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Thread: timing mark

  1. #1
    86 catalina
    why does my mark not line up when i am timing the motor ???If i retard it to get close to the mark it dies...Can the harmonic balancer slip ??

  2. #2
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Posts
    10,871
    Yes the outer ring on a stock balancer can definately slip. If that turns out to be what's up get rid of it before it pitches the ring off.
    To check actual top dead center location in relation to your mark you can do the following.
    Buy or make a spark plug TDC finder tool. It's simply a sleeve that screws into a spark plug hole with a center stud that screws in and comes into contact with the piston. It's not that tough to make one out of an old plug, I've made a couple of em.
    Then turn the motor over carefully with a long ratchet or breaker bar until the piston contacts the stud. Mark it on the balancer. Then turn it the opposite direction and do the same. TDC will be half way between the marks. Don't get carried away and punch a hole in your piston, gentle here.
    You can also ballpark it by looking in the plug hole doing the same drill if you can see the piston come to the top with a penlight or scope.
    Hope that helps. May be way more info than you need

  3. #3
    victorfb
    removing all the spark plugs is a good idea too as it allows you to turn the crank easier. like rex says......slowly!

  4. #4
    blowngas
    If the balancer ring has not slipped, it's possible that sometime in the past, the distributor was pulled, and not reinstalled correctly----so when you hook up the light to #1 wire, it will indicate firing early or late, depending on distributor replacement----check this after confirming balancer ring has not rotated, which could lead to a dangerous situation.

  5. #5
    Moneypitt
    If the balancer ring has not slipped, it's possible that sometime in the past, the distributor was pulled, and not reinstalled correctly----so when you hook up the light to #1 wire, it will indicate firing early or late, depending on distributor replacement----check this after confirming balancer ring has not rotated, which could lead to a dangerous situation.
    What??????............MP

  6. #6
    FlatRat
    On my 454 the timing cover had the timing marks for the early ones but the block is a 79.Everytime I went to re-install the dist. I had a prob.I did the 'ol piston stop deal and made new marks on the balancer,it was off about 10 deg.No more problems.
    my .02

  7. #7
    SmokinLowriderSS
    Folow Rex's procedure (or anything similar), and find out where the crankshaft is @ TDC. Then check to see if there is slippage marks evident between the rubber ring and the inner & outer parts of the balancer. If it appears to have shifted, Make an ashtray out of it & put a new one on. You don't want a loose ring coming off at 5-grand.
    There is the possibility of a cover missmatch if you have a parts miss-match so look the balancer over CLOSELY!. Last winter's rebuild put a new cover on without indicator, and a separate indicator so I had to set TDC, my balancer was dead-on, and index the pointer to it.
    Once you know where TDC is, set the good balancer about 8*/10* advanced, power the ign, turn the dist gently till it just fires #1, and lock it down. Do it a few times to get a "feel" if need be. Should fire up easy now. Mine was dead-on 8* where I wanted it when she started at the lake last year to break in the cam.
    Even if the dist is off a tooth, it only messes up the relation from the dist rotation/position relative to the parts on the manifold. It won't alter the ability to get the timing set correctly. It just has the dist rotated more 1 way or other than usual to get right.

  8. #8
    Moneypitt
    I think Kevin figured this one out, something about a bad plug wire giving false pulses to the timing light or something like that. The inductive pick up was getting spark from the # 3 wire, or something..............Anyway I think he figured it out........MP

  9. #9
    SmokinLowriderSS
    Now THAT's one to file away under "engine weirdness". Now that I think about it tho, is sure possible. Glad he figured it out. :boxed:

  10. #10
    lilrick
    why does my mark not line up when i am timing the motor ???If i retard it to get close to the mark it dies...Can the harmonic balancer slip ??
    make sure you disconnect the pump before you run this thing on the trailer!!

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