Hi, I am getting ready to install a new timing chain, but I’ve been confused by some videos and articles I’ve read related to Chevy, Pontiac, Olds which seem to indicate that dot to dot install is on intake stroke instead of compression stroke. Some of that information seems to indicate you need to rotate the engine after installing dot to dot to put the cam sprocket dot at 12 o’clock to put at TDC on #1 cylinder on compression stroke. If you install the timing chain sprockets dot to dot and your distributor pointed to #1 cylinder on a Buick 400/430/455, will you be set to fire on compression stroke? It seems to be a topic of confusion that comes up sometimes, and I wanted to make sure I understood this. Here it’s discussed related to Oldsmobile. https://www.v8buick.com/index.php?threads/dot-to-dot-timing-gear-install.332216/ Here are some other posts https://www.v8buick.com/index.php?threads/timing-gear-question.128276/ https://www.v8buick.com/index.php?t...al-distributor-questions.201259/#post-1615248 Is this post incorrect for a Buick 400/430/455 and Buick is not like Chevrolet, Pontiac, or Olds in regards to the timing chain installation?
Ok, I'm confused... I just made sure my timing mark on the balancer was on 0, and verified that the #1 piston was all the way up, before I took it apart. Before I took the old timing chain and gears off, they were lined up pretty close to dot-to-dot (cam gear @ 6:00 and crank gear at 12:00). When installing the new timing chain and gears, I lined them up the same way. Put the distributor back in with the rotor pointing at the #1 plug wire, and it fired right up.
Maybe it has to do with the fact the distributor is on front of engine on Buick and in back on Chevy, for example, so the distributor will be rotated when pointed to #1 cylinder?
I close my eyes and stick the gears and chain on however it works, jamb the distributor in and twist until it bottoms, then crank on the engine while dumping fuel from a 1 gallon gas can in the wide open carb until it fires, then let the valves float until the radiator boils over, or the fire department shows up! Then I open my eyes... If it makes it past that, it'll run ferever!!!
On the Buicks its dot to dot. I did an olds couple yrs ago and tried the dot to dot and it wouldnt fire. Did the 12 n 12 and it cranked up. Have done chevy engines dot to dot and a mopar as well. Have no idea why some are different than others
OK, I get it now. I seem to remember my Chevy small and big blocks being dot-to-dot too. Been a while, though.
Maybe it depends on year for Chevy? https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c3-tech-performance/3800277-timing-marks-don-t-line-up.html 63-79 is dot to dot like Buick 400/430/454 for #1 cylinder on compression stroke 80-82 is 12 o’clock for camshaft gear dot for #1 cylinder on compression stroke
