Smooth Idle, but popping/Clicking noise..

[MikDee]

Re: Smooth Idle, but popping/Clicking noise..

Positive from boat keyswitch (poss through ballast resistor or resistor wire) to positive side of coil. Wire from the points to the negative side of the coil on the (non ancient) points systems I'm aware of.

A boat with the firing order wrong or timing way out or jumping around due to cracked dist cap mentioned above might make some "weird" noises. Don't give up yet.

James

Yes, I agree, coil negative to distributor on a negative ground system.
And some good tips here, to check out first, about the carb, distributor cap, firing order, & timing.

By the way fb it is definitely a Chevy V8 engine, every one has that same firing order on the intake manifold, plus Ford V8's have the distributor in the front, not in the back like Chevy's,,, and are CCW rotation. Finally, Ford spark plugs come out of the head on an angle, stock Chevy's have the plugs sticking straight out of the head. I'm speculating it's a 350cu in/260hp Chevy, although it could be a 305cu in/228hp? but I doubt they'd put anything less then a 350 V8 in a Mastercraft Ski Boat. I know, ski boats usually come with Ford engines, but maybe someone changed it along the way ,,, For the 3rd time now, Please, How many hours are on it? Unless it's not the original engine?

 

[frustratedboater]

Re: Smooth Idle, but popping/Clicking noise..

All:
The engine has 171 hours on it according to the gauge. The gauge looks like it's been replaced (different than the other origional gauges) but not sure. I do remember the origional owner stating that the engine was replaced, so ??

We'll that certianly clairfies a bunch and am learning alot about this engine. After all the research on the web, I knew Mastercraft had 351's. Now I know!

If you all can be patient with my questions, I have a few others:

1) Since my plugs come out strait, and the piston comes up at an angle, how do I determine TDC on cyl #1 ?

2) Does the cyl fire everytime the piston hits the top?

3) If I am standing behind the engine looking down at the distributor as if it were a clock, should the rotor be pointing at about 11am or 1 pm? Mine seems to be around 1ish'

Boatguya1 Wrote: "..Positive from boat keyswitch (poss through ballast resistor or resistor wire) to positive side of coil."
Q- According to a wiring diagram I found, that should be the purple wire. Correct?
Q- Gray wire (tach I believe) goes to neg, as well as the side distributor wire?

SORRY, just want to be sure...

You all have been such a great help to me.

~FB~

 

[MikDee]

Re: Smooth Idle, but popping/Clicking noise..

All:
The engine has 171 hours on it according to the gauge. The gauge looks like it's been replaced (different than the other origional gauges) but not sure. I do remember the origional owner stating that the engine was replaced, so ??

We'll that certianly clairfies a bunch and am learning alot about this engine. After all the research on the web, I knew Mastercraft had 351's. Now I know!

If you all can be patient with my questions, I have a few others:

1) Since my plugs come out strait, and the piston comes up at an angle, how do I determine TDC on cyl #1 ?

2) Does the cyl fire everytime the piston hits the top?

3) If I am standing behind the engine looking down at the distributor as if it were a clock, should the rotor be pointing at about 11am or 1 pm? Mine seems to be around 1ish'

Boatguya1 Wrote: "..Positive from boat keyswitch (poss through ballast resistor or resistor wire) to positive side of coil."
Q- According to a wiring diagram I found, that should be the purple wire. Correct?
Q- Gray wire (tach I believe) goes to neg, as well as the side distributor wire?

SORRY, just want to be sure...

You all have been such a great help to me.

~FB~

TDC will be when you're timing marks meet on the crank pulley.

No, The distributor is driven by the camshaft, and turns at 1/2 the speed of the crankshaft, meaning 2 turns of the crank, is one complete revolution! On all the small block Chevys, it fires thusly at TDC, 1, then 6, then 1, then 6, then 1, then 6, etc.
You must set the distributor on TDC at 1, or 6, depending on which is set to fire first according to the camshaft, & valves.

If you're looking down on the distributor, the rotor should normally be facing
7pm, and the #8 should be at about 5pm, that should put the exact front of the distributor directly forward, between both of these terminals, That should also put terminal #6 is usually directly opposite of #1. If it's at 1pm, it maybe set to fire on #6?

 

[boatguya1]

Re: Smooth Idle, but popping/Clicking noise..

Boatguya1 Wrote: "..Positive from boat keyswitch (poss through ballast resistor or resistor wire) to positive side of coil."
Q- According to a wiring diagram I found, that should be the purple wire. Correct?
Q- Gray wire (tach I believe) goes to neg, as well as the side distributor wire?

SORRY, just want to be sure...

You all have been such a great help to me.

~FB~[/QUOTE]

That sounds correct.

If it runs you are close on the distributor. As long as the firing order is correct it's time to use the timing light. I have no idea what the exact spec for your timing should be, but somewhere near 8* BTDC at idle should be close.

James

 

[MikDee]

Re: Smooth Idle, but popping/Clicking noise..

If it runs you are close on the distributor. As long as the firing order is correct it's time to use the timing light. I have no idea what the exact spec for your timing should be, but somewhere near 8* BTDC at idle should be close.
James

True, if it were 180* out on the distributor, it might run, but very badly.

 

[frustratedboater]

Re: Smooth Idle, but popping/Clicking noise..

That helps very much. I'm still sticking to the distribs' position as being correctly placed, just to the fact that I did not pull the dist out in the fall. I just took the cap/wires off and even left the wires plugged in and cleaned each one intact, so it might be in the wrong position.

I will run everything you all have mentioned by again and take closer note to the distrib position. Hey, my little 5 yr old son, who is very much into what I'm doing, might of had his hands on it spinning it around while I was away.. To have his little hands on an engine at 5, is worth everything!!!!!

I'll check it over..

~FB~