new ignition and a free mind blowing to!

[DaLe five OH!]

my dad and I just put in all new MSD blaster coil,dist. cap, and wires and its running awsome...the reason i'm posting this really is what my dad did after we we're all done...he lossened a bolt at the bottom of the dist. and started to turn it and the car suddenly ran a crap load better...it was like day and night...I asked him what he did and he said i kicked the timing in the a$$, and i said dont u need a timing light though? lol guess not... just a lil bit of experience with cars ya think??

[Dark_5.0]

Lol,

Did he unplug the little grey connector on the distributior harness, start the car, set the timing, and then plug the connector back in?

If not he didnt do it right. Its not an old school chevy there are steps you have to follow or the ECU will just say phuck you.

[Coupe50h]

Your dad probaly knows his stuff, but like my dad, he is an old schooler, you could do that on old musclecars.
A computer controlled vehicle is a little different (if thats what you have), the spout must be removed, and without a timing light, your taking a chance. Yea you probaly felt a difference at first, but the ecu will compensate.
My dad and i did this when i first got my car (didnt remove the little grey plug) after a little research I found the proper way to do it.

[DaLe five OH!]

naw he didnt and it did start acting funny but he turned it back a lil bit and when i floor it and it gets about 4-5 thousand it kinda skips but other than that its fine...should he turn it back more or unplug it 1st and then change the timing? whats going on when that happens? and should i just use octane booster to fix it? or is that not the problem? he said not to use anything lower than 93 octane, thats all i use anyways but im guessin thats the problem...i really hope its that is getting lean , because i'm going on a trip upstate tomorrow, i need ur opinions on it...i can fix it if need be.

[Jeff Chambers]

Set the timing correctly.

[DaLe five OH!]

short and sweet...just how i like it...thanks man

[Coupe50h]

With a light, shoot it at idle, with the spout removed, 'most of our car's do well with about 12-14*initial, stock timing is around 10*, and be sure to use minimum 91 octane if you go advanced.
btw, stay away from mass produced aftermarket chip's, all they do is advance your timing
custom chips do much more, but cost more money......later
edit, and dont leave the spout plug thingy on the radiator and drive off.

[DaLe five OH!]

thanks man, all i use is 93...nothing but the best for my baby...i'll change the timing tomorrow and see what comes of it...

[DaLe five OH!]

ok i'm ready to do this right...how and what do i need to do to set the timing correctly...i'll take ur guys advice and go with about 12-14*

[USMC302]

You need to get a timing light from your local auto parts store. Pull the small chip out that comes off the dist. Hook the timing light up ( directions will come with it), lossen the dist hold down (1/2 wrench) just slightly so that it doesn't move on it's own but will move if you turn it. Shine the light on the balancer from the passenger side, you will see the timing marker right above the balancer, move the dist until you can see it reads 12-15 degrees, tighten the dist and turn the car off, plug in the chip. Start the car and go for a test drive. if you hear pinging, then back it down a couple degrees utilizing the same steps. Good luck. Oh, the blalncer might need a little cleaning for a good read.

Or just buy a PMS.

[Rev]

Good advice. I make a thin mark with White Out on both the pointer and the balancer. That really shows up brightly under the timing light beam.

Rev

[Coupe50h]

Yea you need to mark it with some white out, I used white touch up paint.

usmc, can you set the timing with a pms? i mean from inside of the car? I keep telling myself im going to invest in some tuning tools, instead of buying a bunch of parts.

[USMC302]

Yes sir, absolutley never have to touch the dist again, and adjustable throughout the RPM range as well. Not to mention 3 different programs you can run too, street, race, and nitrous if you want, all with the touch of a button. No more boost retard devices for blowers. Even a two step rev limiter for launches.