4.3l Vortec distributor adjustment
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ค. 2021
- Vehicle came in as a hard start / no start symptom, the cam index was running 13° retarded, a quick grind to the body of the distributor to allow for adjustment and after setting the index to 0° it now starts just fine.
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I saw a lot of videos on ways to do this. I’m glad you explained why it’s doing that.
Great video. Very informative. Just to let you know, for around $9 you can get a distributor hold down clamp for a small block chevy. It's rounded but fits the 4.3 distributor. It allows you to turn the distributor without having to do any grinding.
Yes I agree. I have the same motor. Timing issues. Its a lot of work trying to learn and figure our everything by yourself. Tgf youtube and all whom share information. Man its a real game changer.
Thank you for that before I watch your video I knew that 4.3 needed a distributor I just put in a brand new engine in the shop. Timing was set everything was set right and it will not start it tries to but it won't because the tooth off. I'm going to get new distributor and maybe go MSG distributor but thank you for confirming my problem. God bless
And yes a new coil pack. Back in the day it was a spark of register
just had to try and figure out why the coil on my customers food truck was arcing to the coil no matter what i did, new cap plugs and rotor on top of the rat issues in the engine bay i thought i was losing my touch or going insane. I didn't even think about this. thank you.
He makes a good point ! My 91 chevy dist was round , 96 is when they started that square body crap ,
great insight. makes perfect since
My cap and button was new I looked at it and the sides are burnt , of the pins in the cap and the button has scorched marks on it , thank you for the video
My 4.3 in the 96 Astro van started having ignition problems at around 150,000 miles. Having replaced cap& rotor regularly it has gotten worse until 225,000 it finally dawned on me that timing chain wear has retarded rotor position phase at firing time. Since the distributor has never been moved since it left the factory I scribed the position of the dis body to manifold no# 1 rotor mark then turned distributor advanced as much of the observed slack movement back & forth at the crank. I guess I'll be replacing the timing chain some time in the future. The scribe mark keeps the original placement. Your video is the only one I've seen explaining what I had suspected.
Chain stretch is only one of the factors, what I actually see the most is gear wear on the distributor.
@@bulldogsautomotiveadventur4387 i haven't seen a trouble code or check engine light defining this but the trend of unexplained cold starts when damp and random misfires at idle when at temperature has become more regular the only logical reason has emerged as chain wear pas150,000 to200,000 miles.
@@markschmalenberger8301 might check the coil for a halo on the side, the wide gap inside the cap will strain the coil till it jumps out the side, that’s why it gets worse when damp. I check that with a spray bottle, spray it down while running and see if it arcs or misses under load.
@@bulldogsautomotiveadventur4387 ive had the coil out and it checks out fine, even grabbed it while running could hear arcing but wasn't at the coil. The sound was coming from the distributor. Ireplaced the ICM. but only because it burnt out 2 years ago. So far I've had this van 20 years& had very few problems . It's the only vehicle I've never fixed anything that wasn't broken.
@@markschmalenberger8301 did you ever figure it out? I’ve spent a year trying to figure this same problem out, replaced everything with new top quality components within the ignition system , runs perfect all the time but as soon as it’s humid or raining it acts like it wants to blow up. I’ve looked everywhere for an answer, spent hours spray bottling everything with voltage throughout the entire van, and nothing works. Same problem still.
yeah , them obd2 trucks i tell ya and keep the little vent circles clear of debris too. them caps will store moisture .
thanks, you answered a big question for me. I'm old school and was trying to to find out how to do the ignition timing, I mean when the spark fires! where is the tdc timing mark!
damn, been out of the business for to long...
Had to discover that myself…before we even had internet. Lol
Just to add I have found a couple distributors for the 4.3 that are actually refurbished and sometimes the reluctor wheel is off slightly which can also cause these issues. line em up and compare your old one to the new one with the rotor off so you can see the square hole where the cam sensor makes its signal . If new one is off id send it or bring it back with your old one and show the parts place their crap and demand a properly refurbished Distributor and match it up right there before taking it home and getting frustrated or having to customize . Stupid GM , one viewer here was on the spot about keeping gm mechanics busy , what a rouse these manufacturers are today un believable. But great vid as i never thought of the chain stretching also with mine at 189000 it idles at round 800 and keeps throwing misfire codes. Plugged #1 with a stress ball and cranked it till i just heard the last bit of air squeeze out and stopped . yup still an inch or so to line up marks but said impossible and went with that think all is good now just have to clear codes and viola. Wellfor my case anywho.
Would a bad timing cause a misfire in only cylinder one. My scanner says spark advance timing positive 20°. Which way would I have to rotate it to get it to 0°?
There’s a difference between timing and cam index, make sure you’re looking at the right one, it’s doubtful it’ll cause a single cylinder misfire.
I have 2002 s10 4.3 4wd thought I would do timing which turned into balance shaft gears which turned into oil pan gasket after installing all that I’ve diagnosed a bad dizzy installed new one now I can’t start the truck ,after timing job it would start up rough idle die at a stop misfire over 50mph . Abut tips on what I should do
Are you sure you have it timed right? They're easy to get a tooth off or more.
When u indexing the computer should u start it first with the pointer at number 8 and tdc compression stroke or if u already know its minus 8 , move it first before starting ? Thx
I usually mark the body and put it back where it was and adjust from there, if it’s been moved I rotate the engine to #1 TDC and point it there.
Is there a way to get rid of the distributor? Like have a digital distributor? Anything other than coil on plug/LS style?
I’m sure there’s a way, but I’ve never heard of it. This system is actually digital as far as how it determines when to spark, it just has the old analog way of sending it through the cap and wires.
The distributor also turns the oil pump at the bottom, so no it will not work.
I did the lower intake job , and put everything back together , I connected all the hoses and electrical , I put the distributor in and now when I start it it will not start , do you know why it’s not starting ?
I’ll guess it’s out of time
Thank you sir.
Will the vortec 5.7 distributor with 4.3 cap work to move distributor?
No, the sensor inside will be different
There's also the Ignition Module ? My computer and new Distributor had to learn . 4.3 Still has issues climbing up a hill wires plugs and the damn thing ?
Was the cam index set after installing the new distributor?
@@bulldogsautomotiveadventur4387 Will get back .
I am having issues with a 2000 Astro van. I’m getting P1345 code. I think it is detonating/knocking from a timing issue. New distributor helped but not sure if everything is right. Anyway I can message you for some help?
That is a cam/crank correlation code, needs to be hooked to a computer and have it reset.
What would it feel like when driving if it was jumping a gap like that?
It usually doesn’t present as a drivability problem, it might give trouble starting and will cause the coil to go bad.
Thanks bro..
My GMC Sonoma blew the gasket between the head and the intake. We had it starting and running from out side the vehicle. The truck only has 95 thousand miles so chain wear is minimal. We took off the intake and fixed the bad intake gaskets. It turns over but can not get it started. The center shaft of the distributor moves up and down should I go get another one? Pluss after you put some twist back into the distributor how do you set the timing just like old days just turn till it idols smooth?
Check to see how many degrees the rotor rotates while installed, should be almost none including climb, the way you set it after installing is with a computer that has live data, it’s called cam index and should be 0 with rpm about 1000
@@bulldogsautomotiveadventur4387 Oh outside the vehicle the gear and center shaft have Id say about a 16th of a inch of play up and down.
Why does the oil pump drive keep getting off when I pull the distributor?
@@richardjohnson4373 that’s pretty excessive play, when you pull the fist up it rotates the pump drive slightly so they like to get off
@@bulldogsautomotiveadventur4387 Thank you sir it is off to the parts house. With the distributor down on the manifold I should point at the six and the crank at TDC compression stroke with harmonic balancer in-between the two fingers on the block correct??
Do you have a way for.me.to offer you a donation for your help? Pay pal maybe?
@@richardjohnson4373 I honestly don’t know which way it needs to point, I usually just put them back where they were if it hasn’t been rotated, if it has I got for tdc and point to #1, as far as donating all I ask is to share the channel around.
I have the same problem mine says -14
Absofriggenlutely, the 4.3's been around for a long time- torque up the wazoo- most of the time I think i'm driving v-8 - till 80 or so - but there are some design fukes like this that darn sure should have been fixed. I have never had to change a chain in one either - I thoght about making the distributor like every other distributered vehicle in the world, but figured there must be a reason - figured right- It keeps GM Service guys busy - I'm out the door to buy some grinder wheels. Thanks - liked and subscribed
Thank you sir.
I'm having running issues with mine, 1995 gmc jimmy 4.3. I do believe that when I got a new distributor, it was not properly timed. Because it's not running correctly.
Make sure you don’t have a hole in the coil, if it’s worse when humidity is high or it’s raining I would check that.
@@bulldogsautomotiveadventur4387gotta unplug est wire on 95 s when timing as well
Cant you elongate the hole the bolt goes through
Yes but that won't give you very much adjustment
@@bulldogsautomotiveadventur4387 how do you feel about flipping the gear 180 after knocking the pin out? I’ve seen multiple people say this works. I don’t have a grinder🥲
I've never tried that, I always just added adjustment...I did one at the home shop with just a file and was able to get plenty of adjustment.
So should I just change the distributor
02 4.3 w 240k
Depends on whether it's off due to gear wear or timing chain stretch.
Well I tried a different one and it didn’t fix it , thought I’d share the info
Not sure what your original issue was but I’ll let you know that I’ve had those flat caps cross fire at times, even brand new ones.
@@bulldogsautomotiveadventur4387 how would you verify chain stretch, would you have to actually remove the timing cover to inspect ?
@@kellismith4329 no, just have to have the distributor out so you can see the cam. Rotate the crank back and forth till the cam moves, I’m sure there’s a degree measurement somewhere but it’s really just a judgment call.
What are the symptoms when this is the problem
Occasional hard start/extended crank time but normally they just burn the coil up…when they get real bad they might set a cam/crank correlation code.
Another TH-camr cut a slot in the hold down fork to the bolt hole and used an old distributor cap with a hole cut in the top to visually adjust the spark with the motor running.
Im gonna grind my clamp and hold down deal , thanks for this video ive been having alotta pobs with my 96 k1500, , , im on my fifth crank sensor and cant understand why it keeps goin out , , -8 at idle rev up it climbs to minus 24
I don’t think the crank sensor going out is related, been having a ton of parts failures in many brands lately
Just to be clear, the index is not the same as the timing, it’s the dwell between the crank and cam sensors.
On my sixth sensor , they last no more than a week ,@@bulldogsautomotiveadventur4387
They say there sensitive , maybe reluctor wheel has run out , idk but I ain't putting in this one till I figure out why , love ur video man , helped me fo sure
I have a 96 5.7 with a new timing set and a new distributor it’s installed correctly, it’s 17* retarded when you rev it up to 1000 rpm the timing won’t change when you rotate the distributor… any ideas
Are you checking with a timing light or a scan tool, the cam index is different than timing, it’s basically the dwell between the can and crank sensor. Some of those require a relearn on the cam/crank sync.
@@bulldogsautomotiveadventur4387 I’m using a scan tool
Thanks for the video my timing was 5' retarded i grind some metal off the holdown clamp braket and was able to adjust it to o'
Man am in jamaica my 95 silverado v6 just wont idle.
If it won’t idle down check the gasket under the throttle body (if it’s a TBI)
correlation nightmares
U cant get 15 degrees of adjustment , i have - 8 degrees at idle , but your suppose to time it at idle ,, most u can get on my 96 k1500 is 6 degrees , im open for advise , thx
It’s supposed to be indexed to 0°, and it has to be above 1000rpm for the computer to read the index. I usually move it and then rev a bit to check it.
@@bulldogsautomotiveadventur4387 so u have to rev it like setting cam retard ? Than move a little at a time ?
I regularly take out 10° of timing or more
@@bulldogsautomotiveadventur4387I can't understand why I keep blowing crank sensors , maybe cuz it's retarded so much and coil doin what u said ,, have no shorts , alternator is new , , frustrating as hec , ,
I am at - 8 on my Innova 5610 than it climbs to - 21 , , I just put it in tdc and it points to 8 arrow , should I start it first than move it or move it 8 degrees advance now , than start it ? @@bulldogsautomotiveadventur4387
So can I bring my 2005 chevy silverado 4.3 to you ,got the same problem.
Depends on your location. Lol
4:38 to 5:15 is where the onion is
I Cannot Believe, that Chevy Has Made a Plastic Distributor!!!!......What a POS!!!
Almost everything made now has plastic components.
1997 Chevy Astro van with 4.3 rotor to distributor gap was way off when new , spark erosion on brass poles was only on one side . Around 80,000 miles due to wear in the engine , when you increased engine RPM it would cross fire , because the computer would advance the timing , I customized the hold down clamp so the distributer would rotate 10 to 15 degrees , fixed the problem that was back in 2000. Never bought another American car !
Do you have a video of grinding the distributor down
No I don’t, next time I have one in I’ll shoot another video, this was when I was still relatively new to TH-cam
Tysm for the response. Wow. You're amazing. If I'm standing in front of the car looking at the engine under the hood, which way would 15 degrees be left or right?
@@breezentheosescapades8769 15 degrees advance should be left, counterclockwise I believe
OK I think I'm going to attempt this on a 4.3 from an 1989 s10 ext cab, before ls swap it. I'll let you know if it works.
This only works on the flat cap distributors, those old ones were adjustable