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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Adjusting timing on 40 Ford

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Posted By Discussion Topic: Adjusting timing on 40 Ford -- page: 1 2     bwhitworth 03-10-2014 @ 7:24 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 59 Joined: Nov 2010 After installing a modern round coil and adaptor plate on the dist, I am trying to adjust the timing using the bolt on the passenger side of the dist housing. When I tap in downward the car will not start. When I tap it upward it starts but is out of time. It snaps out the exhaust and will not accelerate. Is the bolt on the side of the dist for timing adjustment? Are there timing marks on the engine that can be checked with a timing light? When the engine starts it acts just like a Model A runs before the spark is advanced. Thanks Bob TomO 03-10-2014 @ 8:02 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7264 Joined: Oct 2009 There are no timing marks that can be used with a timing light on a 40 Ford. The initial timing on the distributor is set by the time that the break set of points open. The best way to set this is on a distributor machine. Skip Haney in Florida has the set up for this as well as C&G Ford Parts and Yesteryear Ford parts. You can get close enough to make the car run by setting the gap on both sets of points to .015". If the car ran before you changed the coil, I would look at the coil installation before I messed with the points. Many of the round type coils require that you bypass the ignition resistor in order to get a strong spark. Tom ken ct. 03-10-2014 @ 8:49 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1513 Joined: Jan 2010 Are all the wires in the contact plate in the right holes. Those adaptor plates had troubles with the carbon brush that contacts the rotor had a habit of sticking up in the hole and NOT contacting the rotor brass band on it. Its spring loaded.Middle position on the index plate is normal position or like 1 line up from middle.Vacume piston on other side should be almost all the way out to work properly. No timing marks on these engines. OMO ken ct. Did I talk to you before on something?? Name is familier/ bwhitworth 03-10-2014 @ 9:48 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 59 Joined: Nov 2010 About the round coil, I do have ignition wire without a resistor in the circuit to the coil. rotorwrench 03-10-2014 @ 4:52 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 59 Joined: Jul 2012 Just to add. I believe you may be adjusting on the spring tension of the vacuum brake. It shouldn't have much tension on it to start with. It works by applying braking action to the flyweight rotor when engine manifold pressure is high (low vacuum) so as to retard the spark a bit when climbing a hill with a load and the throttle is pushed down more. It was an early form of vacuum advance. You only tightened up the spring more if the engine started pinging under a load. As was mentioned before. The internal timing of the distributor is set prior to installation. KR Wilson had jigs to set them up but it can be done with a steel rule on the drive tang of the distributor shaft in accorcance with the old service or operators manuals. TomO 03-11-2014 @ 7:16 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7264 Joined: Oct 2009 Did the car run before you installed the adapter and the round coil? It makes a difference in how to diagnose your problem. Tom bwhitworth 03-11-2014 @ 11:23 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 59 Joined: Nov 2010 Yes, the car ran before I started to work on it. It was running poorly, it sounded like the spark advance was not working. When I give it gas it would make a snaping sound out the exhaust. I have taken the dist completely apart and checked the point gaps and it looks closer than .015". I am going to re-gap it and try it again. ken ct. 03-11-2014 @ 1:36 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1513 Joined: Jan 2010 Bob.set the points with the adaptor plate installed on the dist,its the only way to get accurret gap. ken ct. supereal 03-11-2014 @ 2:32 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 As the others have said, the initial timing is preset by the offset drive tang. The adjuster on the side of the distributor has limited effect on operation. When we set up a distributor on our Sun machine, we usually put it at the highest +side. As the engine ran poorly before you switched coils, i'd guess that the timing gear has skipped a tooth or, it it is the press on type, it slipped on the camshaft. I have seen partially sheared crankshaft gear keys, as well.. Either would explain the cause of your problem. You will have have to pull the timing gear cover to see what has happened. rotorwrench 03-12-2014 @ 8:16 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 59 Joined: Jul 2012 With rough running and popping in the exhaust, it sort of sounds like it might have a valve sticking open. If the flattys set for a long period, it's not uncommon to have one or more sticky valves. The unburned air/fuel mixture goes into the exhaust and can ignite in there causing popping or back fire. This message was edited by rotorwrench on 3-12-14 @ 8:18 AM

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