Hey wondering if anyone can help me. I have a duster with a 400 big block and I am having some trouble getting the timing right. It has an aftermarket cam (I don't know the specs since it was installed by the previous owner), and the initial timing right now is set at about 48 degrees before top dead center. That seems way off to me since total timing should only be about 36 degrees, but when I put initial timing back to 15 degrees (to allow for the distributor's mechanical advance) it backfires and won't hardly run. At the current timing the idle is very rough to the point where the car visibly rocks and sometimes stalls when I put it in gear. It has all kinds of top end power, however, and when I retard the timing at all, it falls flat about halfway through the power band but the idle smooths out. What's going on? Is the idle supposed to be rough because of the big cam, or is there something else going on? I also have no vaccum advance on my distributor. Not sure if that affects it at all. Any advice would be appreciated!
- posted
17 years ago