I've been messing with the ignition timing for a little over a week now, and I can't seem to get it right. At first, my lack of experience told me "just move the distributor to advance it or retard it and be done with it." I did not take the spout off, so obviously the computer was trying to correct everything I was doing. So I got schooled and bought a timing light and everything and I've been trying to set the timing as it is sopposed to be done, but the pinging is still there. I can get it to run somewhat smooth sometimes, but after I shut it off, it cools down, and I go to start it again after school it just doesn't act the same. Like the timing went out of wack again, but when I check it, it's where I left it. I've tried everything from 0º to 30º initial, and even tried to lock out the dizzy, but nothing. By trying to mess with the timing without disconnecting the spout, could I have messed the computer up?
Car is an 89 LX V8 with 10.5:1 comp pistons and F303 cam.
I just did a tune up, too and the plugs are Autolite 25s
When you set the Timing now are you pulling out the Spout Plug? Its been a while , but if I remember correct the Engine should be warm (operating temp) when setting the Timing too.
Set it to 12* with the timing light. Then adjust your distributor until it sounds
right. Not saying this will fix your problem, but it's a good starting point.
Engine warm will work best.
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Currently sans Mustang
Gone but not forgotten: '83 Charcoal GT 5 spd,
'89 Black/Titanium GT 5 spd, '90 Black LX Hatch 5 spd, ...
What grade of fuel are you using? 10.5:1 is pretty high for a street car, especially with iron heads... Weather will affect things too, if it's hot out, it will be more sensitive to detonation.
I would run 93 octane only, and set the initial back to 10* spout out and see how it does. I would also use some white-out or a white paint marker and scribe a straight line down the front of the balancer... Make sure it goes across the both half's and the rubber in the middle. Let the car run for a bit and check the mark.... If it's un-even, then the balancers slipping, and it will make setting the timing almost impossible.
Try leaving the battery unhooked for 30 minutes, to clear the computer. Then try setting the timing.
As long as everything inside the dizzy is fastened down good, I'd say you might have a worn out balancer, like 5speedGT said.
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1992 Deep Emerald Green Mustang GT Hatch, 5 speed, 2.73s, Mac fenderwell cold air intake, '93 Cobra MAF, Mac 70mm throttle body & spacer, Explorer intakes, Mac unequal headers & offroad pipe, Magnaflow catback, Walbro 110lph fuel pump, Jet adjustable FPR, MSD Blaster coil, Accel 8mm wires, FRPP aluminum quadrant, UPR firewall adjuster, stock cable, Granatelli upper control arms.
Waiting to go on: Granatelli lower control arms, and GT40 Iron heads!
hhhmmm I never thought about the worn out balancer thing. I'll check that out. To answer the questions (and sorry it took me so long) I am using 93 octane gas. It's all I've used since I bought the car about 6 months ago. I do wait untill the engine gets up to op. temp. to mess with the timing and I do disconnect the spout. I didn't disconnect the spout when I first tried adjusting the timing because of a lack of experience/knowledge, like I said. So that's why I am wondering if it could have messed the computer up or something. I found out by looking at someone's engine bay pics that my dizzy was not 1 or 2, but 3 teeth off, and I turned the engine until I saw the rotor line up with #1 plug on the cap and it was at 30º. That's when I decided to move it back to the stock position, so I messed with the timing then for the first time.
One other thing. I've made a few trips from my home in GA to my new appartment in NC and back... and forth... and my car doesn't seem to like it. When I get home after the 3 1/2 hrs of driving and I get to a stop light it idles pretty rough and dies... ALWAYS! the next day after sitting out for the night it's ok again. I also hear "pops" from the mufflers (I have 2 chambers with dumps) everytime I let off the gas while cruising. Could this be related to the timing?
"pops" on devel are normal when an off road H and free flowing cat-back has been added....
As for the timing, remove the dizzy, and set number 1 cyl. to tdc on the compression stroke... Mark the body of the dizzy at the #1 cyl. position and re-install it with the rotor aligned EXACTLY with you're mark... Be patient, as it will probaly take a few tries to get it in right.
Start it and let it warm, then re-set the timing to 10* ... Let us know if this solves the problem.
Ok, so I figured out what was causing the car to die after a long trip. The fuel return line was clogged and it read over 60psi at idle. Needless to say, that poor little pump was working its ass off to move the fuel around against the pressure, so it'd get hot and quit for a while. I solved the problem, fuel pressure is at 32psi idle and at around 40psi with the vac. line disconnected. Everything looks good there BUT... now it won't idle and it runs leans (I got the car to idle log enough for a KOER test and I got codes 41 and 91. No other codes except for the air pump and EGR codes because these things are deleted). I know this has VACUUM LEAK written all over it, but I have checked every single line over and over and they are all fine. I even took the upper intake off and re-torqued the lower intake bolts according to spec, and obviously torqued the upper intake bolts once I put it back on. The gasket was fine, too. I tried spraying carb cleaner all around the engine and nothing. It acts like when I left the MAF disconnected one time on accident. Same simptoms. But I checked the voltage and it reads .03vdc (which specs say it can't go over .7vdc but it doesn't say how low is too low). This is KOEO. I'm almost possitive it is that damn MAF but it is an expensive thing to buy and if it isn't the problem then that's almost $100 down the drain because they say once you install it you're not supposed to (read: CAN'T) return it. If anyone has any ideas please chime in.
Yikes...sounds like your car has some issues! I'm running a 347 with 10.3:1 on iron heads w/ 30# inj and was going through the same headaches with vacuum leaks and detonation. I poured hundreds into it trying to figure it out and eventually gave up and took it to a local dyno shop. They found the vacuum leak on the firewall tree that hooks up to the intake (among other things) and also burned a custom chip to knock out the detonation. I run 93 octane but it will run off lesser grade fuel without pinging. No matter what I did to fix the detonation myself (backing off timing, adjusting fuel pressure, TPS, etc.) the only thing that would keep it from pinging was running about 2 gallons of 110 octane race fuel with the 93. At $6 a gallon that got old really fast...
Are you still running the stock MAF and 19# injectors?
lol, yep. 13726548. It is a H.O. I've checked that like 3 times. I even tried swaping to a non-H.O. firing order and it didn't do any good. I mean, I didn't mess with the wires at all when I fixed the fuel line problem, and the car ran fine. I guess there's always the possibility of it being out of mechanical timing, but damn it, must have jumped right when I went to start it after I got the line hooked back up. But that still doesn't explain why it is runnin lean even when I have the right fuel pressure. Like I said, the car ran fine before except for the fuel pump overheating and shutting off.
If the MAF is bad, unplugging it should make the car run better.
Also the O2s might be shot, but I wouldn't replace them, until you're sure everything else is ok.
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1992 Deep Emerald Green Mustang GT Hatch, 5 speed, 2.73s, Mac fenderwell cold air intake, '93 Cobra MAF, Mac 70mm throttle body & spacer, Explorer intakes, Mac unequal headers & offroad pipe, Magnaflow catback, Walbro 110lph fuel pump, Jet adjustable FPR, MSD Blaster coil, Accel 8mm wires, FRPP aluminum quadrant, UPR firewall adjuster, stock cable, Granatelli upper control arms.
Waiting to go on: Granatelli lower control arms, and GT40 Iron heads!
I can't get the timing right!! 
