301 Timing

[79g-body]

1979 Grand Prix. 301

Want to check the timing. What deg should it be set at. Is it true that the dist. turns counter clockwise.

Also is the cylinder set up like a chevy. One bank 1-3-5-7 and the other 2-4-6-8

Thanks

 

[87MonteSS]

I'm not familiar with the 301. But I can give you a cool trick to determine distibutor rotation.

As long as the distributor has a vacuum advance on it that is. Place your hand alongside the advance unit so that your palm is beside it, in a way that you can wrap your hand around the advance unit and the base of the distributor. So the vacuum hose is at the base of your palm and your hand can follow the curve around the vacuum unit and the base of the distributor. Sometimes your right hand fits the natural path, other times your left.

The distributor rotation is from your palm to your fingertips.

 

[ryanwitski]

I've never heard of the 301. I've heard of 305 and the 302(ford) and the 307. Is that a special motor or something?

 

[RedHotRegal]

its a gutlass pontiac isn't it? or am i thinking 401? I'm not bashing pontiacs or anything i'm just saying they are a b*st*rd engine. Everyone I knew with a 401 T/A hated the engine. but a 301 is a true pont. block is it not?

 

[79g-body]

The 301 is a pontiac motor. and yes it is a pooch. The carb had been rebuilt according to the previous owner. it idles great and revs really well while it's out of gear. But when you are under any load you have to really ease into the throttle or it will choke and want to die. Anybody have ideas. I am not the best carb guy out there. does it sound like something else. I wanted to check the timing.

 

[ryanwitski]

I had the same problem and got my timing done and changed the spark plugs. It ran great after that but in the cold it kinda sucks, my choke does not work well anymore. I would say check the timing. The ratio is killing you too tough. I put in the 3.42 and it made a HUGE change in how it goes out of the hole.

 

[ryanwitski]

Is the Pontiac motor for some reason not as "good" as other GM engines. I know it spins in the opposite direction. I kinda wanted to put one in my elky but does it have to have a ton of specialty parts. I have this weird idea that if the engine spins the opposite way then it won't work with a "normal trans". How does this effect the normal setup. Then again the GTO had a sweet engine.

 

[79g-body]

I really don't know how different the motors are. This is my first GM. But I like this car. I just have to figure out why it bogs so hard.

 

[RedHotRegal]

I had a 2:4somthing ratio in my regal with a 200r4 and switched to a 3:42 regal and got better city milage because I wasn't lugging the engine anymore. The old ratio was awesome on the highway. 160-180km and still have a 4th gear to put it in (I was really hard on the 305 ). In the city 50km was around 1000-1100rpm so I was never in the powerband so it would lug itself around.

 

[frtend]

the pontiac 301 rotates the same direction as all auto engines,but I believe, the distributor is on the opposite side of the cam from a Chevy and so rotates the other direction. As far as your bogging,Been along time since I messed with carbs,but sounds like accelerator pump....which is a diaphram(sic) typr pump inside the carb and comes in the most basic kits