[Wildwestshow]

i have a chevy 350 1984 STOCK motor bare stock except for the headers i recently took a 6.2L diesel out of my blazer and put this 350 in it but now when i put a timing light on my harmonic balancer it shows the timing mark on the others side and when i try to turn the distributor back to 8 or 10 btdc the engine dies before i get close to that any ideal we have restabbed the distibutor and replaced dist cap,coyle,rotar new spark plugs and plug wires

[Wildwestshow]

oh and yesterday we turned the fuel mixture screws all the way in my dad says it shouldnt run unless it has a vacumn leak so today i checked all my bolts and found one tried to start the motor and my dad is right there so i gues i need a and i was wondering if a vacumn leak could be having something to do with the advanced timing? if i had to gues 30 or 35 degrees

[bigdog7373]

Timing will never ever cause a vacuum leak. If you have never put new gaskets on since 84', i suggest you do so. You are best off timing it by where it runs the smoothest, has the best throttle response, and doesn't backfire. If you try to set it to factory specs and you don't have a new timing chain in it, it is going to be retarded and won't run right.

[Wildwestshow]

new timing chain and well ur wrong i found a vacumn leak today plugged it started it timed it pluged vacumn advance and it moved the distributor slightly and timed it again the vacumn leak wouldnt let it idle at a normal 8 btdc so my problem was the vacumn leak

[Mohocomo]

I have bought new timing chains that were bad, you will have to play with it and see where is runs best at. Most 350 runs best at 36 degress at 3k rpm with the vacum unpluged. I assume you are using an HEI dist. Chevy makes 3 different ones with curves different in all 3. So that is why I say you may have to play with it, because of slack in the chain and which dist you use. Just one more note, in an older motor when you do get it set and start hot rodding it will jump timing. If what run out the all over the ground when you shut it off, chance the timing chain and gears. Oh yea, are you using a detent cable, if you are not that may change things for you. Good luck

[Wildwestshow]

my timing chain is as tight as it can be and this is just a temporary motor until i get my other 350 here the motor runs fine now and i just wanted to thank u all for ur advice i do appreaceate it