weird timing trouble...

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- B2723m
  
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posted
19 years ago

Sun, Sep 19, 2004 2:38 PM

Hi All,

Following a SOLO2 event my 353 '89 started to jump time. The course was what I call a small car course that required me to stay in first gear for the majority of the run with the expected higher than average RPM (~7000.)

The timing retarded exactly one tooth of the distributer gear and subsequently would retard anytime ~6000 RPM was reached.

Cam gears are fine and the timing chain wasn't jumping the teeth. After all the time and expense of checking, it turned out to be the distributer! I can hold the gear and rotate the rotor shaft by hand! The old distributer is an ACCEL 35368 and I replaced it with a MSD 8452.

Even though I'd never seen a distributer fail like this, it always pays to check the obvious!

bradtx

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- GEB
  
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posted
19 years ago

Sun, Sep 19, 2004 3:48 PM

"B2723m" wrote in a message:

More than likely, the only thing that happened was it sheared the roll pin that goes through the gear and shaft. Would have been a cheap fix. This can happen with any distributor, so it pays to buy a couple extra roll pins and keep them in your tool box, especially if you're at the track quite a bit.

I run the MSD 8382 (dual pickup) in my 84 302 motor, with the MSD 7AL-2 and a Blaster 2 coil. You definitely don't want to be hanging on to the end of a plug wire when you crank the motor over! The thing I like about this distributor, is the ability to change the mechanical advance curve without having to pull the distributor out of the motor, plus, you can lock the mechanical advance down and just set the timing at total advance at the RPM the cam calls for. I only use 1 of the pickups. If it fails, all I gotta do is unplug that pickup, and plug the other one in, and advance the timing about 2 degrees and it's good to go again.

Gary

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- B2723m
  
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posted
19 years ago

Tue, Sep 21, 2004 2:07 PM

I drove both roll pins out...intact! The shaft is broken (very jaggedly) just above the bearing and replacement parts are to be ordered and I'll end up with a spare. The shaft is also blue in the area of the break so it seems there was a lubrication problem.

Not knocking Accel in any way, auto crossing is tough on everything with it's sudden full throttle followed by sudden and hard braking, not to mention the constant violent conering forces. This was the most demanding course I'd run and by far the hardest for the engine...rev limiter reset to 6200. :) If I ever see a course like this again I'm taking the 2K...

bradtx