If you have a scanner and the fuel sync is jumping around ~ +/-4 degrees at a pretty fast clip, it's done.

When I replaced mine just 3 months ago, the fuel sync hung right at +1 and barely twitched. With the old chain, it was swinging wildly from 0 to +5. I upped it to +3 by twisting the disty and might experiment more with various settings this summer.

EDIT: I will add that I bought a cheapo chain the first time around and ended up replacing it later as the newer, cheap chain bit the dust in 30,000 miles. Don't go cheap on the chain, Our truck has a much longer chain than a ford or chevy and you'll need a good one to get it to last.

 

A dis-connected crankcase breather tube will cause a low and shaky idle. Be sure it is plugged into your airbox.

 

as far as i can remember it has had the miss before and now......reason i got it done is cuz i sucked in water and bent a rod.......cost about $200, with me taking them off and bringin em in and they shaved them a litlle too

 

I don't have an airbox anymore, since I just have a air cleaner mod. Since I now no longer have an airbox I just put one of those round APC breathers on there. Would this make it idle rough? It's been doing it for a long time, but come to think of it, I've had this setup for a long time.

 

do u have the stock box u could just stick on there to see if the problem went away?

 

I do. I might have to try it and see if it makes a difference. It isn`t like it is that bad anyway. Not like its going to stall or anything. Just a slight shake and you can just barely see the rpms move.

 

When's the last time you gave it a good old fashion Italian tune up?

 

What exactly is that? I've done the wires, plugs, dist cap, rotor, air filter(this more than twice), and pcv valve twice since it's been doing this and it hasn't made a difference.

 

Mine shakes from all the POWER lol.


Haven't see you on in ages how ya been man?

 

Italian Tune Up: Get onto a long straight road and once you're at full normal operating temperature, mash it to the floor. Run at near redline (in whatever gear it takes to keep your speed reasonably safe) for about a minute or until the engine falters, your engine gets too hot for comfort, or your oil pressure drops too low. If the engine survives that minute at redline or you run out of nerve, back down and cruise at 2200-2500 for five minutes or so even if it means changing gears to stay in that range. Keep in mind that you're going to be getting cylinder temperatures that your engine has probably never seen before and shutting it down without a cool-down cruise could break rings and/or seize the pistons in their bores.

Don't be surprised if your high mileage engine doesn't survive a full Italian. Better, I think, if your engine is up to it, is the Italian-American tune up. Instead of running near redline, you do that one minute burn at the RPM where your engine makes its peak horsepower (4200RPM for a 5.9l small block Magnum), with the same cruising cool-down as a full Italian.

Don't blame anyone but yourself if your dead engine leaves an oil trail on the highway.

I like to add Marvel Mystery Oil to the fuel before doing an Italian-American. It seems to help, and having a little extra lube in the fuel surely can't hurt.