Timing problem I think

[Miggy21]

So I recently did a head gasket on my 90mm 2.4 and got it all back together and it ran great for a solid day then the next day it would barley start and spit and sputter. Figured out the rocker are bar bolts were sheared. Fixed that and went to fix the timing. To I just re timed everything. Did it as told on this forum. And now it won't even start. And it has an awful backfire too. I don't know what I did wrong. Please help!

[royster]

It sounds to me like the distributor is off by a tooth. Also: did you use the timing connector (you're supposed to ground it while positioning the distributor) and assure the mark is correct? Is the distributor tightened down? (It's easy to miss those kinds of details. EVERYONE on this forum has done simple mistakes). The belt tensioner, too, needs to be positioned and the bolt tightened.

The other thing is what you used for the cam timing mark: a very common mistake is to use the top of the cylinder head instead of the mark just below the top of the head. I say this only to make absolutely sure these details didn't get lost.

Also, assure your ignition wires are in the proper order, and according to the rotation of the rotor (which I'm pertty sure is 'clockwise').

On another note: what part of Virginia are you in? This forum has a lot of Virginians...I'm between Woodstock and Winchester.

[Rickdees]

Didn't read the whole thread, its best to delete. Lol

[Rickdees]

The distributor doesn't care where terminal is #1, so long as the firing order is correct.
You can run it 180 degrees out if one chose to do so.

[geezer101]

The distributor doesn't care where terminal is #1, so long as the firing order is correct.
You can run it 180 degrees out if one chose to do so.

It makes a difference - trust me. You'll end up with a phenomenon where you'll either have to full advance or retard the distributor just to get it to show some sign of life that it wants to fire.

[Miggy21]

So I got it running the problem I had was I had the distributor set on the exaust stroke not the intake. So it's running and I have the actual engine manual printed off. And went by the timing mark shown on the header not the top of the header. But it's still got a bad tap and the stutter I fixed by advancing the idle a hair. But a big problem now is that the exaust fumes are getting into the engine and contaminating the oil turning it black. I have no idea what it's from but I know it did that before I even bought the truck. The guy before me messed this think up worse then anything I've ever seen. For it to be running as smooth as it is is a miracle.

[Miggy21]

I have no idea if this is a simple fix or I'm just being an idiot on something. I cant seem to find any thing on Google because it thinks I mean oil burning out the exaust pipe which it isnt.

[geezer101]

If the 'tapping' sounds like the top end of the engine try performing an oil flush. It might help purge out the hydraulic tappets and remove contaminates from the bottom end. I'd be thinking about a compression test as well just to check the overall health of the engine.