[The Vandal]

Small chevy - mild cam, etc. Engine will only run with about 30 degrees advance (at 900 rpm) and it's weak on top of that. It dies if I try to retard it any. Any ideas? Thanks

The Vandal

[machine shop tom]

Way too lean or timing chain off a tooth or two.

tom

[dmc12mk3]

No chance your plug wires are off a peg or two?

[71 c-10]

is your vacume advance unpluged from the dis and pluged or is it an HEI unit??

[club327]

My thoughts were also that the cam timing is way out. You also need to eliminate the harmonic balancer timing mark as a fault. The pulley ring on the balancer may have slipped out of phase with the crank. You need to find top dead center to confirm the marking position. Has the cam just been replaced?

[jimfulco]

Vacuum leak?

[Rob Keller]

is it a ECM? ignition if it is reverse the two wires coming out of the distributer the pick up coil could be wound backwards and the ECM will only run on the top spike

dont trust the timming mark on a chvey w/the rubber thinga inbetween the balancer the can slip moving the mark

timeing gears could be off too
good luck

[SmoknR6]

It really sounds like your off a tooth or 2. I had the same problem in my 355 in my 71 Nova.

[bullheimer]

if you read this months hot rod this happens when you use a 283/327 balancer with a later 350. if that isnt the case just time it by ear like most of us here do. mine is so far advanced i just gave up. made it run like a raped ape and who cares where the timing marks are.

[Cameron]

I have seen this before with a crap distributor. Perhaps a lot of advance was required because of slow lighting of the charge.

Make sure the sparks are bright blue. If they aren't, find the problem and fix it -maybe oil in the cap, partially burnt coil, or faulty pickup.

[tweaked]

I had the same problem and still do. I posted this question some time ago and received lots of great replys if you would like to check it out, but I do still have the same problem. I changed my cam, new distributor, and chain and still can't figure it out. I just gave up on the timing lights and advanced till I had detonation and then backed off a hair. If I would have been one tooth off it would have been obviuos I'd think because it was lined up dead nuts.