Magic Disappearing 454 Balancer

[MahtyMaht]

I got an oil leak, pooling small amounts in the valley of the Edlelbrock airgap rpm. The only places I can see that might do it are the intake bolts, if they penetrate the oil passages in the heads, or the distributor gasket. I snatched the dizzy , gasket looked dicey, so I made a better one, but I fumbled it going back in and rolled the shaft. Now i gotta try to orient the crnak with #1 at compression tdc, but I can't see the starboard side of the balancer. Even if I yank all the hoses, the circulating pump wraps around that half of it. I've tried a mirror and a light, what else is there? Do I really have to take the friggin' pump off? How does a guy tim one of these things?

 

[dubs283]

Re: Magic Disappearing 454 Balancer

remove #1 plug and hold finger over the hole

bump the engine over with the coil wire grounded til the air blasts your finger off the hole

there will be two blasts, the "stronger" of the two will be tdc #1 cylinder compression stroke

install the dist and note the postion on the rotor - that is number 1 fire, install cap and wires accordingly to engine firing order

 

[Don S]

Re: Magic Disappearing 454 Balancer

there will be two blasts, the "stronger" of the two will be tdc #1 cylinder compression stroke

Never heard that one before.

You turn the engine by hand in the normal direction of rotation until you feel compression building in #1 cylinder. Once you feel compression building up, you continue turning the engine in the normal direction of rotation until the timing marks line up. When the marks line up, you are at #1 TDC on the compression stroke.

 

[Alpheus]

Re: Magic Disappearing 454 Balancer

Just have to remove what you have to, to see the marks. You have to be able to get a timing light in there after you get your distributer set in...

Also, the timing tab on a BBC is on the port side of the timing chain cover...

 

[Vanover]

Re: Magic Disappearing 454 Balancer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBywvhXLFZE

here you go. Same on sm and bg blk chev's. Hope this helps you.

 

[MahtyMaht]

Re: Magic Disappearing 454 Balancer

'Preciate all the replies, guys - I know I gotta get # 1 up to TDC with the timing marks aligned, and I know the block mounted pointer is on the port side, but it's a LH engine, so the balancer mark will approach the pointer from starboard. I can't believe that to see the balancer, I gotta pull the water pump.

 

[MahtyMaht]

Re: Magic Disappearing 454 Balancer

I'm simply not going to pull the water pump. The best I could do was short bumps on the starter till I could find the balancer mark, then try to track it with a mirror thru more short bumps till it was only about 3/4" away from the pointer. I'm thinkin' I'll try stabbin' the dizzy a tooth early, 'cause I know the next bump will overshoot. It was only when I tried to stab the durn thang that I discovered it would only fully seat on the dizzy gasket in one of two places, 180 Degrees away from each other, neither of which was only one tooth away from #1. This suggests to me that it won't matter when I'm able to turn the crank by hand, I still won't be able to put the distributor in where I want it. What is the relationship between the dizzy gear, the oil pump drive slot, and the dizzy gear retaining pin, that I don't know? If I lift the dizzy some, I can feel the teeth down there, but it won't seat till the oil pump slot is lined up with the pin.

 

[Alpheus]

Re: Magic Disappearing 454 Balancer

You cant put in a tooth forward or backwards. The teeth have nothing to do with it. You just have to put it at TDC on the compression stroke. Put finger over spark plug hole, turn over until the air blows your finger off and then line up the marks. Install the distributer so the rotor lines up with the number one tab on the distributer. That will get the distributer in correct, bet you have to be able to see the timing tab for the timing light to flash to get it set to 8 deg BTDC...

 

[Don S]

Re: Magic Disappearing 454 Balancer

but it's a LH engine, so the balancer mark will approach the pointer from starboard.

LH is standard rotation, has nothing to do with where the timing mark is located.

 

[coheej]

Re: Magic Disappearing 454 Balancer

It was only when I tried to stab the durn thang that I discovered it would only fully seat on the dizzy gasket in one of two places, 180 Degrees away from each other, neither of which was only one tooth away from #1.

You may have to rotate the oil pump rod to get it to align with the distributor.

 

[Alpheus]

Re: Magic Disappearing 454 Balancer

Just turn the base of the distributer until it fully drops down and then spin it back to the correct position. You don't have to stick anything down in there to turn anything...

 

[MahtyMaht]

Re: Magic Disappearing 454 Balancer

Hey, Alpheus - It looks to me like Coheej has it right with the idea of turning the oil pump shaft. When I turned the engine over with the starter, distributor removed, the cam gear lost it's relationship to the pump drive slot. The #1 piston was not up, so when I get it up on compression, the slot will be in a different wrong place, won't it?

 

[proshadetree]

Re: Magic Disappearing 454 Balancer

Bump it over until you have compression on #1. Use a small long screw driver and probe the plug hole turn by hand in the direction of rotation until it reaches top center. Drop it distributor Hold it by hand and just crank the thing over a few rounds. It will line its self up. Set timing and go have a cold one.

 

[MahtyMaht]

Re: Magic Disappearing 454 Balancer

Proshadetree, I believe you are what is known in the au currant vernacular, as, 'the shizzizzle'. I used a 24" steel scale to turn the oil pump shaft, once I got #1 up on compression, and it dropped on in, but that's not nearly as cool as your technique. It took me for ever to remember that I was supposed to have a beer. I took care of that. I tried to light it up, no go, smelled gas, thought I'd flooded it, so I gave it 40 minutes, tried it again, still no start. I'd bet my truck I got this thang stabbed right. What am I missing?

 

[MahtyMaht]

Re: Magic Disappearing 454 Balancer

I still got a dead engine. I used a mirror and a light to get a look at the timing mark on the balancer, and the timing pointer. I rigged a remote starter switch to the slave solenoid, so I'm able to bump the crank in really small increments. I put the balancer mark in the middle of the saw teeth looking pointer after rolling the engine over till it starts to blow my finger off the plug hole. I pop the dizzy cap, and it's pointing right at #1. When I pump the throttle lever with the shift linkage disengaged, the accelerator pump squirts fuel. When I hit the key with the muffs on, it just won't start. It rumped once, like it was thinkin' about it, and it sounded like it just wanted a little more fuel. I pumped the throttle lever, hit the key, no joy. I'm absolutely sure I have the dizzy and the cam in the right relationship, and I haven't messed with the carb. What else is there? It ran like a top when it showed up here, so it's gotta be something I've done.

 

[dubs283]

Re: Magic Disappearing 454 Balancer

is the firing order correct on the cap??

1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2

 

[MahtyMaht]

Re: Magic Disappearing 454 Balancer

It has to be, 'cause I never took'em off.

 

[dubs283]

Re: Magic Disappearing 454 Balancer

you can try to check how close to the timing mark you are by pointing the timing light at the marks and turning the engine over and noting where the tdc mark on the balancer is in relation to the index

you might also try rotating the distributor while cranking to see if she fires, could have timing way off

 

[cr2k]

Re: Magic Disappearing 454 Balancer

Hook your coil wire back up?

 

[ChrisCraftJohnny]

Re: Magic Disappearing 454 Balancer

I have a question about reverse enigines (clockwise rotation on the output side)

Does the balancer use a left hand thread on the retaining bolt?

Most likely not, but curious.

Johnny