Phil:
With the vacuum unit disconnected, the timing should be 10 BTDC.
The 4 ATDC number is only valid with a working vacuum retard that is
connected.
While the car will operate just fine with no vacuum retard,
emissions
are higher. This is why the factory installed the vacuum retard in the
first place. If your mechanic disconnected this while tuning your car
to pass emissions, he is not much of a mechanic.
I suspect your mechanic knows that the timing should be retarded
to pass, but could not get the engine to run at 4 ATDC so he advanced
the
timing just enough to get the engine to run decently.
Still sounds like a vacuum leak. Did you try plugging the hoses
to
the carbon canister? If that smoothes out the idle, you have found your
leak
and you need to fix it. Also, you need to get your vacuum retard working
if you want to pass emissions.
Vance
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-6pack@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-6pack@autox.team.net] On
Behalf Of Phil Beckman
Sent: July 05, 2005 8:38 AM
To: 6pack@autox.team.net
Subject: RE: More emissions news
I made a little more progress on this before I ran out of time this
weekend.
On the Dwell issue, I discovered that I connected the meter wrong. I
had placed the red lead on the positive terminal of the coil instead of
the negative terminal (closest to the distributor). When I connected it
right, the dwell was 37 degrees. Still not perfect but, certainly a
much more reasonable number.
I also looked at the timing again and I'm fairly certain it is currently
set to 4 deg BTDC. I tried resetting the timing to 4 deg ATDC where it
belong but the engine really ran rough when I did that so, I set it back
closer to 4 deg BTDC. The engine is running more smoothly now but still
not as smoothly as I'd like. The idle speed now varies about 50 RPM
instead of 150.
One other thing I've noted is that the vacuum unit on the distributor is
disconnected. The 2 ends for the vacuum line (the unit itself and the
connection on the engine) have been plugged. I have no clue why the
mechanic would have disconnected the vacuum unit unless it is not
working correctly. Could this be at the root of my problems with
setting the timing where it belongs at 4 deg ATDC?
So, it seems like I've made a little progress but still have a ways to
go before I really understand what's been going on under the hood of my
car for the past 8 years when I wasn't trying to work on it myself. I
am, however, having a lot of fun getting back into working on the car
myself after so long away from it.
Phil
'73 TR6
Libertyville, IL
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