Amazon: Timing way off the marks

[lukeball]

It looks like spark plug wires 2 and 3 need to be swapped. Also, did you ever just set the static timing first? Lastly, if the timing is dead-on, the car should start very quickly or less than a sec.

I have only static timed my car and the timing seems to be dead on. I would check everything again. Remove #1 spark plug, and crank engine so rotor is pointing at #1 cylinder and make sure that the piston is really rising. You could be 180 degrees out.

[mathrock]

Originally Posted by lukeball

It looks like spark plug wires 2 and 3 need to be swapped.

Aren't the cylinders 1,2,3,4 front to back on the engine? The leads in the picture [1] show the counter-clockwise firing order of 1-3-4-2. I tried to do the static method and everything works well, except when I turn the distributor to just after the spark the engine won't turn over. I have to rotate the distributor about 20 degrees counter clockwise and then it starts right up.

Is it possible that the actual timing gears themselves aren't aligned? Figure 49 in the Engine Service Manual [2] show the camshaft and crankshaft gears with marks for how they should be aligned. If those we put together in the wrong orientation could that cause symptoms similar to this?

Links:
[1] - http://flic.kr/p/aiqq7K
[2] - http://volvo1800pictures.com/documen..._B20A_B20B.pdf

[lukeball]

Originally Posted by mathrock

Aren't the cylinders 1,2,3,4 front to back on the engine? The leads in the picture [1] show the counter-clockwise firing order of 1-3-4-2. I tried to do the static method and everything works well, except when I turn the distributor to just after the spark the engine won't turn over. I have to rotate the distributor about 20 degrees counter clockwise and then it starts right up.

Is it possible that the actual timing gears themselves aren't aligned? Figure 49 in the Engine Service Manual [2] show the camshaft and crankshaft gears with marks for how they should be aligned. If those we put together in the wrong orientation could that cause symptoms similar to this?

Links:
[1] - http://flic.kr/p/aiqq7K
[2] - http://volvo1800pictures.com/documen..._B20A_B20B.pdf

I am wrong on the firing order. Sorry. I was thinking of something else. The wires are correct. I don't know how I mixed the wire order up.

[mathrock]

Originally Posted by lukeball

I am wrong on the firing order. Sorry. I was thinking of something else. The wires are correct. I don't know how I mixed the wire order up.

No problem.

[Derek UK]

You might have the distributor drive gear engaged 1 or 2 teeth out. See the green book or Haynes for correct fitting. It appears that you have a fully mechanical dizzy as the vacuum mechanism stops you turning the body very far anti clock. Checking under hood pics that show the dizzy position a good idea. Adjusting the timing by turning the dizzy is sensitive, one degree of turn equals 2 degrees of timing.

[tdz840]

Originally Posted by Derek UK

You might have the distributor drive gear engaged 1 or 2 teeth out. See the green book or Haynes for correct fitting. It appears that you have a fully mechanical dizzy as the vacuum mechanism stops you turning the body very far anti clock. Checking under hood pics that show the dizzy position a good idea. Adjusting the timing by turning the dizzy is sensitive, one degree of turn equals 2 degrees of timing.

I was going to suggest that but rather 120 out. Often its difficult to determine how the dog gear should align when the engine is being assembled and you could find it 180 deg out. Changing your firing order will confirm that
Russ

[mathrock]

One issue I found yesterday is that the mechanical centrifugal advance of the distributor is stuck in the fully advanced position. I took the distributor out and started taking it apart but can't for the life of me get the driving collar pin out. The pin holds the very bottom piece of the distributor on that fits into the pinion in the engine. I've got it soaking in penetrating fluid, but are there any other hints to getting the pin out?

[Ron Kwas]

Guys;

How the distributor drive is specifically aligned WILL NOT affect the timing...ONLY the absolute position of the distributor changes...in other words, if dist drive gear is not aligned as shown here when the engine is at TDC No. 1:

...then drive of distributor will mate with drive gear at some other angular position...no big deal...the "top of dist" (hence rotor, dist cap, and wires) must still be positioned at the proper angular position such that whatever wire the rotor is pointing to is connected to cylinder No. 1. This is getting a bit complicated for an inexperienced mechanic...therefore I intentionally left it out of the article, and in order to keep it as simple and unintimidating as possible for the mechanic, I recommend that everything be assembled as shown in the manual, including that 300degree drive pinion position...

Mathrock;
Repeating: By using the described technique in my write-up, BY DEFINITION you will have correct timing...and this is proven by the fact that engine starts and runs fine as one can hear in the video...which it would not if timing gear to crank gear position were off, or wires were in wrong order (they are NOT)... the fact that you cannot verify this with a timing light suggests to me that there is an issue with the hookup or use of the timing light itself...

BTW, it's not critical (and mind you it doesn't affect timing so cannot be the cause of your issues) but the distributor locking collar normally stays with the distributor (by removing the two bolts which secure collar to the block the entire distributor assembly can be lifted from drive and block and worked on)...and that without loosening the locking collar...so other than slight slop of mounting holes, removal and reinstallation would not affect timing...by loosening locking collar, then lifting off dist. you MUST retime every time you replace the dist.

Cheers

[940_Turbo]

Which plug lead have you connected the timing light to?

[Derek UK]

No reason to take the drive collar off. Just wash everything out, clean and re lube as you put it back together. With no vac mechanism to get in the way it's a very simple bit of kit. Don't forget a few drops of oil on the felt under the rotor and in the side oiler. There is a drain hole in the bottom of the main casing so any oil that spins off just drains away.