<VV> ignition timing problem on a 110

[Larry Forman]

At 02:40 PM 7/17/2004 -0400, Marc Sheridan wrote:
>Recently, I WAS having a problem with pinging. The car is a '66 110/4 and it
>was very hard to start from a stop without pinging. It was like starting in
>second gear. Plus, it would also ping when slightly bogged while going up
>hill or being in too high a gear.
>
>Now it runs fun, no pinging and easier to get moving from a stop. What
>perplexes me is the way I fixed it. I simply disconnected the vacuum
>advance. The car has an almost new Dale distributor, Pertronix II and the
>timing is set at 14 degrees BTDC.
>
>So, is this a proper fix or am I masking the real problem? Thanks for your
>comments.
>
>Marc Sheridan
>'66 Monza 110/4

Hi Marc,
I think you know the answer, which is you ARE masking the real problem.  I 
suspect that your vacuum advance cannister's internal spring is VERY weak, 
which is what I see in nearly every one of these that are original.  You 
can likely "restore" it to proper operation by first checking if the spring 
is weak.  Take a hand vacuum pump, like a Miti-vac and see if the arm 
starts moving before about 9-10 inches of vacuum, which it should not.  I 
bet it starts moving before 6 inches of vacuum.  If so, it would provide 
too much advance under high vacuum conditions, like light throttle 
acceleration.  So, remove the vacuum advance canister and place it into a 
vice or set it up between two bricks so the arm hangs down. Then take 
either a 9/16 or 5/8 inch deep socket and place it on the end over the 
nipple.  Bang on the end so it compresses the internal spring and then test 
to see if the starting vacuum has increased.  Keep repeating until you are 
at the right place, then reinstall and test drive.  It should work much 
better after the "restoration".  If you alternate between the two sockets, 
you can compress the end and it will look almost like it was built that way 
and worker properly.

Additionally, you can take one of those new advance timing lights and 
calibrate the vacuum and mechanical advance characteristics with the engine 
running.  With a new Dale distributor, you should be in excellent condition 
for mechanical advance, but check and compare with the information in the 
CORSA Tech Guide. It provides information on the vacuum and mechanical 
advance characteristics for most Corvairs.  Pretty valuable information.

-- Larry