Timing Problem

[Robert/Texas]

I took my ’28 roadster for a short drive last week. It started right up and ran well. The next day I backed it out of the barn and shut it off while 2 passengers got in it. I restarted the engine and It immediately ran rough, missing and stalling like it was way out of time and it was impossible to drive. I’m thinking that possibly the timing gear had skipped a tooth but I’m asking for other thoughts.

Thanks in advance for any helpful opinions and suggestions, Robert.

 

[29spcoupe]

Distributor cam may have loosened up. Check that first.

 

[nkaminar]

I think there should be a washer under the distributor cam and if that is missing the screw will bottom out without securing the cam. It also may be that the rotor is defective and not indexing correctly. Try rotating the rotor on top of the cam and then see if the cam can rotate.

 

[Big hammer]

Clean and check the points gap, point gap effects the timing. You didn’t complain about smelling or gas dripping out of the carburetor. IMO the worst thing you can do is stopping an engine before it is throughly warmed up, pull the parking brake while loading your car and go for a nice long drive !

 

[Bob Bidonde]

The weather has chilled, so the GAV needs to be 1/2 to 1 turn open when starting a cold engine. Otherwise, poor engine performance more often than not is due to an ignition fault or gas flow issue. Look for the easy things first. Check the gas flow and ignition. It is not likely that the camshaft timing gear failed or jumper a tooth. It is also not likely the the distributor cam is loose. A few things to check:
> Drain the sediment bowl;
> Check gas flow at the carburetor;
> Make sure the gas cap has an open vent to the atmosphere;

> Points closed or pitted;
> Condenser failing;
> Hi-voltage arcing;
> Fouled spark plugs.
If the fault is not found in the easy checks, do a compression check.