i just got the car a week ago. first drive that i took in it was great but when i got home noticed that the top end was leaking oil so i replaced intake manifold gaskets and valve cover gaskets. put the distributer back in and it wouldnt fire. so i took the distributer back out, brought the number one piston to TDC and re-installed the distributer with rotor button on the number 1 wire post. it tried to start but i had to advance the distributer until the vaccume advance was touching the intake manifold. even then i had to stay on the throttle. it wouldnt idle and was real rough in low rpms but in higher rpms it smoothed back out. i tried moving a tooth on the distributer each way but it only got worse. dont want to take it to a shop but im out of ideas. any advice will help. thanks

 

Not a lot of traffic on "Advanced Tech", and probably not much more on "Classic Engine Tech", but let's try putting a copy of this there. This site is top-heavy with a few 3rd Gens, a ton of 4th Gens, and a growing 5th Gen element. But the classic 1st and 2nd Gen's seem under-represented.

 

You may be one tooth off with the distributor. You can check that by rotating the plug wires on the cap. Move them all counter clockwise 1 place and see if that helps the car fire. If it does, you just need to move the distributor one more click.

 

Only two mistakes you could have made. Your either one tooth off or your 180* off. How do you know you were at TDC when you put the dist. in the second time??

Check the third post down.
https://www.camaroz28.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=517971

 

and even more importantly, TDC on the Compression stroke

 

My dollar says you are 180 degrees off. Keep the housing in the correct position but turn the rotor 180 degrees and mount it. Also, make sure you fully drop it into the slot.

 

I agree with these guys. I believe you are 180 degrees off. The way I explained it to my son when he read this was that these engines are 4 stroke and have a compression storke every other rotation. He is used to two stroke engines. I showed him on the engine on the stand that when a plug is removed you can place your thumb over the hole and find the TDC on the compression stroke by feeling the compression push your thumb off the hole. You can then insert your screwdriver or whatever you are using to find the TDC and rotate the engine back and forth until you are satisfied you found it. He was amazed that you could find the compression stroke like this; he is 8 so he finds a lot of things amazing. I would suggest doing this method though. Hold your thumb on the number one hard as to not let air exscape through the hole and when you hit the compression stroke you will know it. Then adjust to where you want the piston and try there.

 

Also., another way is to pull the cap off and bump it over to were #1 is. and see were the rotor is aimed. then turn it over 180 degress and then pull it out and drop it back in at #1. Using your finger is all well and good, but in most all cases you need to be at top dead center and you have to use the pointer on the timing cover. What happened to you is what happens to a lot of guy's I would guess that you forgot to mark the dizzy before you pulled it, I have done that a few times and even the so called "master builders" here have done it a few times as well. Either way it is an easy fix, just take your time.

 

with motor off...pop the valve cover, socket turn the crank, and check timing mark after number 1 intake valve closes and goes to tdc (can remove #1 plug and stick a small screw driver or a stiff wire in to feel for position). tdc should be close to your desired timing mark on vd and rotor should be pointing to #1. may be 180 deg out. check vacuum hose to v-advance too along with trans vac line. make sure they're properly connected. throw a timing light on it before you finish up. p.s. if you can't manually rotate motor take all the plugs out, just be sure to lable each wire if you need to know where they go. good luck...TJ

 

You know you are on TDC when the timing mark on the balancer lines up with "0" on the timing tag.