Because you need to set the distributer to TDC. Cant use what book says is #1 until you verfiy that it is, would be my guess. Bet if you put wires on where it runs and rotate distributer it will smooth out....
Timing problems 83 280z
I have my car firing order hooked up correctly, but it won't start. when I rotate all the plugs counter clockwise(not advance or retard) it works but runs very rough. I can't figure out why it runs when not hooked up right and doesn't when I have it hooked up right. Just replaced fuel line hoses, fuel pump and fuel filter, and cleaned out gas tank. I've done all the easy things that i can think of, just got the car like a month ago so i'm new to the Z scene. Anyone got any ideas what else i can try to solve this prob?
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Are you using a timing light? You NEED a timing light!
K gonna try that out tonight and see if it is lined up right.
set TDC, it was off 180 degrees. Now it just turns over and doesn't even try to start up, played with it for over an hour and just got frustrated and left it at that. Can't figure out what it is that is causing the problem.
What method did you use to determine that TDC was 180º out?
Where are you located? Maybe someone here is located near you and can give you some help. Or possibly there is a Z Club near you with someone that can help.
Where are you located? Maybe someone here is located near you and can give you some help. Or possibly there is a Z Club near you with someone that can help.
now that I think of it I screwed tdc up, I set it right after exhaust stoke. Grrrrr I live on the west side of phoenix watching a movie with wife and all I can think of is my car
Yeah i was gonna say if the timing was off 180 that you had the wrong stroke.
Take the valve cover off, and rotate the crank by hand until the cam lobes from cylinder 1 are sticking up. Pull the spark plug, and put a dowel or something in so you can feel the piston move up and down as you rotate the crank. Find the spot where the piston is at it's highest point (TDC). Now check the timing mark on the crank pulley and make sure it's lined up with the pointer. If not, then the outer part of the crank pulley is slipping on the inner part, and you need a new pulley.If it's good, then use typewriter correction fluid or white paint to highlight the timing marks on the crank. Now pull the distributor cap off and make sure the rotor is pointing directly at the contact for spark plug wire #1. If it is, then put everything back together, and use a timing light to correctly set the timing. If the rotor is not pointed at the correct contact, then somebody installed the distributor shaft incorrectly, and you need to either put it in right, or move the wires on the cap so that the #1 wire is connected to the terminal that the rotor is pointing at, and the other wires go counterclockwise from there in the correct firing order. Then you need to set the timing using a timing light.
There's no getting around using the timing light. having the right wires on the right terminals is not close enough. Once you get the wires right, you still need to use a timing light.
Take the valve cover off, and rotate the crank by hand until the cam lobes from cylinder 1 are sticking up. Pull the spark plug, and put a dowel or something in so you can feel the piston move up and down as you rotate the crank. Find the spot where the piston is at it's highest point (TDC). Now check the timing mark on the crank pulley and make sure it's lined up with the pointer. If not, then the outer part of the crank pulley is slipping on the inner part, and you need a new pulley.If it's good, then use typewriter correction fluid or white paint to highlight the timing marks on the crank. Now pull the distributor cap off and make sure the rotor is pointing directly at the contact for spark plug wire #1. If it is, then put everything back together, and use a timing light to correctly set the timing. If the rotor is not pointed at the correct contact, then somebody installed the distributor shaft incorrectly, and you need to either put it in right, or move the wires on the cap so that the #1 wire is connected to the terminal that the rotor is pointing at, and the other wires go counterclockwise from there in the correct firing order. Then you need to set the timing using a timing light.
There's no getting around using the timing light. having the right wires on the right terminals is not close enough. Once you get the wires right, you still need to use a timing light.
I can tell you now that i know something is jacked up, I got the car from this guy that worked at a school as the autoshop teacher. I have a bad feeling that the kids there worked on it, and i know something isn't right with the car. I bought a head gasket yesterday, anything else i should replace on the top end while i got it apart?
why are you replacing the head gasket?
What is going on here? Did you mean valve cover gasket? Surely you didn't remove the head to find TDC lol.
Lol, I want to replace the head gasket so I can see if anything else is jacked up not to fix the timing.the engine has 213k miles on it, I just want to rebuild top end to check every thing and make sure every things lined up right, not to check the timing
Just bought a timing light and bat charger, prob work on it tonite
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