Bah! Engine trouble! Timing? Fuel?

[wotan2525]

Here's the one I bought....

http://www.kmjent.com/cart/product.p...4&cat=0&page=1

I paid standard shipping and got it in a single day. I asked 3 mechanics that I knew and they all said that Pro Comp stuff is really nice even though it's from China. One of them thought they were the OEM for MSD components. It seems heavy-duty and well-made and my girlfriend said that it "looks cool." They have some other distros on that site, too... but.... this one was the cheapest ProComp model AND has a 65,000volt coil.

But..... it's not a marine distro. Buyer beware.

[rludtke]

But..... it's not a marine distro. Buyer beware.

I don't think there is a "Marine" requirement for the distributer. This unit should do nicely.

[wideopen]

Backfiring through the carb would be a timing issue, possibly a worn distributor. A timing chain jumping a tooth would do the same thing--fine with no load, but load the motor and it backfires through the carb. You can check to see if the chain is loose by removing the distributor cap, put a wrench on the bolt in the center of the crank pully, and line up the timing mark on the pulley. Then move the pulley back and forth until the rotor moves at the distributor. The pulley should only move a couple of degrees each way before the rotor turns, if you can rotate the pulley several degrees before the rotor turns, this may be a loose chain. Just one more variable to eliminate.

[wotan2525]

I don't think there is a "Marine" requirement for the distributer. This unit should do nicely.

Thanks, Rick!! I always thought that the marine distributors were sealed to prevent a spark... Good to know that a standard HEI distro is fine!

[jet]

Thats right edgewater, my boat has started on the 1st bump (.25 of a second) every time in the last 5 years after installing the electronic ignition. That and the 4-blade are the most important upgrades you have to do 1st!

p.s. look for your oil leak at the back of the valve cover, since these engines lean way back the oil pools up there and one drop at a time runs down the cylinder heads and drops in the bottom of the boat and dirty s up the bilge area.

[wotan2525]

I put on some really, really heavy cast-aluminum valve covers with built in o-rings from a 502 when I re-did the intake manifold gaskets. (My mechanic lent them to me as he had bought them for a project and then never used them... but they were worth too much $$ for me to buy.) I had installed some cheap (still ~$100) stamped aluminum ones last year and wasn't convinced they weren't leaking.

[agetech]

Hey guys,
An automotive distributor is NOT a good idea in a boat. The air inside the distributer cap becomes ionized as the spark jumps from the rotor to the cap towers. Because of this phenomenon, distributors are vented to the atmosphere, but a marine distributor has a screened vent hole. Check it out, it is on the base of the distributer. MSD and the other aftermarket ignition companies make marine approved high performance products.

[fastab]

Hey guys,
An automotive distributor is NOT a good idea in a boat. The air inside the distributer cap becomes ionized as the spark jumps from the rotor to the cap towers. Because of this phenomenon, distributors are vented to the atmosphere, but a marine distributor has a screened vent hole. Check it out, it is on the base of the distributer. MSD and the other aftermarket ignition companies make marine approved high performance products.

All marine electronics (distributors, starters, alternators, etc) are designed to prevent sparks that could cause your boat to blow up! In some areas this is less likely but where it is hot it happens. Vehicle engines do not sit in a sealed compartment, gas fumes are diluted by air that is free to move in and out, your boat does not move much air, Liquid gas does not burn, however vapour gasoline is highly flammable and only needs a spark.

[agetech]

fastab,
Thanks for the additional clarification to my post. Mallory, Accell, Pertronix, and the other aftermarket ignition suppliers all offer high performance marine components. If anyone wants to modify their ignition, I hope they consider marine approved parts.

About 10 years ago, I bought a swim platform off of a boat that burned, it was the only salvageable part of that boat. The fire was determined to have started from an automotive distributer installed by the owner.