Quote:
Originally Posted by Chaplain
So I really want to understand but can somebody explain to me what I'm supposed to be learning here.
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the way I learn and what I look for is some guidelines or heuristics (ie rules of thumb) I think I picked up a few, I call these my book ends, in other words imagine a bookshelf of distributor knowledge on the left we have the #1 bookend dealing with initial timing, and on the right we have the #2 book end ie total timing
1. mechanical advance should not kick in at idle RPM, be it 600 RPM or 750 RPM, if it does it's a waste. this is when you are setting initial timing and you disconnect the vacuum canister on your distributor and plug the vacuum nipple on your carburetor (be it up top aka ported, or on the base, aka manifold) you don't want vacuum advance during this procedure
2. total advance (a misnomer for sure is really initial plus mechanical, but we call it total, ok what ever, total to me would be initial plus vacuum plus mechanical, but lets not go there, I call that one All In Timing) so anyway total advance for a small block chevy is 36* so that's our upper max, still with the vacuum advance can disconnected you get this reading whilst reving up the engine way high in RPMs like 3500 until the advance no longer advances. (when you connect the vacuum advance you can have as much as 54* of advance and that's ok, but thats a whole other discussion)
so there two points to add to your toolbox of know how, this only scratches the surface but I think I am right at least on these two issues