Ignition timing issues...please help

[VIPERBLUELX]

Here's the car:

91 Mustang 5.0, AOD, 306, S-trim, Edelbrock heads, custom cam, Saleen/Vortech intake, MSD6AL, BTM, MSD Billet Distributor, all the bolts on.

Here's the deal, my friend just bought the car and doesn't know much about it, so he wanted to me check the timing. This is where things get weird.

I pull the spout connector and check the intial timing and it's at 28 BTC. I was like, what the hell, so I thought maybe the spout connector was bad and they'd just set it for total timing. I stick the spout connector back in and give it some gas and it advanced beyond the numbered park of the balancer. Just to be safe I turned the intial timing back down to 14btc and put the spout connector back in and drove it. Well the car won't even turn the tires over in 1st gear, and was a pig all over. We came back to my shop, I checked the timing again, initial was at 14 with the spout connector out and around 28 at 2,000 rpm's with the spout connector in. What the hell is going on here?

I put the initial timing back at 28 and put the spout connector in and we drove it and it's strong as hell with no pinging. I told him to just be careful and drive it like it is.

Anybody know what's going on with this car?

thanks
Mark

 

[Ranchero5.0]

possible the timing ring slipped. other than setting it at 28 to run good it sounds normal.

 

[VIPERBLUELX]

I thought about that, but it's an SFI approved balancer.

 

[PRO50SC]

Set the engine up on TDC and see where the rotor points. Sounds like the distributor may be a tooth off explaining why there is so much timing advance needed for it to run well.

 

[VIPERBLUELX]

My understanding is that being a tooth off doesn't matter as long as there's enough clearance around the TFI to get the car in time.

 

[HISSIN50]

i agree with Viper about the timing gear stuff. the dizzy/TFI will just be rotated a little more one way or the other. does not matter. that is just what makes it easy to describe for folks in here. as far as i know..............