Guess my timing

[zerfetzen]

Everything should be in my signature line.  If this were yours, what would your timing numbers be both at idle and advance?  Newbie here trying to get it right.  Thanks.

[MEK-Dangerfield]

With a bigger cam, your timing will be advanced a bit at idle over normal. 10 degrees before top dead center would be a good place to start. Just listen to your engine as you move the distributor. See if you can find a happy spot. For total advance, you should be around 38 degrees. You really are just trying to have the timing advanced as far as you can, without getting detonation(pinging).

  Mike

[Chryco Psycho]

I agree , somewhere in t the 12-14* at idle & 38 total

[zerfetzen]

Thanks guys,
I have initial set around 15 right now.  Yesterday, I advanced it at idle until it sounded funny like it was misfiring, and backed it off a degree or two.  It starts much better with the MSD system now, but it seems like it gets less power.  I did change the springs in the MSD distributor to the thinner ones for faster advance.   It's more reliable, but has less cahones.  Before, it would spin 'em 4-10 feet from a standstill depending I guess on the pavement, but it doesn't spin 'em now at all.  I thought for sure it had to be the timing.  Maybe it's with the carburetor (brand new Edelbrock 600), but I doubt it. I'm new at this, but I think the carb should perform better without the vaccuum line.  My vaccuum gauge says it's getting 18-19 now, where before I think it read about 16-17.  I'm stumped.

[71383bee]

Timing and tuning go hand in hand.

It's not uncommon to re jet or re tune the carb after adjusting the timing. 

What did you end up with?  what is total and what RPM all in?  You did this with the vac andvance disconnected correct?  Where does your initial end up?

I always set for total first and check initial after.  My 383 likes 36 total.  Typical ranges are 16-20 initial and 34-38 total for most MoPars.

[zerfetzen]

At the moment, my timing is set at 15 initial and 38 total at 2,500.  I think roughly around 16-17 the engine starts not sounding good.

I guess this brings up one other newbie question about idle:

All my life I've driven manuals with one exception twenty years ago, so now that I have an auto, I'm adjusting to it.  What do you consider the idle on an auto...park or drive?  And more importantly, what should these be set to?

With the MSD, I've noticed I have to idle it higher, but really want to hear what you guys think, because depending where I set that, I could have a couple degrees in slop in where I set the initial timing.  Thanks a mil.

[71383bee]

Idle depends alot on engine combo, but for most mild engines idle should be set in gear around 700-900.  Take your vacum measurements from a manifold source in gear also. 

The key is to make sure that the carb is not in the transition slots.  The carb should be be adjusted so it's barely open.  Only about 1-2 full turns from full seat. 

Make sure ythe car is at operating temp too. 

The car idles higher because the ignition system is burning the fuel more efficiently.  This is a good sign.  I would not be surprised that now you can fatten up the carb a bit to get it to run better.