Help! I think I screwed up. Timing issue.

[Yewhi]

Hi all. Well I messed up. I mistakenly turned the knob on the distributor in the picture below just below the distributor cap.



Immediately knew I made a mistake and attempted to reposition the knob in it's original position. Truck started fine but then I took for a quick spin around the block the engine began running progressively more rough. Got it back to the drive way and began backing it off a quarter turn at a time to with only moderate improvement.

A few questions...

1) What is this knob? Is it related to the vacuum advance? How do I adjust it?

2) Obviously, this is a timing issue but for the life of me I don't understand how to correct it. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance,

Tim (feeling like a complete idiot)

ps. It is a '55 series 1 with a stock 235.

[Yewhi]

Hold on! I think I've got it. That's the distributer clamp isn't it? Basically I loosened it, started up fine but managed to work its way out of position during my little run around the block.

I just need to reset the timing, right?

[OrrieG]

My brain popped up the answer but I had to check to make sure the memory was right. The big knob is for greasing the lower part of the dist, turning it clockwise squeezes grease into the inside. The dist itself bolts to the block, look below the knob (I think its the blue bolt in your photo). Messing with the knob you probably bumped it a bit or maybe loosen up something inside. Check the bottom bolt. Its also close to the vacuum advance maybe you "adjusted" it too?? Also check the blue wire, you may have twisted it. I seem to have a memory that if they get rotated on the outside, the inside connection can start to ground out intermently. I haven't worked on a 235 in almost 20 years but that is what has floated to the surface.

[coralhead]

Originally Posted by OrrieG

My brain popped up the answer but I had to check to make sure the memory was right. The big knob is for greasing the lower part of the dist, turning it clockwise squeezes grease into the inside. The dist itself bolts to the block, look below the knob (I think its the blue bolt in your photo). Messing with the knob you probably bumped it a bit or maybe loosen up something inside. Check the bottom bolt. Its also close to the vacuum advance maybe you "adjusted" it too?? Also check the blue wire, you may have twisted it. I seem to have a memory that if they get rotated on the outside, the inside connection can start to ground out intermently. I haven't worked on a 235 in almost 20 years but that is what has floated to the surface.

The big cap is for greasing the dist shaft. More than likely the grease is hard packed/dried out and nothing really happened when you turned the knob.

[Russell Ashley]

I can see copper showing out of your crimp connection at the distributor. You might want to make sure you have a tight connection there.

[Yewhi]

Thanks guys! Now I'm thoroughly confused though. I literally touched nothing but the grease cap, screwing it in and the backing it out to its original (well, as close as I could guess) position. Didn't touch the vacuum advance or any other part.

Given the truck was running well immediately after ( for about a couple of minutes), is it possible that I created a vacuum leak affecting the vacuum advance? It's a stretch but by screwing the cap in then backing it out perhaps I pushed grease into the shaft leaving very little in the port. If the vacuum was maintained by a grease plug in the port, when I backed the cap off I created void with little grease to maintain the plug/vacuum.

So then the solution would be to fill the port with grease?

My apologies for my ignorance, this is the oldest truck I've ever had and while simple there are a few things that I'm still figuring out.

Thanks again for the replies! They are a huge help!

Tim
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[Yewhi]

Originally Posted by Russell Ashley

I can see copper showing out of your crimp connection at the distributor. You might want to make sure you have a tight connection there.

Thanks! Good eye! I'll double check that as well. Hopefully this an easy fix if I can ever figure out what the issue is...

[coralhead]

The grease cap has nothing to do with the vacuum advance. The part where the vac line attaches has a bellows in it. If the bellows has a hole in it , it will not work and not advance the timing.
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[Yewhi]

Originally Posted by coralhead

The grease cap has nothing to do with the vacuum advance. The part where the vac line attaches has a bellows in it. If the bellows has a hole in it , it will not work and not advance the timing.
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The vacuum advance works by physically moving the distributor, right? If the bellows had a hole how would it behave? The engine pulses and I can see the advance pushing the distributor as the engine pulses.

Alternatively, is it possible that I just pushed a bit of crud from the port into the shaft that is keeping the distributor from spinning freely?

[coralhead]

Originally Posted by Yewhi

The vacuum advance works by physically moving the distributor, right? If the bellows had a hole how would it behave? The engine pulses and I can see the advance pushing the distributor as the engine pulses.

Alternatively, is it possible that I just pushed a bit of crud from the port into the shaft that is keeping the distributor from spinning freely?

As long as the distributer moves when the engine accelerates then the advance is working.

[JumboAMONGus]

hahaha , you over greased it dude ,, ohhh nooooo,,,hahaa

[Yewhi]

Sounds like you have alot of experience in that department, eh?

Btw. Tracked it down to a carburtion issue. Anything I did to the distributor was pure coincidence.

Edit: I also want to add a sincere thanks to (almost) all who responded. You all helped me understand a bit more about this funky little distributor which got me pointed in the right direction. Thanks again! TCN

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