Timing by ear?

i think the balancer only goes on one way. you could have the wrong heat range sparks plugs.

You set the timing by ear because you didn't want to have to pull the balancer off? Why would you have to take it off to set the timing?

OH! That explains it. No, there is no better way. I'd say your best fix would be one of those adjustable timing pointers from Reichart or UPR, then you could put it where there's a reading, maybe? Timing by ear isn't a great idea though, even if you're a master tech. You can be 20 degrees off and not even know it.

Maybe the plug was grey because it was loose. Just a thought.

Sounds like you have a bad balancer, one that has spun off alignment. The balancer is keyed so that it only fits one way when properly installed. If it was installed without the key, you could have some serious problems hiding in the engine waiting to bite you in the rear.

Maybe when you found TDC with the screwdriver the piston was on the exhaust stroke?

i wont comment on the balancer stuff but timing by ear works once you know you are close. that is what we ALL do. we time it, and if while driving, we HEAR detonation/ preignition, we back it off. i do time by ear, but check it with a light, so i know what i am at. as i get older, i dont trust me ears to hear faint pinging.

i would rather 'time by ear,' than rely on some random number being right. all motors like different timing. i used to frequently advance till i heard pinging and then back it off a little, never using a light ever. it works for me.

My point was that it should always have a light put on it. Not that timing by ear shouldn't be done, but that you should always know where you are set. While all engines like a little different timing, there are some of those random numbers that they all don't like at all, and it will cause lot's of other issues and you wouldn't hear anything wrong. My timing pointer broke off my timing cover years ago, so we were doing it by ear. My tech is an ASE certified master who has been building and tuning hotrods for twenty years. The car ran strong and didn't make any noises. When I finally bought a new pointer, we saw we had over twenty degees off where we wanted to be. By setting it with a light, it immediately ran cooler, got better milage, and performed better. I only run 91 in it, it won't run on anything lower- and we never got a knock or a ping out of it ever. Use your ears if you want, just as long as you baseline it with a light first and check it with a light when you're done.

You can't put the balancer on in the wrong position - it's keyed - it only goes on one way. If the timing mark is that far off (100 degrees you said?), perhaps it's the wrong balancer for the engine (highly unlikely I'd guess), or someone has installed an adjustable timing pointer that's all out of whack. Not sure - it seems very strange to me. If the balancer was bad and the outer ring had spun, I'd think you'd be getting some noticeable vibrations.

Trying to get a good 'read' on a loose plug doesn't make any sense; and the way to 'read' them is by making a full throttle pass, and immediately shutting off the engine, coasting to a stop and pulling the plug. The circumstances under which you read it were compromised - tighten it back up and focus on the balancer/timing issue before you worry about the plug readings. Also, your engine is basically stock - you should expect it to feel like it's losing power in the 4500-5000 rpm range - the power peak is about 44-4600 rpm. Perfectly normal.

I'd keep investigating the timing issue - something's funky with either your balancer or pointer. But you can't put one on wrong - it's keyed and only goes on one way. Is it possible you clipped your timing light on the wrong spark plug wire? They are easy to confuse up on the distributor - and that would explain your 100 degree off reading and the fact that the car seems to be running ok.