• 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

vacuum advance question

jvandyke

Luke Skywalker
Offline
I'm curious to understand how the standard set up is engineered. 1098, 25D, HS2's. Is the vac adv. running off ported vac or manifold when attached to the HS2 front carb's port? Is this supposed to advance timing a bit at idle, then go away as throttle is opened? I really question whether mine is working at all (and if I even care). I pulled the vac line and plugged and timing light on 800 rpm 8 BTDC (but the mark seems to migrate around a bit, could be the cheap light I guess). Reattached the line and timing did not change a bit. Then I revved to 3000 rpm and had about 22 degrees more advance over the initial 8, or 30 total which seems about right to me.
When I had the dizzy out earlier this year I sucked on the vac adv. line and it moved a bit, seemed pretty reluctant to move to me. There didn't seem to be much of any vacuum at the carb orifice at idle when I put my finger over it, which seems to indicate it is ported vacuum, carb side of the throttle plates?

I meant to go through my books last night and forgot.
 
OP
jvandyke

jvandyke

Luke Skywalker
Offline
This is interesting
other discussion

That thread seems to suggest some carbs had an orifice that was ported, some not.
Butterfly swings right over the orifice. Maybe my HS2s are from a later 1275? Although they don't have any PVC Y pipe or anything.
 

Sarastro

Obi Wan
Silver
Country flag
Offline
The vacuum advance mechanism does fail occasionally; nothing unusual about this. Best way to check is with a mity-vac or something similar, so you can get a measure of the advance vs. vacuum. Note that you won't get any vacuum advance until the vacuum reaches some particular level. I forget what it is with these distributors--there's some info on the web, if you search around.

Also, don't confuse centrifugal and vacuum advance. Of course, you'll get advance with no vacuum advance connected, and will get little or no vacuum advance at idle.
 

Bayless

Yoda
Silver
Country flag
Offline
Whether you get vacuum advance at idle very much depends on whether you have a manifold or ported system. If manifold then you get much vacuum advance at idle since you have near maximum vacuum. Ported gives none at idle since the port is on the atmosphere side of the butterfly therefore exposed to very little vacuum. I understand this was done to retard the spark at idle as a polution solution. Not sure how that works though.
 
OP
jvandyke

jvandyke

Luke Skywalker
Offline
I'll research it and see what I come up with. I have books that should tell me.
 
OP
jvandyke

jvandyke

Luke Skywalker
Offline
Looks like with the setup on a 1098 and 25D vac advance is ported, right by butterfly, kicks in at 4, done at 13 and yields total of 20 crank degrees (a lot more than a 1275 which is 6).
I'm looking at getting a hand vac to apply vacuum and see what it does (could use it for a bleeder anyway) and might just plumb in a vacuum gauge to monitor from the cockpit.
distributorspecs.gif
 
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
JPSmit Today's question - vacuum advance Spridgets 2
B TR6 Moss TR6 Vacuum Advance Conversion question Triumph 8
DanLewis Vacuum advance question Spridgets 5
Stinger TR4/4A TR4A Vacuum Advance Question Triumph 16
L Vacuum Advance question Spridgets 9
1 Novice question about vacuum advance line. Austin Healey 26
B Vacuum Advance Question Austin Healey 7
S TR2/3/3A Distributor vacuum advance hook up to the inner plate Triumph 9
S TR2/3/3A Vacuum Advance Union Size Triumph 1
WHT Vacuum Advance Pipe Austin Healey 7
B Vacuum Advance Pipe Austin Healey 2
6TTR3A TR2/3/3A Vacuum advance questions Triumph 2
D TR2/3/3A Vacuum advance tube Triumph 6
C Distributer with no vacuum advance Spridgets 15
Griz Testing Vacuum Advance Austin Healey 5
BJ8Healeys '72 Midget Vacuum Advance Line Spridgets 2
J BJ8 Vacuum Advance - disconnected -RIGHT - when setting total advance?? Austin Healey 6
T MGB Vacuum advance and Electronic ignition conversion MG 5
jfarris TR2/3/3A Vacuum Advance Thread Size Triumph 9
Merlin63Tr4 TR4/4A Gasoline in vacuum advance unit. Triumph 10
jfarris TR2/3/3A SU H6 Vacuum Advance Fitting Thread Size Triumph 2
W BE vacuum advance line and fittings Spridgets 2
W Vacuum advance nipple Spridgets 0
bigjones Vacuum advance on a 1500 Spridgets 13
jfarris TR2/3/3A Early 56 TR3 H6 Carbs, distributor vacuum advance/retard Triumph 3
T TR2/3/3A Is it possible to drill vacuum advance port in SU H6 carb? Triumph 14
AUSMHLY Vacuum advance knob Austin Healey 21
apbos H1 SU vacuum advance frustration. Spridgets 9
DMShuman TR5/TR250 TR-250 Vacuum advance module.... Triumph 5
C TR4/4A TR4A with TR3 distributor and Vacuum Advance Triumph 4
Tinkerman TR2/3/3A 1960 TR 3A vacuum advance line installation Triumph 7
DanLewis Overheating problem solved, or ... did you disconnect your vacuum advance? Spridgets 4
S TR2/3/3A vacuum advance tr3 Triumph 2
S banjo type fuel lines--vacuum advance Triumph 0
D '78 Midget Vacuum Advance Unit Spridgets 7
TulsaFred Bugeye Vacuum Advance Spridgets 5
M a discussion on Installing new vacuum advance unit Triumph 20
DrEntropy Vacuum advance or vacuum leak?! MG 2
SkinnedKnuckles Ported vs Manifold Vacuum Advance Triumph 5
G Anyone have a vacuum advance for a 45DM4? MG 4
Tinkerman TR2/3/3A TR3A Vacuum Advance Suction Tube Tool Needed Triumph 8
Tinkerman I Having A bad vacuum advance line day Triumph 5
Tinkerman TR2/3/3A TR3A Vacuum Advance Line Triumph 2
Tinkerman TR2/3/3A TR3A Vacuum Advance Hook Up Triumph 13
A Mk 1 Frogeye Vacuum Advance Spridgets 6
A Mk1 'Frogeye' Sprite Vacuum advance connections Austin Healey 2
G New Spark Advance Vacuum Triumph 1
C vacuum advance hose Triumph 12
hondo402000 vacuum advance for triple webers Triumph 2
spit71 Spitfire My Spitfire doesn't have a vacuum advance Triumph 14

Similar threads

Top