have you reved your engine up to 1500 or 2000, the cam would smooth out then and you would have a better idea if there is a miss.
If I had it 180 off it wouldnt even be running would it? But besides that, when I set the dizzy I turned the motor over until after the intake closed, and then to TDC mark. Firing order 1 8 4 3 6 5 7 2
Now to really help you understand tuning, if your running a vacuum advance can on the distributor, you need rated that will closely match the available vacuum your engine is producing/generating. Possibly more important than that is your Carb's power valve { if equipped } also matches the engines available vacuum. Real aggresive cams play havoc on tuning especially on a street driven vehicle. Its critical and takes some doing to match the distributor vacuum can { if so equipped } and the carbs power valve to the engine available vacuum.
I knew going into this build I was going to have to sort out the problems, but I did take some measures to help compensate. I went to manual brakes (or trying to I should say), I bought a HEI dizzy that has an adjustable vacuum advance, and I bought a quick fuel carb with mechanical secondaries. As far as the power valve, I did not even realize that, that would be a problem. Here is the video I am basing my rough idle on... http://youtu.be/HzWx-4jS9Vg Kind of the same build, but I have less compression, 10 to 1 on my build.
Vacuum line is hooked up to the distributor, although I never checked to see if the timing advanced before I stopped running it because of the #1 cylinder being cold.
Did you loosen the hose from the distributor and plugged it when you adjusted the timing ! Tell me exactly how did when you adjusted the timing !
Like many have said, need to see if you are getting spark to that cyl. Cut to length plug wires have given many people including myself problems.
This is all pretty interesting to me....I can't wait to find out the problem.....TR...YOU are the man.....I wish I knew just a little bit of what you know.....I'm not much of a mechanic....but am very interested. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'm in love with a bitch I can't stand....
I set the initial timing with the carb off.. I set it to 10 degrees advanced. Come Saturday I will sort threw everyones suggestions and find the culprit. Could be the plug wires, but I swapped a plug wire and spark plug from a known good source and it still seemed to not be firing. I even rotated all plugs clockwise on the distributor and reset the timing to no avail. On another note, I dont understand why I get a 2 star rating on this thread by asking for help? Wow.
Its possible, but im getting fuel on the tip of the plug so i know its atleast flowing some fuel into it.
No, I am not certain the cylinder isnt firing. I just know that I can nearly hold that header where the other ones I cant even touch.
I am going to buy a spark plug testing tool and I will let you know what I find out on that aswell. The only thing I know of that is certain is that the timing light will conduct on the #1 cap of the distributor.
"you can nearly hold the header pipe at that cyl". TR is the man on this one... I had kinda the same problem with the last engine I built. I set the valves like you did and unknowingly over tightened them. I then adjusted them the old fashioned way with the valve covers off and the engine running. Thanks to TR I will never do it like that again!!!
I have always run my float bowl level, right to the bottom of the sight plugs hole. To where when you shake the car, fuel spills out. Now, not saying your power valve is wrong. But here is how I was taught to determine, which power valve was needed. Lower the engines rpm as low as possible Divide the engines vacuum reading by two Then add .5 to that number
Just want to chime in regarding the setting of valves. I have tried setting them with the engine running once (SBC) ... and only once. Too hard for me with all the racket from the other valves and the oil pissing everywhere (I did use an old valve cover that I had cut the top off of to limit the mess but it was still messy). I always pump up the lifters before installation (by hand using a very small pump oil can) and I adjust the rockers before the intake goes on so I can actually see that I am not pushing the plunger/piston down into the lifter body. As for adjusting them once the intake is on and the engine has been run, I personally have never had a problem with the "spin the pushrod" method myself due to the lifters being pumped up from use (and therefore harder to compress). I use the instructions for adjusting valves from the "how to rebuild a SBC" book (when intake and exhaust are rocking on cylinder ___ adjust both the intake and exhaust on cylinder ___) ... works for me. Just curious ... if the rockers (or one rocker) on cylinder #1 was adjusted too tight, wouldn't that be reflected in the compression test? (if one of the valves was hanging open you wouldn't be registering any compression I would think).
Borntoloze - I would think the same thing.. but if i I have them set to loose then tje valves wouldn't be opening enough... id say 150 psi cold is excelent compression with the larger cam I have.
As long as the cam was in the corrrect position ... and you tightened the rocker till the pushrod stopped spinning, then 1/2 turn more ... I can't see how the rocker could be adjusted too loose (again, as long as the cam was in the correct position).
From "How to Rebuild A SBC" ...... Adjust rocker lash on cylinder 1 when intake and exhaust on 6 is just "rocking". T That means you adjust both intake and exhaust on #1 when #6 is just "rocking". Never had a problem with this method. For the rest of the cylinders ... adjust 8 when 5 rocks. 4 when 7 rocks. 3 when 2 rocks. 6 when 1 rocks. 5 when 8 rocks. 7 when 4 rocks. 2 when 3 rocks.
My quickfuel manual says to set height to middle of site, and that has been done. I really need to buy a nice fuel pump cause this shitty mr gasket one isn't worth the plastic its made out of. I'm saving up for a quickfuel pump to match the rest of the fuel system. I may go with a elderblock or summit, I've heard good reviews of them too.
Sounds like a better system then what i was doing. I used a guide where you spin the motor 90 degrees at a time and adjust each valve individually.
I made a phone call, because I wanted to know for myself. You can run the level halfway up, but no higher. He (Steve Maxfield) prefers a quarter of the way up to leave room for expansion with todays fuels. I learned something. Anyways, good luck
You mentioned that you have "tight fitting" headers. Make sure that the plug wire boot for the #1 cylinder isn't pressed so tight against the header pipe that the spark is bleeding through to the header instead of firing across the spark plug gap where you need it. Those short Accel plugs should give you enough clearance to eliminate this as a possibility, but it is one more thing to check. Also make sure your cap is good, as some have mentioned. Please ignore any tips regarding "distributor 180 out" and "firing order" that have been given. Your engine runs, so the distributor has to be within an acceptable range of timing. You only have ONE cold header pipe, right? That means the other 7 wires are in the right spot, leaving one wire which needs to go to Cylinder #1. I don't think math has changed that much since the last time I looked at an 8-cylinder motor.
The plug wire to header, there is close to one inch clearence. Thats why i bought the header plugs. The number 3 plug is the closest, i will probably have to buy wire protector sleeves in my future.
Dont be in a hurry to tear that motor back down because of this one little problem ... I would take the valve cover off and see if you have a valve a little to tight ... You may have a intake gasket leak on #1
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