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Camaro · 07-22-2019, 04:00 PM

Hey everyone, I need some help purchased a 91 winnebago cheiftan 454 tbi. Ran fine. I drove it about 40 miles.turned it off. Came back a few hrs later . Barely runs. Bad idle. Flooring it to keep ut running. I got it home found the distributor nit tighten down and a cracked vacum line of the manifold. I replaced the vacum line. I looked at the tag for timing specs 4 btc it was way off used #5 spark plug to set timing will not set to 4 only 6 btdc. It will not start or idle now unless i advance timing to at least 12 btdc. Even at 6 btdc it wont stay running unless i floor it. Settles out when its warmed up. HELP!!! i looked at threads that say its fuel pump. Temp sendor or oil cut iff sender. SORRY TO BE WORDY. Just wanted to cover what ive done

Bahamaniac · 07-22-2019, 04:25 PM

It sounds like the timing is off a tooth. Either distributior iis not installed to the proper orientation or timing chain off a tooth. I'd start with pulling distributor and installing with engine at tdc.

Martind4 · 07-22-2019, 04:56 PM

Maybe things have changed over the years, but I always thought timing was determined by #1 cylinder.

twinboat · 07-22-2019, 05:04 PM

The move the timing marks for access and use #5 for the signal.

Get a breaker bar on the crank pulley bolt.

While watching the rotor, rotate the engine back and forth. If you can move the crank 10 degrees without the rotor moving, you need a new timing chain. That's under the front cover, behind the water pump.

sask934 · 07-22-2019, 05:06 PM

Sounds like it could be bad gas if it sat for a long time. Maybe a lot of water in the gas.

Soppy · 07-22-2019, 05:08 PM

Did you disconnect the brown wire near the distributor ? It has to be disconnected to set the timing. If you are using the pointer on the bottom of the engine , the #5 cylinder is the correct one to use.

You may also have a bad temperature sensor for the ECU, which will give you all kinds of problems. I picked up a cable and software off Ebay which allows me to look at all the engine parameters with a laptop via the OBD I port .It makes it way easier to find problems.

sask934 · 07-22-2019, 05:10 PM

double post.

AKIQPilot · 07-22-2019, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martind4

Maybe things have changed over the years, but I always thought timing was determined by #1 cylinder.

I've dropped the distributor into Ford, Chevys, Dodges, big blocks and small blocks, hemis and wedges no less than 100 times since I was 14 years old. I've always used the #1 cylinder.

I don't know why anyone would do it any other way.