Good afternoon all

Well my 350 is acting up again. Lately it has been diesling. Could that be due to the timing being off? The reason I am thinking that is because since it is just happening maybe the bolt that holds down the distributor is loose? Im not sure but I will check that, can someone also send me the timing settings for a stock 350?

Another thing that has been bugging me is that under mid to full load the engine seems to be ringing, I swear that when I mash the gas there is a bell inside the engine. Could this be detonation, again caused by timing??? If need be I can record the sound and email to who ever asks.

One more thing I have had the carb (QJ) rebuilt twice and still there is not crisp throttle response, could this be the cam? What would be a good cam for the street?

Thanks for all the help.

Nicholas

The 'ringing' is the motor pinging. Either you're using the wrong grade of fuel, or your timing is advanced too far. This is a complicated issue, but these are two probable factors.

Dieseling can also be caused by hot spots in the cylinders, or the idle speed being too high (most common). What is your idle while in park? Does it still do it when you shut off the car while in gear?

69camaro has great suggestions, don't disregard what he says... Here are some possible solutions... but like he said, this could be a complicated issue...

Your timing could be the cause of all or your problems (dieseling, pinging, no throttle response). Back off the timing until your dieseling/pinging goes away. Try disconnecting your vacuum advance as well... if that solves the problem, you can get an adjustable vacuum canister. Also, check for vacuum leaks, they will make you run too lean and hot, again causing the same symptoms. I'd solve that pinging problem quick... exploding pistons aren't very fun. :(

There are a ton of good cams out there. I personally like comp cams. People say GREAT things about ultradyne cams too (though I've never tried them). I've used crane/lunati, and they are good too.

Tell us your combo (compression, intake, etc.) and what you want it to be used for (street/strip). Also, tell us your stall speed and rear gears (stock?). Someone can recommend a great cam for you. The correct cam for your engine will more than likely solve your problems too... and be a lot more fun :D

Gentlemen

My appologies for the late response.

Silver

I figured it might be a little bit of a problem from the gas side, so today I filled up (the tank was half full, ten gallons) and added two bottles of some STP octane booster, took a long highway drive (twenty five miles too and 25 back) and I havent noticed anything yet, maybe Ill have to wait till the tank empties before I make a call. The reason I put in that certain product was because the bottle said it was a cleaner also, so maybe that will get rid of some carbon buildup. I did notice that the car was ideling at between 750 - 1000rpm today on that drive. Today the car dieseled about three times, not in a row mind you. So this problem seems intermitant. I shut down the car down twice today in gear and both times the car shut down immediately.

Fried

First off, when Im looking at the engine from the front end which way do I turn the distributor, towards the drivers side or the passenger side? So if I take off the vaccum line and the pinging stops what does that tell me? Ill check for vaccum leaks. Yeah the pinging is lounder that the normal engine noise and exhaust combined, it gets annoying.

I really dont know much about my engine. What I do know is...the heads are 1976 era, intake is OEM replacement Edelbrock, I would like a nice mellow street/strip cam, Im not sure of the stall speed (what is the best way to find out?), the rear gears are 3.73:1 Eaton posi unit.

Another question, I am going to buy timing tape this weekend but I dont know which one to buy. I know the tape goes on a certain size balancer is that measured from one edge to another? So where do I put the tape at? On the balancer there are four lines cut into the width of the balancer all are 90 degrees apart.

Again thanks for all the help.

Nicholas

To retard the timing, turn the distributor cap the same way the rotor spins (clockwise).

If the pinging stops when you disconnect the vacuum canister (plug the vacuum line with something after it's disconnected), it means you either have too much initial advance or you have too much part throttle advance. First set the initial advance to 10 degrees advanced for safety (as stated in my last paragraph). You'll need a timing light for this.

Here's a great article on distributor timing... http://www.chevytalk.com/tech/ignition/Timing_Advance.html

Timing tape is very helpful. Measure the diameter of your balancer to find the right size. And put the "0" or "TDC" (depends on your tape) on the line that is at TDC when your timing pointer is lined up with it (sorry if that doesn't make much sense... tired graemlins/boring.gif ). Make sure that it is applies left-to-right. (Looking at the front of the engine, the 10 degree mark should be to the right of the TDC mark).

TDC can be found with a TDC stop (you can get them at your local speed shop). Here's an article on how to use them... http://www.webcamshafts.com/degreeing.html