• The Roadster Factory Recovery Fund - Friends, as you may have heard, The Roadster Factory, a respected British Car Parts business in PA, suffered a total loss in a fire on Christmas Day. Read about it, discuss or ask questions >> HERE. The Triumph Register of America is sponsoring a fund raiser to help TRF get back on their feet. If you can help, vist >> their GoFundMe page.
  • Hey there Guest!
    If you enjoy BCF and find our forum a useful resource, if you appreciate not having ads pop up all over the place and you want to ensure we can stay online - Please consider supporting with an "optional" low-cost annual subscription.
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this UGLY banner)
Tips
Tips

Timing Mark Moving Around

Share this page

rlich8

rlich8

Jedi Trainee
Offline
Hi all,

I'm trying to set the timing on my TR4A and the timing mark is moving around.

It is NOT the distributor - it has been fully rebuilt and re-curved by Jeff Schlemmer at Advanced Distributors. I even pulled the distributor and double checked everything and reset the points gap.

Any ideas here? I'm stumped! I hope it's not something to do with the timing chain but all suggestions are welcome!
 
DNK

DNK

Great Pumpkin
Country flag
Offline
Could always be the juice for the timing light is not right. Maybe a bad spark wire.
Move it to a different wire and see if it still jumps

Don't know about this , ... a bad rotor??
 
OP
rlich8

rlich8

Jedi Trainee
Offline
sp53 said:
Sounds like the vacuum unit on the distributor.
Click to expand...

I thought of that but the problem is, it still moves when it's disconnected.
 
TR3driver

TR3driver

Great Pumpkin - R.I.P
Offline
Have you checked the end float on the distributor drive gear (in the pedestal)?

What happens when you rev the engine up a bit?

How's your oil pressure?
 
OP
rlich8

rlich8

Jedi Trainee
Offline
Have not checked the drive gear - what am I checking for here?

Oil pressure great - 70 going down road 30 at idle.

If I rev it up a bit it evens out a bit.

I'm suspecting timing chain if it is not an issue with the distributor.

I am also going to try another timing light and another power location for the timing light. When I had the car in the shop I used a really nice timing light to check the timing and it was NOT doing this. (or at least I don't remember!)
 
Geo Hahn

Geo Hahn

Yoda
Country flag
Offline
rlich8 said:
...It is NOT the distributor - it has been fully rebuilt and re-curved by Jeff Schlemmer at Advanced Distributors...
Click to expand...

Did he replace the bushing? I'm thinking I asked him about that and he said he prefers not to replace it.
 
OP
rlich8

rlich8

Jedi Trainee
Offline
Usually he does a custom shaft bushing, according to what he told me and his website says? Hmm. Maybe I'll also try another dizzy. I have a spare MGB one.
 
TR3driver

TR3driver

Great Pumpkin - R.I.P
Offline
rlich8 said:
Have not checked the drive gear - what am I checking for here?
Click to expand...
The procedure is in the workshop manual, page 1-130 in my copy. Basically the gear should have between .003 and .007" clearance between the bushing in the block and the bottom of the distributor pedestal. If the bushing were really badly worn (or the pedestal wasn't seated somehow), the gear could bounce up and down, affecting ignition timing.

But it's kind of a reach, just something that is easier to look at than the timing chain. My first thought was the dizzy, but I guess you're not open to the idea that Jeff might have made a mistake.
 
OP
rlich8

rlich8

Jedi Trainee
Offline
TR3driver said:
rlich8 said:
Have not checked the drive gear - what am I checking for here?
Click to expand...
The procedure is in the workshop manual, page 1-130 in my copy. Basically the gear should have between .003 and .007" clearance between the bushing in the block and the bottom of the distributor pedestal. If the bushing were really badly worn (or the pedestal wasn't seated somehow), the gear could bounce up and down, affecting ignition timing.

But it's kind of a reach, just something that is easier to look at than the timing chain. My first thought was the dizzy, but I guess you're not open to the idea that Jeff might have made a mistake.
Click to expand...

I'm going to check that - thanks.

I'm very open to Jeff having made a simple error, I'm praying it's something with the distributor in fact. :smile: Sorry for seeming stubborn! :smile:

I just want to try a different timing light, and different power source.

Cheers, and thanks.
 
OP
rlich8

rlich8

Jedi Trainee
Offline
Seems to be "better" with a different timing light.

It has to be some sort of distributor or timing light issue because it was not doing this. This engine was running like a CLOCK 50-100 miles ago. Now it's running like crap. And the carbs are rebuilt too.
 
S

sp53

Yoda
Country flag
Offline
It should move if it is disconnected if it is not connected. Pull the cap and look inside to make sure the little eyelet is connected to the rod. I am working off memory here, but try and move the knurled knob with the light on pulley and see if the responds accordingly. If the vacuum rod is undone, the timing move and float around. The timing will advance with weights also. If your problem is keeping the timing set, the distributer can come lose in two places one on the block and one right under the body on the sheet metal clamp.
steve
 
HerronScott

HerronScott

Darth Vader
Offline
Any luck finding the cause?

Scott
 
OP
rlich8

rlich8

Jedi Trainee
Offline
Hey Guys,

Yes, I've found the cause. It's definitely inside of the distributor. I was reluctant to think so, but I swapped it out with a different distributor and alas, the timing mark is dead on. It's just a bad advance spring.

Weird problem because the distributor was new, and the motor is really fresh...it's been rebuilt and the components are just too new to be doing something like this.

I've sent my 25D back up to Jeff to have the spring replaced, so it should be sorted out pretty soon!

Roy
 
CJD

CJD

Yoda
Country flag
Offline
And that's why I always cringe when the owner of a car I'm thinking about buying says something was "just rebuilt". There's a lot of latitude in the definition of "rebuilt"!

Glad you figured it out...

John
 
OP
rlich8

rlich8

Jedi Trainee
Offline
CJD said:
And that's why I always cringe when the owner of a car I'm thinking about buying says something was "just rebuilt". There's a lot of latitude in the definition of "rebuilt"!

Glad you figured it out...

John
Click to expand...

John,

I have those same sympathies, however, Jeff's work is top notch and he is thoroughly backed by many enthusiasts. It's not Jeff's fault, it's just a faulty spring. But nonetheless, it's very rare for that to happen. He's done like 6 distributors for us.

On an engine or transmission or something, the "just rebuilt" thing is often times bogus.
 
Brosky

Brosky

Great Pumpkin
Offline
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]And the carbs are rebuilt too.[/QUOTE]

Once again, 90% of all carb problems are electrical......

Glad that you got this sorted out before you began playing with the carbs. Jeff will make it right. Over the MANY distributors that he's done for this forum and for the people who have gone to him from the write-ups on my website, this is the first problem that I've seen come from his shop. And it could be a defective new spring that he bought in good faith of having no erratic timing issues with old weak ones.
 
poolboy

poolboy

Yoda
Country flag
Offline
To Jeff's credit he's corrected the 2 or 3 distributors that I know of that were sent back to him.
 
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
K TR2/3/3A The timing mark on the crank pulley.... Triumph 5
K TR2/3/3A Timing mark..... Triumph 1
R TR4/4A TR 4 Timing mark Triumph 10
A TR6 Timing mark Triumph 16
pkmh Setting Timing Mark For BJ8 Austin Healey 9
C Timing Mark Spridgets 12
T Hmmm - no timing mark on the pulley. Now what? Spridgets 10
D BT7 Timing mark and pointer question Austin Healey 6
Bruce Bowker ignition timing mark Austin Healey 5
J 100/4 timing mark relocation Austin Healey 2
jbowlby Timing Mark Relocation Spridgets 5
D timing mark Spridgets 12
tony barnhill Timing Mark Relocation Spridgets 2
mgb4tim Wedge TR7 Timing Mark Triumph 0
RandallRK Timing mark on crank pulley Austin Healey 19
Woodie timing mark - found Spridgets 10
Woodie timing mark Spridgets 42
1973purplemidget Timing Mark MG 3
K TR2/3/3A How to tell if the timing chain has slipped...... Triumph 12
Got_All_4 TR5/TR250 Timing chain tensioner completely shot Triumph 11
mt10flyer TR2/3/3A Timing Chain Tensioner - again Triumph 13
M 1275 Timing Cover Vent Spridgets 2
waltesefalcon Miata Water Pump and Timing Belt Other Cars 3
Y TR2/3/3A I cannot get my TR3 in correct timing. Triumph 7
K TR2/3/3A Timing chain rattle on start up? Triumph 2
D Cam Timing question. Spridgets 11
KVH General Tech Valve Timing--No Marks Triumph 20
drooartz MGB Question on timing and vacuum MG 11
E Ignition Timing Austin Healey 14
K TR2/3/3A Ignition timing questions while I'm waiting for Spring Triumph 27
56HealeyDan 100-4 Timing and Vacuum Austin Healey 5
K TR2/3/3A Timing marks on pulley? Triumph 10
LAW75 Timing Chain Cover Gasket Austin Healey 12
Lin Ignition timing question Spridgets 2
Kolecki TR2/3/3A engine assembly cam timing issue Triumph 8
Lin Checking static timing for a 1275 with Crane XR700 ignition Spridgets 0
A Timing cover access Spridgets 6
BN6_2197 BN6 Static Timing Austin Healey 2
vette Timing Marks! Austin Healey 12
J Crankshaft dog nut and timing chain cover removal advice Austin Healey 30
J TR6 73 TR6 Static Timing Questions Triumph 6
P TR6 1970 TR6 Timing Question Triumph 2
TRclassic3 TR2/3/3A Timing and temperature Triumph 13
B TR4/4A New valve gears/timing Triumph 21
K TR2/3/3A Ignition Timing? Triumph 11
M 100-4 Timing Pointer Austin Healey 5
D TR2/3/3A Timing chain tensioner. Triumph 3
KVH TR4/4A No Marks on Timing Gear Triumph 30
Got_All_4 TR6 Newly purchased poor quality timing gear Triumph 5
vette MGB 74 1/2 Timing Specs. MG 16

Similar threads

Top