Anyone willing to walk me through on checking my timing??

 

Depends what era 4.3 you have... You may have to disable the electrical advance (tan wire with a black stripe)

Basically, connect timing light to + and -, clamp goes on spark plug #1 (drivers front), aim down at the crank pulley where you will find the timing marks (a little jagged edge gauge mounted to the block), start and let idle, read the gauge when it flashes (you will see a line the light illuminates on the crank pulley), twist distributor to adjust timing.

What are you checking it for? If you have a 90+ then timing is probably not an issue as the computer sets advance for you and you cant adjust it.

 

1994 cpi 4.3 vortec. Had a guy look at it today and told me that the timing is off. Ive been to him in the past and hes always been dead on. 30 plus years experience so I trust him. Problem is...I'm stubborn and have to do things on my own. While attempting thefix today, the vehicle won't even start. I'm just hoping I didn't screw anything up. I'm learning all this as I go. I don't know, I may be off on the distributor. I did rotate it because the cap was at #4, while the indicator line on the pulley was at the zero mark. Plus i did drive the blazer before I attempted this and a little stuttering was present. On the way home I stalled out very often, more often the closer I got home.I just want this thing fixed.

 

My Dad and I just replaced my motor 3 days ago and it's a 1994 4.3 vin "W". I don't know a lot about timing but he's done a ton of that kind of thing and what we did was, put a socket and ratchet on the crank pulley with then engine off and the #1 plug out, stick your finger in the hole, no pun intended, and turn the engine til you get that piston to top dead center TWICE. Then turn your dist. where it needs to be and if that doesn't put it in perfect time then the computer will adjust any little bit you missed.

 

Connect the timing light to the battery, and the lead to wire number one (front driver's side) Unplug the tan wire beneath the passenger dash. Crank it up. You'll want to do this with a warm engine. Anyhow, you'll see a check engine light when it is running. This is completely normal as the ECM timing wire is unplugged. Loosen the distributor adjust bolt at the base of the distributor. Point the light at the harmonic balancer. There is a plate at the top of that with degree marks and numbers. You'll want to mark the timing mark (it's on the pulley) with some white out so when the light hits it, it will be easy to see. Anyhow, slowly turn the distributor until the mark lines up with the zero. Once it does, tighten up the bolt at the base, make sure the time mark is still at zero, if so, unplug the light, cut the engine, and plug up the tan wire. The ECM will do the rest. Hope this helps.