Think i fixed my miss, eratic idle etc.

mytight95 · Mar 3, 2004

I was at a buddys house this eve. and he was noticing my dist. was sitting diff. than it did before i had the heads off of the car. So he said i bet it's a tooth off, he said this form listening to the car at idle and looking at the dist. Well we put the #1 cylinder at TDC and proceeded to redo the dist. the firing order and everything to make sure it was all right. Move it up one tooth (advanced) and set the timing and it idles a lot better. It has a healthy lope compared to b4. The car seems to run a lot better, i also noticed that my coil is arcing when all the lights are out, all around the casing of the coil. if anyone else has trouble like this and has had the dist. out then i guess there is a poss. that they could have done the same.

thanks

jason

p.s. what exactly happens when your dist is off by a tooth. Why would this make a diff. in the way the car runs when it is still set with a timing light to the timng desired]

Rootus · Mar 3, 2004

mytight95 said:
what exactly happens when your dist is off by a tooth.

There is no such thing as "off by a tooth".

Your timing is either correct, or it's not.

Dave

mytight95 · Mar 3, 2004

the why would it have made a diff. in the way it runs when set by the same timing light etc. before and after. I am baffled

Rootus · Mar 3, 2004

mytight95 said:
the why would it have made a diff. in the way it runs when set by the same timing light etc. before and after. I am baffled

If you had the same timing before and after, then any improvement was unrelated or a figment of your imagination . The only thing the cam gear does for the distributor is turn it. The distributor has no knowledge of what position the cam is in, and for that matter no knowledge of its own position in relation to anything else on the motor. The only relationship that matters is between the housing of the distributor and the rotor (although it is important that the #1 wire be connected to the #1 terminal).

Dave

mytight95 · Mar 3, 2004

well there was something swanky somewhere, and it seems to be gone

oh well

GTJake · Mar 3, 2004

Thank you Dave for correcting a comman misconception. When I did my intake install I had to twist the dizzy way to the right to get the right timing (14*). It ran fine that way, but the plug wires were getting tugged tightly, so I restabbed the dizzy so it was straight and set the timing again to 14*. It ran exactly the same. No such thing as a tooth off. Glad to hear you got your problems fixed though Jason!

Jake

BlueOvalStangGT · Mar 3, 2004

well how come everyone tells me my distributer is off a tooth and it runs like crap. when i do set the timing to 14 the thing pings like crazy. can soemone clarify on some of this?

Rootus · Mar 3, 2004

BlueOvalStangGT said:
well how come everyone tells me my distributer is off a tooth and it runs like crap. when i do set the timing to 14 the thing pings like crazy. can soemone clarify on some of this?

Timing is timing is timing. Read my above post -- all the cam does is turn the distributor, nothing more, nothing less. When someone tells you that your distributor is off a tooth, you have just received bona fide evidence that they know dick about cars...

Dave

red94fiveo · Mar 3, 2004

If the bas of the distributor is in a certain poistion, then 'being of a tooth' means that moving the distributor a tooth over without moving the base would probably correct the problem. On the other than you could just twist the base like Jake did and correct the problem. So like Dave said, there is really no such thing as being off a tooth. Hope that makes sense.

Josh94gt · Mar 3, 2004

With 14* of timing, you need to run premium gas. 93 octane or better should take away the pinging. The standard base timing on a stock mustang is supposed to be 10* BTDC. With that setting our cars can run regular 87 octane with no serious pinging problems except maybe oh hot days at high rpms.

So if your car is pinging you should try better gas or retard the timing a couples degrees until it stops.

red94fiveoh - nice explanation. If someone doesn't get it after that, they shouldn't be messing with their own timing lol.

tmoss · Mar 3, 2004

There is such a thing as being a tooth (or more) off - but it ONLY relates to the clocked position of the TFI module which is mounted on the distributor housing when ignition timing is set at 10°. If your only off ojne tooth in either direction, you can just loosen the base and adjust timing. Keep something else in mind here too guys, all these parts are mass produced and so they have tolerances that may stack up and result in the rotor having a "sweeter" position for ignition that can vary from car to car.

Rootus · Mar 3, 2004

tmoss said:
There is such a thing as being a tooth (or more) off - but it ONLY relates to the clocked position of the TFI module which is mounted on the distributor housing when ignition timing is set at 10°.

Remember that 94/95 cars don't have a TFI module on the distributor.

Dave

tmoss · Mar 3, 2004

Forgot, dang I miss that I'm cruising the SN sections sometimes. I lay it off on "old timers".

final5-0 · Mar 3, 2004

LOL

I have seen this talked about for all the years I have been involved with sbf's.

Dave is correct

Tom is correct

It is about the reference point of the dizzy.

If there is enough room, (usually there is not) to twist the dizzy to the left or right, then, you could be in time at three places with the dizzy.

#1 The normal reference point of the dizzy

#2 One tooth off to the left

#3 one tooth off to the right

Peace Guys, Its all good

Later
Grady

mytight95 · Mar 3, 2004

well i knew somehting was different b/c the snaps for the cap, were in a diff. location.

other than that oh well, i have always been told this but i did think that it could be possible. Just because i don't know every possible thing about the timing in my car doesn't mean i dont know anything about it.....!! Oh well at least i can get my dizzy cap on now without fighting it.

jason

Rootus · Mar 3, 2004

mytight95 said:
other than that oh well, i have always been told this but i did think that it could be possible. Just because i don't know every possible thing about the timing in my car doesn't mean i dont know anything about it.....!!

Nobody was ragging on ya ... just trying to make sure that this [very popular] misconception isn't spread any further.

Dave

mytight95 · Mar 3, 2004

im not raggin lol i am on here to learn, so any and all help is appreciated don't let my nature (smarty) lead anybody think that i think i know it all. <-------that'll be the day.

thanks you guys p.s. i was wrong about i clearing up my probs idles better but i still have that miss

BlueOvalStangGT · Mar 3, 2004

good thing this was clarified, i couldnt figure out how the h3ll it beeing over a tooth could not be compensated by turning the dizzy. I guess i shouldnt listen to the guys a NAPA anymore even though they gave me a new belt and new lights for nothing.

leathalsn95 · Mar 3, 2004

thanks you guys p.s. i was wrong about i clearing up my probs idles better but i still have that miss [/QUOTE]

That coil pack is most likely the problem of the miss and check all your wires while your at it see if there jumping to

leathalsn95 · Mar 3, 2004

Josh94gt said:
With 14* of timing, you need to run premium gas. 93 octane or better should take away the pinging. The standard base timing on a stock mustang is supposed to be 10* BTDC. With that setting our cars can run regular 87 octane with no serious pinging problems except maybe oh hot days at high rpms.

So if your car is pinging you should try better gas or retard the timing a couples degrees until it stops.

red94fiveoh - nice explanation. If someone doesn't get it after that, they shouldn't be messing with their own timing lol.

One of the drivability guys at my dealership told me to put octane booster in with 93 octain (which 93 is the only fuel i buy) and that still didnt stop the pinging and my timing is at 10* a lot of my frinds have the same problem too
I put a diablo chip in and it stoped pinging in cooler weather

I had an 88 and the timing was at 14* that car never had a pinging problem not even when the electric fan took a dump

Think i fixed my miss, eratic idle etc.

Active Member

Officially Addicted

Active Member

Officially Addicted

Active Member

Active Member

Officially Addicted

New Member

Member

Gettin Wired

Officially Addicted

Gettin Wired

Mustang Master

Active Member

Officially Addicted

Active Member

Active Member

New Member

New Member

Similar threads

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency