timing issue

[oklaoz]

I'm trouble shooting my 81 Zagato and have some quetions.It starts and runs but has a stumble like somethings cutting out.I've replaced everything ignition wise,so now Im checking the timing and its showing it to be 80-90 degrees advanced! When the cams and crank are lined up the distributor lines up with #4 on the cap, whick I was told is correct.I even checked my timing light on another car just to be sure. What am I missing?
Oz

[Jim Keller]

I just went thru rebuilding my distributor due to stuck mechanical weights, make sure those are ok as well as the rest of the guts of the distributor. I set my Beta 2000 2.0L at 14 deg BTDC, Fixing the mechanical weights took all the stumble and hesitation out of it

[pabeaver]

Hi. I've had some bad new spark plugs lately. Do the old pull-one-wire-at-a-time when at idle routine. Make sure the rpm's drop for each cylinder.

Good luck.

[Allen Lofland]

When you have the bug pointing to number 4 and all lines up and your reading that far of on the timing AND the car runs :) I would make sure I dont have the timing light connected to the #1 spark plug wire

[Will]

90 degrees CRANK or 90 degrees on the DISTRIBUTOR? (180 crank degress). If the latter, then you are timing to the wrong cylinder.Dizzy should point to #4, cam marks should line up with pointer(s), crank should be tdc on the COMPRESSION STROKE (put your finger over the #4 plug while turning or take off the valve covers to see that both valves on #4 are CLOSED). Check the wires to make sure you have the correct firing order- since you didn't say how this car came to you or what happened to it, we have no idea where to start. It may be possible that your clamp loosened and the dizzy moved that far, want to give us a pic or something to help us out?

[DJ]

Dizzy should point to #4,

Small point here, but this is an '81 Beta that's being discussed so it's impossible to install the dizzy wrong. The only way this part could be wrong is if the exhaust cam was off.

[Jim Keller]

After re-reading your post, may I suggest you pull your fuel tank sender in the trunk, use a flash light to look down inside for rust or sandy/slimy sludge. If the sender unit isn't in Pristine condition and has lots of rust, you'll probably find the tank somewhat rusty and silty and that will plug the pickup sock off/on, especially after you drive it a block or two, making the car stumble and jerk due to loss of fuel pressure, BTDT Soooooo many times!

There are plenty of recent posts on the fuel tank issues so I won't take the time to re-type the proceedure to cure it here <grin>

[Allen Lofland]

I'LL STAND by my previous remark :) This car ( Lancia Zagato 2 ) RUNS if it was 90 degrees of it would not run.He has every thing right so something must be wrong with his timing light, Like having it hooked to Number 1 instead of number 4.
As for the Fuel tank issue. Right on except i think he has already done that and been there.
I know the car runs pretty good becasue he was at the Tulsa car show and thats a few miles from Kansas City so it has to run good enough to get there and back :)
Lyn and I are driving the Black Scorpion to Houston to meet the ship to Israel Sunday :(