Clockwise to retard?

[greg g]

It has been about 10K miles since I messed with my distributor.  I noticed I am getting a little compression lock on the starter when cold and some spark knock when I require WOT acceleration.  I guess I need to retard my timing a hair.  Am I remembering correctly that clock wise will retard and anti clockwise advances?  I don't want to drag out my timing light or research where I last used my vacuum gauge. I just wanna adjust by ear and feel.

 

[desoto1939]

Since you are not using a timing light and just want to time via the way the engine sounds then just loosen the bolt and rotate in either direction until you get the desired result you want or desire.

 

Rich Hartung

[Niel Hoback]

Clockwise 1/8", repeat if needed.

[deathbound]

What does your service manual say?

[Plymouthy Adams]

What does your service manual say?

bazinga

[DonaldSmith]

Wait-a-minute! The rotor goes around clockwise, doesn't it?  I think I remember seeing it move, and the plug wires are arranged clockwise.  So, if I want the spark earlier (advanced) wouldn't I rotate the distributor counterclockwise, or anti-clockwise?  

[greg g]

I want it later.  So I believe it is as I asked Clockwise to retard.

[Reg Evans]

Let us know how it turned out.

[ptwothree]

What caused the timing to change?  Worn bushing..points closing up......?

[greg g]

Probably the points wore a bit, or I may have messed with it without remembering that I have,  I did have some pinging a while back and might have done a road shoulder adjustment, maybe I left it loose. I will give it some attention tomorrow, but I wanted to try to go the correct direction first. 

[knuckleharley]

.....  I don't want to drag out my timing light or research where I last used my vacuum gauge. I just wanna adjust by ear and feel.

Back in the stone ages when I was a kid and had no access to any fancy equipment,I used to time distributors by using a transistor radio. It would pick up the points breaking as static,and when the static quit popping and snapping and set down to a steady noise,your distributor timing was spot on the money.

 

Of course,today it might cost more these days to buy a un-shielded 50's transistor radio than a timing light.

[jhm1mc13]

Knuckleharley,

 

What a blast from the past.   I forgot about this method.   It's a method I used on motorcycles.

 

Jim M

[knuckleharley]

Knuckleharley,

 

What a blast from the past.   I forgot about this method.   It's a method I used on motorcycles.

 

Jim M

Me,too. Worked just fine on 40's and 50's Harley's.

 

BTW,do you happen to remember how we checked condensers at home? I THINK it involved a magnet and a screwdriver,but can't remember the details at this late date. Condensers are getting pricey and hard to find these days,so remembering that could really come in  handy. Especially on a road trip when you are trying to figure out why your car won't start.

Edited May 27, 2016 by knuckleharley

[VFFFrank]

Turning in the same direction of rotation retards, opposite advances.

F

[DonaldSmith]

I was confused.  The Shop Manual says "The distributor should be moved clockwise to retard and counter-clockwise to advance ignition."  Same as greg g said. 

 

There was a long-winded guy at work, years ago, who could argue with me extensively, while basically agreeing with me.  I hope I'm not turning into him.

[Captain Neon]

My family has a long tradition of taking unpopular positions just to see how much thought people put into their own opinions.  Some call it arguing just for the sake of having an argument.

[greg g]

UPDATE! So today I undertook to ascertain what was up with my timing, ping or spark knock.  So I loosened the hold down screw  and using the vacuum pot for leverage tried to move the distributor clockwise.  To my surprise the assembly was loose and moved quit a bit before moving the dist body.  OK so now time to pull the distributor, did so of course dropping the hold down screw.  Inspection revealed that one of the screws holding the vacuum advance assembly was gone, and the other was hanging on by a couple threads.  a visit to a parts dizzy yielded a screw, and both were reinserted with a bit of thread locker.  So the dist. can go back in.  HOWEVER the previously mentioned dropped hold down screw is gone.  Not on the garage floor, not on the frame, or engine block, not on the steering box dust shield, gone!!!

 

Don't seem to have anything close in parts boxes or drawers.  Can any one tell me what size it is, and what the thread type is and its pitch?  Will continue looking but this seems a futile exercise.

 

And I did find where the manual says clockwise is retard but not in the tune up area, it was in the distributor section. 

[_shel_ny]

1/4-20   x 3/4" with a star lock washer in my block.  just pulled it and checked

Edited May 30, 2016 by shel_ny

[greg g]

You sir are a scholar and a gentleman.  Thank's and best regards to you.  

[Don Coatney]

Make sure you use a grade 8 fastener. Dipstick in or out when the screw disappeared?

[greg g]

dip stick in, I did locate it  stuck in some goo on the steering box dust guard.  Got it buttoned up and now it won't run right.  Starts and idles will go up to fast idle but after that it won't take gas.  Done for today till it cools off.  Probably need to check the coil to dist wire as I didn't touch anything else to speak of.

[greg g]

Well as of noon today Kate seems to be feeling her old self again.  Pulled the dist out again, made a new coil lead,  one end was hanging on by about 4 strands of wire at the connector to the dist. gave the points a couple swipes with the file, re gaped at 20. Checked the internal wire that feeds the points and found some shiny bits where there shouldn't have been any.  the insulation had given way in a couple of places.  So using a repair I have had success with before I fixed it.  I give the wire a thin coating of flexible adhesive ( this time I used a product called Shoo Goo) then i wrapped the length of the the lead with thin cotton thread, kinda like tying a fly, after a couple layers I add another bit of shoo goo to seal the thread, and let it dry.  This re insulates the lead and keeps it flexible enough to work withthe breaker plate as it moves.  So we are on the road again. 

[Don Coatney]

Glad you got it going. I also started my engine today. Wiring not done, I hot wired it. Runs as good as it did last time I drove it. Took a while to fill the carburetors but once they had gas it fired right up.

[greg g]

That is good to hear.  You still thinking on selling or are you going to keep it if/when you get some assistance in finishing the wiring?