Cherry Red Header- Thinking Distributor May Be the Problem- Need Advice

[CushionArtist]

2500cc Ford
Mel's Distributor setup.
Have only been out 3 times this year and have had problem all three times.

When I run the car at full speed, the pipe turns red at the collector within 3 laps. If I back off and run about 1/2 throttle, the redness goes away. At the advice of our engine builder we checked the timing and set it back to 30 degrees at 3500 RPM's. Then checked to see what would happen as the engine revs up. At 6000 RPM's the ignition timing goes up to about 36 degrees. The distributor is a Mel's setup and I was under the understanding the it is a locked system and should not advance.

Upon inspecting the distributor, we found that the cap is cracked about 1/2 way up and obviously will be replaced. My question is would a cracked cap cause the ignition timing to advance like this or am I still looking for another issue?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'd like to go racing on Saturday night and would like to not have this issue.

Thanks

[CushionArtist]

Forgot to mention. We checked for air leaks at intake/carb gaskets, none found. Checked for leaks at the header flange, none found. Spark plugs appear to have correct tint when a plug check was performed at the track.

[Milford Motorsports]

If it is a TFI distributor the timing should no change.A cracked cap can definatly cause problems,but not a 6* swing in timing.I wouldn't wory too much about a glowing collector,if the whole tube is glowing then you may have problems.Some exaust systems need a little back pressure to function correctly.IE 3in. collector - 2 3/4 exaust pipe.Just something to think about.

[CushionArtist]

Collector is the only place I can see it in the car while racing because the header is wrapped. I can tell that before we wrapped the header with the car sitting at 3000 RPM in the shop, the pipes would start glowing after a few minutes. Thinking we may have had a problem with the distributor all along, but didn't know it.

The distributor we're using is the Mel's setup. I'm not sure if that is what you're referring to as a TFI type. It has 2 wires going to it and there is a little box inside the distributor under the cap. Also worried that the cap may have allowed moisture in and caused damage to the box, which I'm assuming is some sort of electronic type device. 6 degrees is a lot of advance to pickup either way and I'm not sure what else would cause it. Didn't catch this until tonight and will be definitely calling Mel tomorrow to get clarification.

[84Dave]

Have you used a piston-stop in the #1 plug hole to verify the mark on the front pulley is truly @ TDC? And.......... do NOT use a dial-back type timing light. I have found a couple of them to be 4-9 degrees off when setting ignition timing. A common problem with a dial-back & high output ignition system. I switched to a Flaming River timing light & haven't looked back. Even my old SEARS & MSD lights agree with the Flaming River when setting/checking ignition timing. -Dave-

[CushionArtist]

Using a digital timing light, not sure if this falls into the dial back category. It is not the self powered type, but we hook the power leads to another battery source instead of supplying power from the car itself.

Did the piston stop check to verify the pulley setting. The engine builder has it marked dead on.

My main concern is the timing advance that I'm picking up when revving up the motor. Seems like the distributor is going crazy. Thoughts?

[car62]

Ditch the Mels crap and go with a box stock TFI...simple 3 wire hookup...good to 9200RPM's..set your timing at 36-38 degrees at an idle and it doesnt not change.

Sounds like the Mels you have is based off the old Duraspark.

A couple causes for glowing exhaust are(but not limited to):

Retarded ignition timing
Vacuum leak

[CushionArtist]

Tried the tfi setup tonight. Same issue at shop. Ignition timing shooting up by 6the degrees when revved up to 6000 tonight rpm. Checked for leaks and can't find any. Out of ideas.

Could belt stretch cause this?

[RACEMAN]

Tried the tfi setup tonight. Same issue at shop. Ignition timing shooting up by 6the degrees when revved up to 6000 tonight rpm. Checked for leaks and can't find any. Out of ideas.Could belt stretch cause this?

If you think the belt is stretching that much maybe you'd better change that puppy out PDQ.

[car62]

also wouldnt hurt to pull the cam gear and inspect the cam dowel/pin and where it sits in the gear.

[CushionArtist]

Okay, so we got to the track and ended having the same problem. Sprayed some starting fluid around the intake after the heat race and we have an intake leak again. Just pulled the intake off tonight and it seems like the intake may be warped. Never had this happen before, anyone else have a similar problem before?

We're running the Esslinger intake. When I place it against a flat piece of metal, it rocks back and forth like it is twisted. I have another Esslinger intake that does not rock on the same piece of metal. Seems like this must be the problem. Thoughts?

Also wondering if the head could be slightly warped on the intake side? We have also broken 4 intakes studs on this head in the last year, including one we found tonight. Getting a new intake is on the list, but do I need to have the head checked? I've never heard of having to deck the side of a head to get it straight.

[CushionArtist]

Forgot to mention, changed the cap on the Mel's Dist. and the timing advance problem seemed to clear up. Only a minor flucuation when revved up to 6000.

[RACEMAN]

Okay, so we got to the track and ended having the same problem. Sprayed some starting fluid around the intake after the heat race and we have an intake leak again. Just pulled the intake off tonight and it seems like the intake may be warped. Never had this happen before, anyone else have a similar problem before?We're running the Esslinger intake. When I place it against a flat piece of metal, it rocks back and forth like it is twisted. I have another Esslinger intake that does not rock on the same piece of metal. Seems like this must be the problem. Thoughts?Also wondering if the head could be slightly warped on the intake side? We have also broken 4 intakes studs on this head in the last year, including one we found tonight. Getting a new intake is on the list, but do I need to have the head checked? I've never heard of having to deck the side of a head to get it straight.

If you want to check for warpage, get a GOOD machinists straightedge. Expensive? Yes, but well worth the money if you want to know for sure.