Interesting timing issue.

[Johnski]

Ok tuning guru's. I'm a bit stumpted here. I just had to replace a ticking lifter so, being the lazy guy that I am, decided I didn't want to lift the stock intake back on and potentially slip a disc. I threw a new Edelbrock intake and 1406 on it. The truck has an hei with a new timing set I put on a couple months ago. So it's all back together and running, but I can't advance the timing past TDC. It will just stall. I can suck on the vac advance and the rpms will go up, but it I turn the distributor it dies. The most vacuum I can get before it dies is 11-12. It's not an issue of me messing up the timing set installation. It was just fine before I took it apart for the lifter issue. I took it up the street and it definitely runs like it needs more timing. Super boggy, no throttle response. Running off ported vacuum. I've plugged everything else to eliminate the possibility of a vac leak. Any ideas? I'd be in your debt.

Cheers,
Johnny

[AwesomeJ10]

welcome to the forum

are you sure the new intake has no vacuum leaks?

[Johnski]

Thanks. Glad to be here. IFSJA is a mess. My log on stopped working and of course inquires for help went unanswered.
If there is a vacuum leak, I sure as heck can't find it. I've hosed everything with carb cleaner and can't get a change in rpm. I even tried the propane torch trick....nuthin!

[Tad]

Glad to be here. IFSJA is a mess.

Glad you made it over, most of us made the leap awhile back.

Not a tuning guru but have fought a few battles.
I'm sure you have been over firing order, if not I would double check that and make sure the wires are properly seated.

Any reason you are running ported vacuum?
When I switched to HEI on the previous engine (B350) I set it off of manifold since that's the way it was when I pulled the HEI from the donor rig. I set it up that way on the Caddy engine also, seems to be fine.

Another recent vacuum issue I just worked through was the advance just not moving properly, engine had sat for awhile. I hit it with my mighty vac a few times and I heard it finally free up, solved my bog off the line issue.

[Johnski]

Yeah, I did the firing order thing at least 4 times. Pulled the distributor back out, reset engine to TDC and started over. I'm pretty sure it's a vac leak, I just can't find it. All the parts are new, because I was trying to avoid this exact scenario. The advance seems to work fine when I suck on it. I'm close to taking it to a shop (which goes against every fiber of my being). Maybe it just needs another set of eyes.

I don't know exactly why I chose to run ported vacuum. Seems I had a reason, but I don't recall what it was now.

[carnuck]

If it's an EGR style, try disconnecting the EGR and see if it's better