Let me preface this by saying that I am an idiot. We all have lapses of concentration, and this was one of them. While working on my '85 van the other weekend, replacing distributor cap, rotor, plugs, and various sundry items, I noticed that the distributor was "loose." Wait, don't jump on me yet. The idiocy reveals itself if you wait. Anyway, the distributor could be turned, about a quarter turn in either direction. Unfortunately, I'm not sure where it was originally as I moved it the first time accidentally when replacing the cap. So anyway, I thought "that's strange", tightened the bolt at the base a little, and the distributor no longer moved. When I started the car, it sounded much better than it had been as the plugs were garbage and the cap was quite worn. But i noticed that it didn't quite seem to be running as smoothly as it had been - or at least it wasn't smooth in a new and different way. It was only then that I realized that I am a (insert expletive here) moron and that what I was inadvertantly playing with was the timing. Am I right? Despite my display of ineptitude, I am usually pretty good with these things and figure I can fix it myself. The question is...How. I browsed the archives, but I couldn't find the exact answer I was looking for. Unfortuntely I own none of the service manuals for the car as the last couple of years it has been sorely neglected (sad - well, there's always Christmas). I am trying to remedy restore the van to its former glory, but I need your help. I assume I need a timing light, but what exactly is the degree before/after TDC and what else should I know. Or am I totally wrong and my distributor was just loose. idiocy? you're soaking in it! Connal cmmhughes@hotmail.com ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com |
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