Spark advance trouble

1935TOWtruck

Junior Member
Hi am in need of some help working on 1931 pickup timing followed all steps but spark advances won’t open work like it’s supposed to.if I turn cam to number 4 it tests ok any suggestions thanks.once I turn cam to number one it will not open points.
 
Not sure what is going on from your description.
You must set the point gap first, and setting point gap should be the same as you rotate the cam, regardless of which cylinder the cam is rotated to. If it's not, it sounds like you may have a very bad cam or a lot of wear in the distributor bushings.
Another area to look if the problem is only related to spark advance, would be distributor housing wear that allows the distributor plate to move as it is rotated, or a worn plate.
 
Probably 180 degrees out on the timing. Make sure the valves are closed when #1 cylinder is at TDC - Go 1 more revolution on the cam gear for the timing pin to depress.
 
Thanks for all the tips what is happening is I found dimple after cranking engine then set points to .020 I hooked test light to one side of coil light goes out when I turn key on then I lower spark lever and my test light won’t light up when rotor is facing number one if I rotate to different cylinder everything checks fine
 
Grip the points cam and see if it wiggles in the bearing. If it does you need new distributor bearings. If you can twist it a little that's ok but no side to side.

The upper plate, how does that fit? Does it have any side to side movement? It should not have any as this would change the gap.

So to review,

Check everything for a good fit.

and on Marco's site under the "Preliminaries" section of the timing page, Set the engine to #1 by using the pin. Loosen the cam and rotate it so that the point block is on a cam lobe and the points will open no more. Adjust the gap.

Follow the rest of the instructions given on Marcos' site. Remembering only turning the cam clockwise to take out any backlash.
 
Back
Top