One of the craziest things I have ever seen

blackcoffeeblues

Student Of The Blues
This is pretty much for us old folks that worked on there own cars and motorcycles.
Have you ever seen a motor run 180 degrees out of timing? I had never till today (I started working at my dads' filling station when I was 13) The pump I was talking about in a prior post that didn't run right.
That thing was 180 degrees off top dead center fire. But it did run a week ago yesterday- very badly--missing like crazy--I did everything I could think of---new plugs-new distributor cap----new carb---new plug wires
the whole 9 yards.---nothing helped. So I took it up to top dead center on the #1 plug----looked at the rotor button it was 180 out it was firing on #4 instead of # 1 I switched the distributor to 180 advance----that thing fired up in less than a 1/4 turn and runs like a Singer sewing machine-----I don't know how long or even HOW this thing ran that far out of timing---(Wisconsin VH-4D)---but it did. I use to think I had a problem with string buzz or a temolo set up---but this one makes that look like a kindergarten jig saw puzzle. :) I am a happy camper today :Beer:pump that mud---later
 

kestrou

Blooze Noobie
I've got blood on my knuckles and grease under my fingernails, but I can't figure out how this would work...

Must have been possessed - was the engine out of a 58 Plymouth Fury named "Christine"? :)

Kevin
 

Elio

Student Of The Blues
That's a new one on me. The cam timing must have been just right to allow a couple cylinders to fire at the right time. i actually have some experience in things being off 180 degrees. When I was in college, a couple friends and I decided to take a course in engine rebuilding at a community college. The three of us were placed in group together and assigned a big block Chrysler engine that had come out of an old highway patrol car. We had all worked on our own cars and occasionally raced at a local dragstrip, so we figured we would run circles around the others and be the first group to complete the rebuild and start our engine.

Before the end of the semester, we did finish first and even had time to paint our engine Mopar blue. When you finished, the instructor would make a big deal of making everyone stop and watch while he would bring over a battery to connect to the starter. With everyone watching he connected the battery, took a look at our engine and asked us if we noticed anything odd about it. He finally pointed out that us hotshots had bolted the intake manifold and carburetor on backwards. He gave us the option to fix it before trying but we decided to go for it as is. It actually started and ran fine, although I'm guessing that with the ports not really aligning correctly, it would have had problems in a car under load at higher RPMs .
 
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Al Holloway

Devizes UK
Only thing I can think was it went diesel on ya. If it was warm enough and the compresion high enough maybe? I once had a bike that was overheating switched the ignition of and it kept right on running. Must have been the combibation of the heat and compresion actually fired the fuel even without a spark. Had to turn the fuel off and wait for the carb
 

blackcoffeeblues

Student Of The Blues
but I can't figure out how this would work...
Me either---it is electrically not possible..to everything I ever learned--most V-8 engines won't even start at all if you get 6-8 degrees out of time--I can't understand it but I am damn sure glad I found the problem.
I'm guessing that with the ports not really aligning correctly, it would have had problems in a car under load at higher RPMs .
You got lucky on that one---because the intake and exhaust ports are different sized...I got a feeling it would have made it 2 miles .

The only thing I can come up, with is, whoever set that distributor, set it on the exhaust stroke instead of the intake stroke---but there still no way that thing should have started let alone pump 4 yards of concrete 150'---that's half the length of a football field. I am sure glad it did, or, I would have had to pay for that concrete. later
 
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Elio

Student Of The Blues
Me either---it is electrically not possible..to everything I ever learned--most V-8 engines won't even start at all if you get 6-8 degrees out of time--I can't understand it but I am damn sure glad I found the problem.

You got lucky on that one---because the intake and exhaust ports are different sized...I got a feeling it would have made it 2 miles .

Yeah, I just wish that the bolt pattern had not lined up so perfectly.
 

Slofinger

Blues Junior
Many years ago while my parents were visiting, my Dad’s ‘68 Buick Electra jumped time. We ended up finding when #1 piston was at top dead center, then aimed the rotor at that plug. They actually drove that home 200miles on the highway.
 

blackcoffeeblues

Student Of The Blues
Many years ago while my parents were visiting, my Dad’s ‘68 Buick Electra jumped time. We ended up finding when #1 piston was at top dead center, then aimed the rotor at that plug. They actually drove that home 200miles on the highway.
That's what I did--what blew me away was when I saw it was 180 degrees off---I could not believe it--so I stuck a skinny screw driver down the #1 spark plug hole to be sure I was on the compression stroke---after doing that 3-4 times I was convinced that it was top dead. Checked the rotor button and it was on #4 cylinder.--the firing order is----1-3-4-2. The distributor cap can only goes on one way. 1st thing that came to mind was "oh crap I got to pull that distributor and reset it"---not a easy job on this motor at all---tight quarters barely room to get your hand in or get the distributor out. Fortunately-- I loosened up the clamp and was able advance it 180. It dawned on me later that I could probably have just pulled the plug wires and rotated them--but all in all I was glad I did it my way. These Wisconsin motors are TOUGH--basically just a old flat head Ford motor sawed in half.
 
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