OK, I started work on my 63 Dart this weekend. (225ci, PB Auto)

I put in a Pertronix Ignitor electronic ignition, mated to a Pertronix flame thrower coil, and replaced the ailing Carter BBS. Ran great when done.....just a hint of a slight miss in drive below 1000 rpm's at idle.

So......I figure, before giving up and starting into pulling the head for worn valve seats, let's check all the obvious, dist. cap, wires, plugs....all checked OK, so on to timing....

I marked the timing line on the pulley with chalk, pulled the distributor advance, stepped to the timing indicator side of the engine and could not find the mark. So I started to circle in front of the engine with the timing light and low and behold exactly 180degrees from the 0 degree timing indicator there was my chalk....steady as she goes, I turned the dist. each way and it was indeed adjustable, I left it set where I had the smoothest idle and highest RPM's. took the car for a test drive and aside from the still present slight hop at low idle, acceleration was good and no high speed anomolies either......

How can this be?? the timing is off by 180degrees yet the car runs amazingly well?? An added benefit is that the timing is easier to adjust from this side of the engine....LoL...you don't need to be Stretch Armstrong or accidently get the timing light wire severed by the fan blades!!

Anyone encountered this?? I am assuming that the Harmonic Balancer cannot be put on backwards......so whats up with this.....seems too severe for a streched chain also.....

Thanks in advance.

Kevin

I can think of only two possibilities; Maybe, just maybe, you've got the distributor in 180* off? (Not real likely, but possible.)

The other one is that the outer ring has slipped around on the hub of the balancer, and it just happens to be 180* off right now. To check this, mark a line across the face of the balancer, from the center to the outer edge. (Hopefully, you don't have a pulley mounted in the way.) Drive it for a little bit, then check to see if your line is still straight. If it isn't, the rubber between the inner and outer portions has gotten bad enough to seperate.

Roger

Or quite possibly the dampner is from a later engine. The timing marks moved in the later engines.

Are you sure youre connecting the inductive pickup to the #1 plug wire?

The #1 cylinder is the first cylinder on the front of the engine.

_________________
I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.

Yep, I'm on #1. Pretty crazy stuff. Still havn't figured it out. I worked on it most of last weekend getting the Pertronix unit installed, new defroster vents, and a reman carb, but had to put it back in it's garage home away from home because of expected bad weather this week.

Keep the suggestions coming.

Thanks,

Kevin

Sounds like your engine is installed backwards. Take it out and turn it around.

Seriously, prior to this, has the timing chain been replaced by you or someone else? Could this be a result of the chain being installed without #1 at TDC?

Jerry

_________________
There's a difference between ignorance and stupidity.
Ignorance is not knowing any better.
Stupidity is knowing, yet doing it anyway.

Just following up with some info I dug up over on Allpar forums. this looks like potentially my problem, separated damper due to rubber wearing out. I'll check this weekend and repost.
Kevin

I've encounterd one or two stories on here about /6's running 180deg off so you never know....

Try putting the inductive timing light pickup on the #6 plug wire. Your engine will not run with the dist "180 out", meaning that the distributor is 180 out of phase with the cam timing, but both could be off.

Lou

_________________
Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

After removing dizzy to fit a new engine mount to take out a shudder I must have put it back 180 degrees out. It was blowing back up the carby. I took out the no. 1 spark plug and turned engine using fan until I felt air coming out on compression stroke. Make sure you don’t set it to the exhaust stroke. I then used a plastic straw into the cylinder via the spark plug hole to find tdc. I then turned the dizzy to have the rotor point to no.1 lead tower on the cap. Started first go. I then used the timing light to set it. Seemed to run best at 7 degrees before tdc.

Come on guys. Timing chain/sprockets? Distributor 180 out? I don't think so. If the engine runs good, it can't be any of those. Only possibilities, are:
1) incorrect damper, timing tab match
2) damper slipped

I vote for number 1. If the rubber in the damper is that bad, most likely the outer ring would have come off.

Woops, just noticed the original post is about 16 years old

_________________
Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 170 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170
64 Valiant 4dr 225