Model a kicks backwards

C

Craziamtoo

Junior Member
28 model a has been timed a dozen times. Won't start then motor . runs in reverse for 10/20 seconds and belches .white smoke out the air intake on the carb. carb and dist have been rebuilt and a new coil added. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks
 
the timing is to fast, it could be the timing dimple on the cam gear is marked wrong, that has been a problem on some chinesse cam gearsif you have the spark lever all the way retarded and it still does it, slow the timing down by moving the rotor so the dist fires later
 
Good solid engine. Have rebuilt carb as float was flooded.all new parts in dist. Timed it several different ways. Cam looks good and points and cond are new. New gas And filter. A was always a good runner. Cant completely retard as slot in dist is too narrow. I am baffled.
 
Look at your timing gear cover, it there a round or oval shaped boss around the timing pin. If you have the round boss; Do you have the slot in the dist. cam facing the right way to fire #1. Going by bad memory, the slot should be across from the No 1 contact in the distributor body and the points just to open with the pin inserted in the dimple in the cam gear.
Could be that you have it timed right but the slot is in the wrong place and it's trying to fire on the wrong cylinder.
 
Has the engine been running up until this point and something changed?
Or is it a rebuild that you are just now trying to start?

Need some history for folks to really be able to help you.
 
Craz, on all the model A dist i have worked on you remove the dist cap, and in the middle of the dist cam there is a screw, loosen it and retard the spark by turning the rotor in the opposit direction of dist rotation. And Bill where have you been? thought maybe BUsterT traded you off for a chee wha wha play mate
 
Mitch//pa said:
Its not you
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The engine try's to run backwards not the car.. Was a good running a until I worked on it. Timing pointer hits detent. Same place every time. Rotor is almost past number one post. If I rotate rotor ccw the cam opens the point instead of just starting to open at Tdc.thanks for the help
 
Craziamtoo said:
The engine try's to run backwards not the car.. Was a good running a until I worked on it. Timing pointer hits detent. Same place every time. Rotor is almost past number one post. If I rotate rotor ccw the cam opens the point instead of just starting to open at Tdc.thanks for the help
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My suggestion would be to remove the #1 spark plug and shine a light in and see if the piston is sitting TDC when you set the timing in the distributor. Be sure it is up on the compression stroke. Put your thumb over the spark plug hole and feel the compression as it is coming up.

Tom Endy
 
Here's Toms post from the other thread on this,

Tom Wesenberg said:
When the timing pin drops into the dimple, does the rotor point TOWARDS the right headlamp?

The rotor turns CCW and the trailing edge should be in line with the contact for #1 plug, which is the one facing the right headlamp.
Click to expand...
 
do you have an original style dist body with the copper/brass tabs, or a cap that uses wires? With wires, its easy to get the firing order off.

if it ran well once, it has to do with something you did, so what all did you do?
 
Hi Craz,

Sounds like you "had" a 4 cycle -- unintentionally removed 2 of the 4 cycles -- now have a 2 cycle -- only 2 cycles can run backwards.

On a serious note, appears you have ignition timing problems. Mr. Endy has a good suggestion to first locate TDC "after" the compression stroke where one feels air trying to exit the no. 1 spark plug hole.

Keep posting what you find, no matter if it sound ridiculous -- it helps to resolve your engine problem.
 
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