Distributor Adjustment

[Hermyboy3000]

Howdy folks!<br /><br />My neighbor and I tried to adjust my timing a couple weeks ago, and we did a fair job at getting the engine to idle smoothly but the timing was still off. My neighbor told me that the distributor is "a tooth off" and that is why we couldn't time the engine according to specs. <br /><br />So my question is how do I get this "tooth-off" adjusted? I understand that I will have to pull the distributor out and rotate it. I was told that if I don't know what I'm doing I can really screw things up. I have the Seloc manual for my engine and the shift looks like an easy deal. Have you guys done this and how hard/easy is it? By the way, I am not talking about the rotation you would normally do to the distributor to time it. I'm talking about the actual pull of the whole distributor and shaft and syncing this "tooth." (Just needed to clarify) What exactly should I watch out for when I'm doing this adjustment? How do I know when I've adjusted this tooth, will I feel something engage? Will I feel a click or something?<br /><br />After I have adjusted this "tooth" and I go to re-time the engine, will the motor just start up if I went the right direction or will it rough start/not start if I went in the wrong direction? I ask this just so that I don't wind up fouling the timing off even more with the distributor turned in the wrong direction.<br /><br />Points are adjusted and dwelled to spec.<br /><br />PS I currently cannot get my engine to idle at the 850rpm spec, I assume it's do to the out of whack timing. I hope the timing correction will help my idle, because I currently have to run at about 1200 . This is no good with the current price of gas and all. (not to mention this high idle makes for real hard shifitng between neutral and foreward/reverse.<br /><br />***********************************************<br />The low down:<br />Volvo Penta AQ 130c<br />270 Outdrive<br />4 cylinder<br />dual Solex 1 barrel carbs<br />Brand new spark plugs and cables<br />Distributor cap and rotor are in good shape<br />***********************************************

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: Distributor Adjustment

I'm not a Volvo guy but......Disconnect the - side of battery. Remove the spark plug to the # 1 cylinder, and rotate the crankshaft with a suitable wrench (normal rotation), until you feel compression in that cylinder....Continue until the timing mark on the balancer is @ 0* on the timing tab.......This is #1 T.D.C.......Take off distributer cap, and note position of the rotor.....Is it popinting at the #1 position on the dist cap? If not, remove the dist. and rotate till it does, with room to adjust both ways......Replace cap, plug, wire and battery cable, snug uo dist and give it a shot.....You may have to play with it,(rotate) to get it to start......Set timing.....Go boating.....JK

 

[f_inscreenname]

Re: Distributor Adjustment

How can a tooth off affect your ability to set the timing properly? It shouldn't matter where you set the distributor except for as long as you can get the number one plug post on the cap to be where the rotor is when the #1 piston is at the top of the compression stroke. <br />Someone help me out here?

 

[Don S]

Re: Distributor Adjustment

For all you guys not familiar with the Volvo 4 cylinder engines. They are different from any Ford or Chevy engine. If you don't have the distributor in the right spot, you can't put the distributor hold down bolt in the slot.<br />It's not a big deal to move, just lift it up just enough to clear the gear and turn in the appropriate direction. It won't go all the way down because of the oil pump drive. Just bump the engine over while holding the distributor into the gear until it drops into oil pump.

 

[mkast]

Re: Distributor Adjustment

Is the 850 RPM idle in gear, in the water? Not on the trailer.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Distributor Adjustment

Unless the Dist. has recently been Removed,.......<br /><br />How did it get to be a Tooth Off,.?????<br /><br />It's Not something that just Becomes Out of Adjustment,..??......<br /><br />You're Right,... I Know Nothing about Volvos,.... I just Don't see how this can be your Issue,.......<br />Unless the Dist. has been Removed...??.....

 

[Hermyboy3000]

Re: Distributor Adjustment

Bondo,<br /><br />I'm not sure how many people owned this boat before me. So the dist. might have been pulled out and reinstalled incorrectly. My neighbor and I tried our damndest to get the timing to spec, whenever we got the timing marks aligned to spec the engine would die. Maybe there is something else wrong?

 

[Hermyboy3000]

Re: Distributor Adjustment

Mkast,<br /><br />My spec sheet doesn't state whether the idle speed is in the water or on the trailer. So I really don't know? I just know that when I try to lower the idle under 1000 in the water the engine begins to go into a seizure and wants to die. Same is true on the trailer except for that RPM is about 1200.

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Distributor Adjustment

if you were able to get the timing mark to spec its not a tooth off. you have another problem.<br /> many import cars and marine stuff used a small slot for adjusting timing. unlike some american stuff that the dist would rotate about as much as you want. but like I say if you can set it at the mark and it dies your chasing ghosts with ign timing. all ign timing is is a relationship to the time spark is delivered to the plug to the position of the piston in its travel up or down the bore.

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: Distributor Adjustment

I agree with everyone, I was just trying to give the right procedure for him to see where he is at.....My Ho of a Mallory distributer will let itself be installed any way it can.....JK