Electronic ignition woes!

[ek96]

Hi All

I have fitted an AccuSpark Electronic ignition module, and am having some issues with the timing.
When the static timing is at 3 degrees B.T.D.C.(per the marker on the pulley), the engine is incredibly lumpy, and is very difficult to start., it is also completely gutless, and simply dies.
So I tried advancing until it pinks, then bringing back slightly, but the results don't seem right at all.
It would appear (and forgive how ridiculous this sounds) that the place it runs best is something like 30 degrees PAST T.D.C., though the problem with this is it gets hot quite quickly!!!

I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to do, any advice would be gratefully received!

Edd

P.S. the way I'm setting the timing is using a meter to test for continuity between the negative terminal of the coil and earth

EDIT: I should have said, I also adjusted the vacuum advance to full retard, to see if this would help, and have now centred this adjustor in preparation for future adjustment!

[biomed32uk]

I did have to move the distributor a fair way anti clockwise when I fitted my Accuspark to get the timing right from where it was with points. The vacuum advance module on my distributor is now almost vertical.

If I remember right by the time I got it to fire at roughly the right point it needed the leads moving round one to compensate for the anti clock movement, to get it into the right cylinder.

The real way of knowing what is happening is to put a strobe on there.

[liammonty]

I suspect that the (cheap) repro dizzy is slightly different to your original, and that you are actually 90 degrees out in terms of the position of the dizzy cap, meaning that it’s actually cylinder 3 (?) that’s firing at or around TDC, and not cylinder 1. Check whether this is the case (whip the dizzy cap off at TDC and see which lead the rotor arm is actually pointing at - I suspect it may not be number 1) and then, if you can’t swing the dizzy around far enough to correct it, you’ll need to shift the plug leads one position round on the cap. I’ve had exactly this with an Accuspark dizzy on my Landcrab. The net result means that your timing readings may currently be way off what they actually are. Are you sure it’s actually running hot when you’ve got it running nicely, or are you thinking it is because it seems so far retarded?