My SL6 runs smoothly, but the timing mark on the pulley lights up with the timing light when it is at the top of the pulley.

The timing light does not have any adjustment feature and the harmonizer in the pulley has not slipped. I put piston 1 at TDC, using a rod in the spark plug hole, and that put the timing mark right where it should be.

When I rotate the distributer (in the retard direction), in an attempt to get the timing mark in the correct place, the engine dies.

Could it be the distributer is one gear tooth out of position?

What's wrong? What to do?

(Of course, I can just drive it as is.)

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Street Mechanic
1964 Valiant Signet Conv.
1965 Valiant Signet 2 Dr. sedan

pull and plug vac line running to dist. then check with light

Good idea, but not the solution.

Timing was without vacuum. Plugged at carb.

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Street Mechanic
1964 Valiant Signet Conv.
1965 Valiant Signet 2 Dr. sedan

How old is it?
The damper ring may slipped throwing the readings off.
Put it back to TDC manually, then remark the damper.

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Aggressive Ted

http://cid-32f1e50ddb40a03c.photos.live ... %20Swinger


74 Swinger, 9.5 comp 254/.435 lift cam, 904, ram air, electric fans, 2.5" HP2 & FM70 ex, 1920 Holley#56jet, 2.76 8 3/4 Sure-Grip, 26" tires, 25+MPG

This is incorrect. The rod will stop the piston before the piston reaches true TDC. If the timing mark read TDC with the piston pressed against the stop, your timing mark has sipped. This means the timing mark itself is advanced or retarded (depending on which side of TDC and which direction you rotated the crank to get the piston to TDC when you checked the mark). THis means your base timing is incorrect.

THe correct way to verify that your timing mark hasn't slipped is to (1) install a piston stop tool in cylinder #1 (or six, if that is more accessible), (2) rotate the motor by hand one way until the piston hits the stop, (3) put a mark on the vibration dampener that lines up with TDC, (4) rotate the engine the opposite direction until the piston stops again, (5) mark a second mark on the dampener at TDC, (6) remove the piston stop, rotate the crank so you can see both marks you just made, and put your new timing mark directly in the middle between the two marks you made using the piston stop.

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.

It is possible the damper, and/or timing cover have been changed. There were a few different ones and they need to be matched to each other. What year is the engine?

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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

Thanks, guys,

One clue was helpful. I knew enough to disable the vacuum advance and plug the carb. I also was aware of Reed's tip for finding TDC from lurking here for years, approximated it by measuring with a rod and knew the mark is in the vicinity of 0 degrees at TDC.

(I have had SL6 Valiants since 1980, and watched the tips in the old SL6 clubs magazines and on this Forum, and contributed a few times under a UserName I forgot.)

Today, I disassembled the distributer. The arm from the vacuum advance was bent at the end, freezing the breaker plate so it would not move. As a result, there was no vacuum advance. (Hadn't heard of that problem belore). Apparently, the initial advance had been moved up to optimize acceleration in the absence of vacuum advance. Fixed that, and removed some gummed solid grease and oiled the works properly.

There is still a significant error in the timing mark. I'll recheck TDC more carefully next time I have a chance, in a week, or a month or next Spring. (The '64 convertible goes into storage in November and the '65 sedan comes out to a more accessible garage in the Winter.)

It's amazing how a SL6 will chug along when misadjusted and gummed up, and how great one can be with a properly rebuilt, clean and adjusted carb, a new coil and proper vacum advance.

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Street Mechanic
1964 Valiant Signet Conv.
1965 Valiant Signet 2 Dr. sedan

Word to your mother.

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.