383 Ticking at high speed

[DynoDave]

The vacuum advance it self could be bad, but I'd look at where it attached inside the distributor...make sure the pivot points for it and the plate it moves move freely. Clean off corrosion and lube as needed, then try the one you have again.

[Charlie]

Yeah I am wondering about the spring load on the mechanism. I noticed it seems to take a generous amount of force for me to move it with my finger or a screwdriver. I cannot see that 5 inches of vacuum being enough to move the mechanism in there. It's pretty clean in there from what I can see. I'll just have to pull it out and inspect it closer.

I remember the distributor in my 318 Duster was just a matter of removing the bolt and retainer and then the whole thing just lifts out. Same thing for a 383??

[DynoDave]

Yes, the weights, plates, and vac. mechanism should all move smoothly without a lot of force.

It's all steel. Without maintenance, this rust and get sticky.

[71se3834v]

Plus the lube dries up and gets gooey. I'm betting a good clean and lube will do the trick.

[Tom]

I am thoroughly confused.  Looking for a high speed ticking noise.

BUT it is not pinging. (or is it?)

It is timing.

The only timing induced tick I aware of...................is pinging.

Cause.....timing that is too far advanced.

Not going to be caused by a lack of advance.....right?

[Charlie]

Tom: Perhaps I have my names for noises mixed up. I remember hearing pinging in my Duster years ago due to having the timing advanced a good amount to make up for a sloppy worn chain. That noise was not a steady noise... it was somewhat random and usually strongest upon hard acceleration. It was the same clattering noise I'd hear in my Galaxie 500 when I would put 87 octane gas in there instead of 91 or 93 octane. My 92 Chevy made this same sound when the wire for the knock sensor wire came disconnected... typically at any speed.

Fast forward to today with this 383... this noise I have now is a steady ticking sound. It shows up around +/-60 mph. It does NOT show up on hard acceleration. Only cruising and perhaps light acceleration once it gets to 60+ mpg.

So, if this is also pinging, then it just shows my ignorance since it's not exactly something I've dealt with in a long long time.

[71se3834v]

Jun 13, 2019 23:35:53 GMT -5 Tom said:

I am thoroughly confused.  Looking for a high speed ticking noise.

BUT it is not pinging. (or is it?)

It is timing.

The only timing induced tick I aware of...................is pinging.

Cause.....timing that is too far advanced.

Not going to be caused by a lack of advance.....right?

Tom, here's one for you. My Galaxie hadn't gotten much attention since I've been wrenching on the Charger so much. Got it out fall of 2017 to take a nice in the country and get some dinner. Alot of pinging all of a sudden! I knew everything should be spot on with the tune situation. Didn't have time to deal with it so drove t a few times lightly and put it away for the winter. Got it out spring of 2018. Got it home and it started running like crap and stalling. Longer story short it was the cheap arss Duralast condensor. Throw on the old one, ran fine, install the one that had 250 miles on it, run like crap and stalling. Points were wobbling around also. Lesson learned. Counterman on the phone ask if I wanted another one when I asked what the warranty was. I said NO, why would I want to put this crap back on my car? Bought a better brand somewhere else.

[Charlie]

The condenser (a capacitor) can become weak, leaky, open, or just short out. If you look at a schematic of the points/condenser system, you'll see that a condenser with a short across it would be the same as your points being and staying closed... which would be no Bueno for getting your car to run.

I change a lot of capacitors in my electronics work. I stick to using quality parts... Sprague Orange Drops have always served me well. In the past 27 years, I've had one occasion in which I installed a brand-new Sprague that was bad into a television. Took me a while to figure it out. Since then, I test each NEW capacitor before it gets soldered in place. I've seen just a FEW other new caps in cheaper brands that were off-spec enough to where I would toss'em in the trash. It doesn't happen often, but it happens.

The fact that sooo many of our replacement car parts are now made in China can guarantee you that at some point, you're going to be very unhappy with some part that you just busted all your knuckles to install. I would consider ANY condenser that says "Made In China" to be questionable right out of the box. If at all possible, I'd seek out a brand of condenser that's made here (if such a thing exists).

If you try to find "vintage" NOS USA-made condensers on the world wide web, be aware that they could be just as bad as new Chinese made ones. Many capacitors have a shelf life. Some are better than others. I've never cut open an ignition condenser to see what type of construction it is... but if it's simply a paper/foil capacitor in there, then it's possible that sitting on a shelf for 20+ years will result in the dielectric breaking down and causing poor performance or a direct short.

[Tom]

Jun 14, 2019 6:42:19 GMT -5 71se3834v said:

Jun 13, 2019 23:35:53 GMT -5 Tom said:

Tom, here's one for you.

With all the Chinesium going around these days, I am not surprised.

I once put 3 starters on a Ford Tempo in one day.

3 power steering pumps on Nissan truck in a week.

I will try to get back to the noise issue tonight.

Just taking a short break from working on my boat.

Trying to get it ready for a Fathers Day maiden voyage.

My first boat....and I am learning by the minute. LOL