Posted by Oscar on Tuesday, January 01, 2002 at 1:01PM :
In Reply to: Stromberg 2V question posted by Eric on Tuesday, January 01, 2002 at 9:35AM :
When you check your timing - check the timing mark on your pulley. The mark should be at 0 deg when the #1 piston is a top dead center. On many engines the mark is on a harmonic balancer ring. The ring mounts to a central hub (that is bolted to the crank). There will be a thin piece of rubber between the central hub and the ring. Over time the ring would "drift" changing the real position of the timing mark.
The 318 poly had solid valve lifters as well so you need to set the valve clearances. Make sure you do the valve clearance procedure completely 3 times.
Do it 3 times! For some reason the engine will run much better and the valve adjustment will last alot longer when you take the time and effort to do the adjustment 3 times.
Be sure to put a vacuum guage on to check to leaks, burnt valves, etc.
Check the amount of play in the distributor shaft. Often the upper bushing wears - the wear changes the point gap and timing etc. If the distributor is worn the engine will never run just right - a worn distributor is usually overlooked. If you need a rebuild you may even decide to go electronic ignition and replace the points.
Good luck. The source of the problem is not likely to be just one thing. That's part of the fun of old trucks.
oscar