Solus Ultra Cam retard test

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  • Crusty
    Senior Member
    • Dec 2007
    • 2450

    #16
    Originally posted by greasybob
    There are 13 teeth on the distributor gear so if you divide 360 degrees by 13 that should give you about 27 degrees per tooth. But here is where I always got a little confused, it takes 720 degrees of crank shaft rotation to make the distributor spin one revolution so that would make one tooth equal to about 13 and a half crank shaft degrees. But I don't think they measure it that way.
    It's interesting that you note that all data states that the retard should + or - 2 degrees. Shop Key and the Snap On trouble shooter both state that it should be -5 to -17 when you look up the P1345 code definition. The plus or minus two spec seems to only apply to the adjustable distributor in the 5.7.
    Ya, I have played with the distributor and found that changing it one tooth makes for approximately 12 degrees or so of change.

    I'm used to seeing the term Cam-OFFSET (instead of cam-retard) and the spec is "0" degrees +/- 2 degrees (for several GM V-engines with distributors).
    At 4 degrees it isn't out by much if that is the case. The ECM will only update the amount it shows or registers on the scan tool after the RPM is raised to something over 1000-rpm (I think it's 1000 but not sure-no specs here at home)

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    • longhungsilver
      Member
      • Oct 2013
      • 82

      #17
      Sounds to me like your cam retard is close enough to spec...

      I've seen a lot of these motors with lifter or valve fluttering problems causing misfires at high load going up hills..something to consider.

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      • Witsend
        Banned
        • Nov 2012
        • 2942

        #18
        In 1996 there were 2 style distributor caps

        The Old Style distributor cap that was "Kraussened" proven and stood the test of time and the Newer Style MGD (My Genius Design) cap offered a much lower profile cap that keeps each Bank cables neatly organized in a row to each side so there is less chance that a "Retard working at a GM dealer"could mess up the firing order and in theory they can make the Dog house of a van smaller or push the engine rearward another inch with the extra clearance gained having a shorter height cap with neatly organized wires . The problem with those caps is you have metal strips snaking this way and that across the cap inside the molded plastic maybe a quarter inch apart and they start to arc between each other under the plastic and it's often not visible. I know folk with Vortec 4.3 Astro Vans you would need to change the cap and rotor practically every year. Do yourself a favor if you have the newer design cap and rotor and consider replacement. Also consider marginal fuel pressure,lean conditions , and high secondary KV requirements can causes early demise of Vortec distributor caps.
        Also I often get rid of the 2 long bolts on Saturn 4cylinder motors that hold the sparkplug wire retainers to the coils contributing to P0300 or P0340 codes. Eventually road salt grime and humidity cause spark easily track to ground to the bolts next to the coil boots.
        Last edited by Witsend; 10-05-2014, 04:57 PM.

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        • billly
          Junior Member
          • Oct 2014
          • 1

          #19
          c0110

          looking for short or is ecbm bad

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          • Crusty
            Senior Member
            • Dec 2007
            • 2450

            #20
            Originally posted by billly
            looking for short or is ecbm bad
            Hi billly
            Welcome to the forums-!!
            He's got reports of misfires and lots of other shops have tossed parts at this vehicle before he got it.
            The scan tool isn't showing pids or tests the way we're used to seeing them thus his original post wondering about the cam sensor test.

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            • GM guy
              Senior Member
              • Dec 2006
              • 122

              #21
              Originally posted by Crusty
              Ya, I have played with the distributor and found that changing it one tooth makes for approximately 12 degrees or so of change.

              I'm used to seeing the term Cam-OFFSET (instead of cam-retard) and the spec is "0" degrees +/- 2 degrees (for several GM V-engines with distributors).
              At 4 degrees it isn't out by much if that is the case. The ECM will only update the amount it shows or registers on the scan tool after the RPM is raised to something over 1000-rpm (I think it's 1000 but not sure-no specs here at home)
              The pid seems to have been renamed to "CMP Retard" in degrees, found at bottom of ACC/electrical/theft data list. Not sure which bundle it changed in. This is for a vin W engine (the only selection)
              HTH

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