# 100 HORSEPOWER FREE-MOD



## redneck truck (Oct 4, 2004)

some of you may have been following my ka24e header glow thread. this is just a follow-up. for those who just tuned in, my truck suffered from a complete lack of power and a slightly glowing exhaust manifold under normal driving conditions. timing light confirmed that the problem was the ignition timing, set at 15°ATDC (10°BTDC being the norm).

today saw the tedious trial-and-error procedure of resetting the distributor on the oil pump spindle so that the correct base timing was in the middle of the distributor's adjustment range.

on the first try, we ended up about 30°BTDC. the engine took a bit of cranking, but fired right up and idled at about 2500rpm. it had the throttle response of an indy car and free-revved like a dragster, but we decided that, although the horsepower gains were probably significant, engine damage was imminent if we kept these settings.

on the second try, we landed right on 10­°BTDC and it ran like a champ. we did have to adjust the idle speed, as whoever "tuned" this thing before me left the idle speed rather high to compensate for the retarded base timing. after all was said and done, the difference in seat-of-the-pants horsepower is amazing. 

and for those of you non-believers of "feeling" horsepower, i no longer have to turn the air conditioner off to accelerate or to start driving from a stop. i no longer have to downshift to second gear to accelerate or to sustain a constant speed up hills. fifth gear feels about how third used to feel, and i have never had a problem with traction until today  

...and so, it is safe to say that my truck has transformed, at least in my mind, from a beater i had to tolerate, to a fun vehicle worth keeping around for a while (and maybe modifying a bit). thanks for all your help and support in diagnosing what was ultimately a simple problem with an easy fix. i have learned a lot from the experience, and hopefully some of yall have too. thanks again,

- Bryan


----------

