Ok travis, now we'll be able to make these kinds of threads much more "search-friendly"!
This forum is rapidly expanding over the last few weeks and we want to make it as easy to use as possible!
The IH sv (in IH-speak that refers to "small v8") engine series has the cylinders numbered as follows:
viewing from the front of the vehicle, back towards the engine compartment bulkhead, the cylinders on the driver-side bank are numbered 1>3>5>7. The cylinders on the passenger-side bank are numbered 2>4>6>8.
The firing order for the sv motor is:
1, 8, 4, 3, 6, 5, 7, 2.
On the oem intake manifold (which is a medium high-rise/dual plane design), each runner carries the cylinder designation cast in once you clean all the accumulated grunge off. Also...the firing order is cast into a runner for reference.
The reason that these engines must have a timing light connected to #8 spark plug wire, is that the design of the harmonic balancer which carries the timing reference Mark, and also the timing "tab/grid" cast into the timing cover, does not allow the Mark to appear properly if the timing light is connected to #1 as is common with most all other "conventional" v8 engine designs.
This is always confusing to folks who have limited knowledge of these engines, or who have never worked with one before. These motors have nothing in common with chryfordrolets except for the fact they all burn gasoline. Ya cannot compare them in that regard, volumetric efficiency of an sv as compared with other engines is way low so the standard "formulas" don't apply!
When performing many routine sv engine operations, #1 cylinder is used as a reference point, but when setting/verifying base ignition timing, we must use #8!
Since you said your distributor uses breaker points, that means it is either a Holley, delco, or a prestolite points distributor. Before trying to set the timing, you must set the dwell (or point gap if you prefer), in this case, that factor is the same for all three distributors. The correct dwell factor to use is between 28* and 31*, I prefer the middle of that scale. That translates to a point "gap" when measured with a thickness gauge of 0.016". Using a thickness gauge on a delco distributor is virtually impossible, a dwell meter should be used.
As for the ignition coil wiring...
The coil you should use will have a primary resistance factor of a minimum of 1.5ohms cold and a maximum value of 2.0ohms cold. That spec provides optimum coil "saturation"... With a current draw through the primary side of the ignition system of approximately 3.2 amps at an idle speed of 700 rpm...that factor is engineered into the system. Those numbers are not derived from "ohm's law"...but based upon real world operating engines, using data gleaned from 40+ years of actual measurement! And the operating voltage of the vehicle when running and the alternator/generator is charging correctly is between 13.2 and 14.6vdc! It is not 12 volts which is only a nominal "reference" spec! This spec also provides maximum breaker point life if all sub-systems are correct, a set of points has always been considered to be a "replacement" item at the 12k>15k mileage point.
On an oem ignition system (w/points), you should have two wires connected to the positive (+) side of the coil, one is fed b+ (battery terminal voltage) when the ignition switch is in the "start"position. The other wire was originally a "resistor" wire, it must be exactly 58">60" in length and will show a resistance of 1.8ohms when checked end-to-end with a dvom. Some vehicles have a "workaround" because that wire went up in flames at some point. The workaround is a ballast resistor of the same value as the resistor wire. It is imperative that regarding a points system, there is a "ballasted" feed to the coil when the ignition switch is in the "run" position. The negative (-) side of the coil is connected with the single wire to the breaker point insulated terminal, as is the pigtail from the condenser inside the distributor. The condenser (capacitor) which May be present on the oem coil bracket is only for rfi (ignition noise) suppression and has nothing to do with ignition system operation, it can be discarded if desired.
With a ballast feed, you would see an approximate 9vdc at the coil...that voltage signal, combined with the designed-in resistance of the ignition coil (if it's correct application) will provide the above-mentioned current draw across the primary side of the system.
The above data is correct for only the sv engine/system, the I-4 and I-6 engines are completely different in characteristics, though the same principals apply. The ballast value and the primary coil winding value would be different...and to further confuse ya, the proper dwell spec also depends upon which distributor is being used!
With the above information, you should be able to convince the motor it needs to run, along as ya got compression and fuel in that right mix with air!
