LUVTruck.com

Hey all,
Dottie has been running like crap lately (herky-jerky, backfiring, pinging and popping, I already had to replace one muffler that exploded on a particularly loud backfire) I know the timing is off, but each time I adjust it, it goes off again a few days later. I went and bought a tachometer so I could actually tell what the rpms are to properly adjust the idle and timing. So this is the weird part. The rpms are pretty erratic. The needle jumps from 800 to 1600 and everywhere in between. Before I hooked it up, I checked the timing with my strobe ray gun and the mark on the crankshaft pulley also jumped around rapidly (about 6 degrees or so). What could cause this? All the plugs are firing BTW. Thanks! (PS I know I should get a weber carb

Sounds like the points are junk or and this goes for electronic ign to, the adv. plate or vac adv. arm is wore out and letting it shudder back and forth.

Pull the cap and make sure your points if you have them are in good shape then reach in and see if there is slop in the adv. plate by trying to move with your finger. also make sure all your elec. connections are tight band clean.Vac. check your vac. adv and see that it is in working order.

One of these should be the problem once you have done all this and it still has a prob. let us know.

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1978 pro street step/side 455Buick, 4sp,4.11s, 31/18.5s

If you replace the points you always replace the condensor ive been told.

Or the springs have fallen off the advance weights and they are bouncing around all over the place. Take the cap off and see if you can move the rotor button. It should be spring loaded to move a small distance.

The other thing could be the bush on the main shaft in the distributor being flogged out.


You might have to set it up with all the timing marks lined up and pull the distributor. Either fix it or see if you can get an electronic one and fit that in and make the changes to the coil wiring.

Ive seen the electronic ones on eBay for a pretty good price.
Or you can use the guts out of the dizzy from a FWD (85 or 86??) I mark and put that into your housing. Can give you a link to a write up on that if you want it.
A propper G180-200 electronic dizzy goes for $150+ down here, they werent real common. Hence the conversion mentioned above.


Cheers, Bob.

_________________
Current project, 1979 KB Isuzu Ute.

Daily driver, '86 Rodeo Spacecab.
Chasing parts for Isuzu Impulse.

You guys ROCK! Problem solved! It had been getting progressively worse over the past couple months but I hadn't had time to really dig in yet. It was totally the points. They were completely closed. I took the distributor out and took the points off and it had the mountain on one side and the pit on the other that the mountain fit into. I filed off the mountain and while I was at it checked the vacuum advance. It was working OK (I sucked on it and the arm moved, kissin' the LUV ) I put her all together and she was purring like I have never heard before! The tachometer was steady and so was the timing (which now was at about -30 deg instead of -6). I adjusted it all and drove around for awhile and all is good! This is great because I am moving to North Carolina on Saturday and she is fully loaded up with my junk! Thanks again TJ and Rodeobob!

No worries fella.

Do yourself a favor and next time you going past an auto parts store drop in and lay a few bucks on the counter. Handy to have a spare set of points and a condensor in the glove box. All you need is a feeler guage and a screwdriver.

You can set the timing by ear.


Bob.

_________________
Current project, 1979 KB Isuzu Ute.

Daily driver, '86 Rodeo Spacecab.
Chasing parts for Isuzu Impulse.