire goes on the HEI super coil. lol..freakin cars!!

Check the weights, I've had em bounch around before and the car still ran (barely) went through a phase where I broke 4 dist's in a year and a half. The only time the car kept running was when I threw a weight. I just barely made it home after jury rigging it (on the highway) by hand. turns out the dist. was broke also up high. Had a pro put in the next one, said it would not break. It never did, like to know what he did different.

I don't know. I checked the weights, springs, rotor..everything I knew how. Said screw it and upgraded to a new coil and distributor. Dropped it in (thank Mike) and I runs perfect now!! It also solved my cooling problem. The car has more power and is way more responsive than ever! It's like having a whole new engine....and the engine has less than 1000 mile on it. lol

------------------
Tommy

Cats...the reason God created water.

75 Camaro
78 Camaro
80 Camaro
81 Trans-Am
87 Iroc-Z28

<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Originally posted by Specimen:
and when it jumped gas would spurt from the primary </font>

Float stuck open?

------------------
350CID, Vortec 062 heads, Magnum 280, Performer Intake, Holley 650 DP, 3.42 rear w/ Auburn posi, 2600 Stall/TC
"Things are more like they are now than they ever were before."
Former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower