ignition timing crazy

[AuroraGirl]

Heres my buick(also a slight flex at my perfectly serviceable front-mounted distributor as god intended) and i never opened this before, its sat in a shed since 1988 and it has 80k miles,

The weights are sticky, and the one actually fails to kick out more than it fails to return, vs my truck failed to return. but just one. and it didnt move steady at all. i wire wheeled it quick and wd-40, just to see difference. worlds. im gonna do it properly when i get to working on the car more. but just to show, its not so much failure of parts or handling, sometimes age is all it takes. and some dirt, moisture, and oxidizable metal is all it took here, folks. eventually universe will destroy all things.

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[Snoots]

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Clean those weights and have them chromed. They'll make nice fly fishing lures. That's all they're good for.

 

[AuroraGirl]

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Clean those weights and have them chromed. They'll make nice fly fishing lures. That's all they're good for.

But I cleaned them and they work very well... i dont see the reason to change my advance curve since its calibrated to each engine, ive done little in way of modifying performance attributes, just fixing neglect and cleaning up and restoring function that had been lost at some pint.

 

[Snoots]

I don't mean to change the advance curve. The pivot points are terrible worn.

 

[AuroraGirl]

I don't mean to change the advance curve. The pivot points are terrible worn.

Isnt there a plastic bushing that it pivots on? One looked like it had remnants of it. nylon perhaps. Or is it quite literally the metal itself is worn out? I was hoping to buy new inserts to replace but i just went off what i saw and dont have experience, coulda been debris

 

[Snoots]

I've not seen a nylon bushing but have seen brass. I don't know where to get them. The weights have a number on them and can be match replaced.

 

[AuroraGirl]

I've not seen a nylon bushing but have seen brass. I don't know where to get them. The weights have a number on them and can be match replaced.

so the weights are made to not use a bushing, instead ride metal on metal, but of course with less wear so a tighter-twist than yank and jerking (shut up, vbb). Perhaps the bushings are to put left into them once worn?

 

[Snoots]

Yes. They ride metal-to-metal.
Even to use bushings (install them) you need a good drill press and accuracy.
That's why I recommend replacing them.

 

[AuroraGirl]

Yes. They ride metal-to-metal.
Even to use bushings (install them) you need a good drill press and accuracy.
That's why I recommend replacing them.

Well that's easy enough. Last I checked they weren't outrageous. Plus then you get new springs

 

[Jonny B]

thanks for advice etc.Just done compression test and got zero on two cylinders!!I was surprised it ran as well as it did,so i thought id just update yas .Time for a new 350 ,fair play to my old 'un at 46 years old and runnin' on one leg.So what seemed an impossible timing issue and made me insane was like always just a step by step process of elimination.On an old engine first check from now on will be comp test and dont lend ur mate ur tester like i did n wait ages to get it back!!