I think my 304 is sick

[spikey]

Wow that's a great tip, thanx. I has a busy day yesterday and didn't check in here so I'll check all that out tonight.
i did take the time yesterday to open the distributor and make marks on everything so i can see if anything moves. Then i played with the springs a little. I took out the heavy one and matched the light spring on the other side. I added a fresh lock washer to make sure the dist. Isn't moving and tightened it down good. On my test drive i romped on it pretty good a few times with no issues. So i drove it to work thus morning. It seemed to run fine no backfiring or surging at stop lights. But going up a hill on the highway i couldn't get over 48mph :banghead:

I brought my timing gun and will check timing after work but it doesn't seen like it jumped this morning.. When i get home I'll check everything on the dist. I know that the stock dist. Came in a box with a new cap and rotor unopened. I could put that in and see if it makes a difference. But then again it may have been pulled for a reason...

One again i thank you all for the advice. I'm trying to not drag this thread out lol just trying to keep my baby on the road.

Spike

 

[tarry99]

But going up a hill on the highway i couldn't get over 48mph :banghead:



Spike:

In a previous thread I asked if that distributor you have has a vacuum chamber hanging off the side?
This is a vacuum advance that should have a small hose that runs from it to a vacuum source on your manifold or carb.

I looked in my MSD catalog and it seems that most AMC street distributors will be equipped that way with both vacuum and centrifugal advance.

Is there one present? and is it hooked up and working properly? At Idle if you pulled the hose off the chamber and it is working properly the motor should change Idle RPM.........and if the hose is hooked up to a proper vacuum source you should hear a hiss or by putting your finger over the open end it should suck on your finger and also change the motor RPM.

Your lack of power while going up a hill when you are increasing throttle opening is directly related to timing and this conversation.

Focus on one correction or solution at a time and not multiple things ....then check it off the list..........you will finally find the problem.

 

[spikey]

Yes, sorry it doed have the vacuum advance. i was taught to unhook that tube while timing a motor so i have unhooked it and put it back in quite a few times lately. To be honest though i haven't listened for a change in the rpm. After work i will put my thumb in it and see if there is any vacuum going through

Spike

 

[tarry99]

Yes, sorry it doed have the vacuum advance. i was taught to unhook that tube while timing a motor so i have unhooked it and put it back in quite a few times lately. To be honest though i haven't listened for a change in the rpm. After work i will put my thumb in it and see if there is any vacuum going through

Spike

And you are correct ..........you should unhook the vacuum line going to the distributor and also put a plug in the line that is now open when checking the timing at Idle.

Check your vacuum source.......... and then verify that your vacuum advance pod is moving the distributor plate as you increase engine RPM.

Easy way to check this is to have your timing light hooked up and look where the timing is at Idle......... then slowly raise the engine RPM you should see the timing marks via the timing light start to advance. Of course as engine RPM increases and vacuum decrease's the centrifugal advance portion of the distributor should takes over.............
The other way to check the Pod and plate is to simply take the vacuum line off from the source ( make sure its clean) and suck on it.........you should be able to create enough vacuum yourself to see the plate move.

As a last resort after all else fails and if it would work with the MSD box you may have to give your old distributor a try.............but first things first!

 

[spikey]

Ok after work i checked the vacuum line. No air. Checked it at the Carb, no air. At the brake booster, plenty of air. On the other side of the Carb there is another post for a vacuum line that was capped it had good air so i capped the bad one and now have actual vacuum going to the vacuum advance. However it was hooked up that way when i bought it and i wasn't having issues for a few months.

Anyway from there i reset the timing to 8 btdc. Put my gun on it and watched as my Buddie brought it to 2000 rpm. At 2000 the timing did advance to 17. So i at least know the plate is moving.

The ride home was quite opposite from what's been going on. It was very sluggish. Very slow and like hesitating. It did backfire through the Carb every time i hit 45. That was kinda fun in rush hour . Going up the hill was about the same very hesitant and like stumbling but i did hit 50.

So my guess is its to retarded now?? At least i have vacuum so i think i can get it dialed in.

Spike

 

[mtnwhlr]

You will have two kinds of vac from the carb. ported and non ported. Vac ports above the throttle plates are a ported vac and vac ports below the throttle plate is nonported. What that means is with nonported vac you will have it all the time that is what you have your brakes and pvc hooked up to but ported vac you will not have any at idle only when you raise the rpms this is what you should have the distributor hooked to. So if you have it hooked to a noported vac you will have vac advance at idle instead of it comming on as the rpms go up.

 

[spikey]

The two that i swapped were both at the same elevation. One on the left side of the Carb and one on the right. But i was at idle when one had no vac and the other did. Sooo I'll check that out. Thank you

Spike

 

[spikey]

Thank you mtn.
Since i turn into a pumpkin at 9m i drove it to work how i had it set up. Well with the wrong vac lines. Of course didn't run so good.
After work i switched the lines back and decided that even when i time it with the gun it's still messed up. So i just grabbed the distributor turned it a little then hit the throttle linkage. If there was a backfire I'd turn it a little more. When i got no backfire i tightened it down and headed out in rush hour. It had just a little lag from stop. But other than that it ran great. Then i got closer to the dreaded hill... I had great acceleration, hit 60 and still had power. on the way down the hill i did get a little stumble. It didn't seem to change anything though.

I'm afraid that when i go to work tomorrow it'll be back to how its been but i can only hope it is ok for a day or two. There's an all jeep show on Sunday I'm really hoping to make it to. Lol

Spike

 

[mtnwhlr]

With my stuff I run as much timming as it will take with out pinning. So don't be afraid to advance it as long as you are not getting any pinning you are fine.