Help with distributor timing on mini stock race car

[Casetech]

I have just got in to dirt track racking and went with mini stock for mustang with 2300 and gave it a rebuild and timed my crank and cam and then put distributor in and tried to start it and it backfire through carb the through exhaust can’t find nowhere where telling me how to time the distributor with everything else thank for the help in advance

 

[RonD]

Welcome to the forum

2.3l Lima engine is pretty straight forward

I assume you are running without timing belt cover?
So you can see the timing mark on the cam gear, if not you need to see it
Drawing here: https://www.fixya.com/uploads/images/pctech1_11.gif

Line up the cam gear marks, 4:00 position, thats #1TDC
The Cam Gear and the Oil Pump gear are the same gears, same part numbers, so each can have BOTH timing marks
A triangle for Cam alignment, and a Diamond for Oil Pump alignment
Make sure you are not using worn down diamond as a triangle, lol

Firing order for distributor here: https://www.fixya.com/uploads/images/clifford224_481.gif

Pull out distributor and turn it so rotor is pointed at #1 spark plug wire, then put it back in
Snug down bolt but you will need to turn distributor a bit to fine tune timing

 

[Casetech]

I set timing like five time on crank and cam but and pointed the rotor at num in on the distributor cap and tried to fire it and it acts like it wants to start but it don’t I am running an electrical fuel pump and I don’t have it hooked up at the moment but if I pour gas in the carb it should run but it acts like it wants to but it won’t and we flood the engine and will never start HELP

 

[RonD]

I would pull a spark plug and test compression, above 150psi would be OK, but should be above 160psi
Under 120psi and No Start, this would mean timing belt is not lined up correctly 99% of the time

Once you know you have compression and you are adding fuel manually, all that's left is spark

Make sure firing order is correct, follow EACH wire to its cylinder, and direction of distributor rotation is correct, clockwise
And MAKE sure distributor is turning.................the distributor gear on this engine was a known issue

Rotate distributor housing clockwise a bit, so spark happens Before TDC

Only Cam gear matters for distributor timing, crank mark shows TDC for 1 AND 4 so is only correct 50% of the time, lol

 

[Casetech]

What is the known problem with distributor gear so I can know what to do if it is messed up

 

[RonD]

Google: 2.3l lima distributor gear

Check at Mustang forums

Read here as well: https://www.therangerstation.com/fo...ken-distributor-gears-again-and-again.171395/

This, of course, is a 1988 and earlier 2.3l issue, so no longer talked about much
1989 and up 2.3l didn't use a distributor