Too much timing

Jake49

Member
I have a '71 455 with a MSD ready to run distributor. I think it has too much initial timing as it recently kicked back and broke the Bendix on the starter.

Question: which way to rotate the distributor to have less initial timing? CW or CCW?

Thank you much in advance. now off to fix the starter
 
I have a '71 455 with a MSD ready to run distributor. I think it has too much initial timing as it recently kicked back and broke the Bendix on the starter.

Question: which way to rotate the distributor to have less initial timing? CW or CCW?

Thank you much in advance. now off to fix the starter

Jake,
You have an MSD distributor. The mechanical timing limits are FULLY adjustable with color coded bushings. The solution to your problem is NOT to simply retard the timing blindly. The answer is to adjust the distributor so that you can use less initial timing without reducing total timing. Reducing total timing can hurt performance. Measure what you have now and adjust accordingly. Read my thread on V8buick,

 
Jake,
You have an MSD distributor. The mechanical timing limits are FULLY adjustable with color coded bushings. The solution to your problem is NOT to simply retard the timing blindly. The answer is to adjust the distributor so that you can use less initial timing without reducing total timing. Reducing total timing can hurt performance. Measure what you have now and adjust accordingly. Read my thread on V8buick,

Larry,

Thanks so much for the reply. The write up link is excellent. Yes I have the MSD spring/bushing kit already. This engine has (to me, a Pontiac guy) odd balancer. It has two "TDC" marks close together. I am going to check where TDC really is with a stop in the #1 cylinder and try again. I have new starter coming from TAPerformance. This weekend I'll try to get a better look at the timing marks. The mechanical advance I got but I need to confirm the initial and was not sure about the rotation with distributor on the front of the motor. Thank you agin for the excellent write up. I will be realigning thru a few more times!
 
Some manufacturers and owners scribe a 30* BTDC mark on the balancer to make power timing once the mechanical advance is all in possible without using a dial back timing light.


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Last edited:
Jake,
Most balancers have a single groove to set timing. Some may have a second groove, but it should appear quite different than the main one. The main one should be centered in a small nub. The other one may be a 30* mark. Buick balancers are 6.75" in diameter. The circumference of the balancer would be pi X diameter = 21.2" That represents 360*. 30* would be 1/12th of that. So 21.2/12 = 1.76". If the two marks are 1 3/4" apart, one is a 30* mark.

Which bushing are you using in the distributor?
 
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