Re: Ping In 359 Engine

Posted by JWL On 2014/5/5 11:39:01

Good to try the "Ross Method" first. It is simple and cheap, and results will present themselves quickly. That said, tuning a distributor is mostly a lost art these days.

Vacuum advance chambers are used across a number of applications for a given manufacturer. What differs in them is the length and/or tension of the spring. That is why it important to remove these items from the chamber when sending in a defective unit to exchange for a rebuilt one. Using shims can affect the amount of advance too.

The automatic or mechanical or centrifugal advance mechanism can also be tuned for the engine speed in which it starts to advance, how quickly it advances (the advance curve), and how much it advances.

Breaker point gap or dwell will affect ignition timing. The timing will retard over miles as the rubbing block wears - gap decreases, or dwell increases.

Tuning a distributor is done on a specialized machine that mounts the distributor and has various gauges and other attachments. The operation of the vacuum and mechanical advance can be observed directly. It was used back in the day by better shops to set new points and check the distributor for proper operation and check for wear.

(o{}o)