I need to open up the gear case on my '77 FXE to check if the cam is properly aligned with the other gears due to a weird timing issue. Question--is it necessary for me to remove the tappet blocks. I have removed the pushrods and i heard somewhere that it might be possible to leave the blocks in place if magnets were use to hold up the tappets. Is this correct or not?

 

why don't you ask about the timing issue - if it ran at some point then had a ( timing issue () the gears do not just become un aligned

start with what you know for sure about the bike like >> I got it yesterday and its effed

or it was running just fine and no I did not go into the cam cover and then this issue started >> doing this - what it the this

 

doc - you do not need to pull the lifter blocks - I use a cable tie around the lifter caps - I've used rubber bands as well - I've actually not used anything and just let the lifters fall - why do you think you have a timing issue?

 

The bike will not skip time...there is only 3 marks to line up.
Are you sure it is not right?
Or are you sure someone did it wrong?

 

Here's the deal: I just bought this bike 2 weeks ago and it wasn't running right. Specifically, it would not idle and, when running, it seemed a little low on power. The engine had been rebuilt several years prior but only has 1,000 miles on the rebuild. The guy I bought it from ( who bought it less than a year ago from the guy who had rebuilt) thought that it was a carb issue ( had an old Keihen (sp?) carb on it). I replaced the carb with a Mikuni round slide VM and there was no change at all in the symptoms. So, I checked the timing and it was off in the direction of being too retarded. When I attempted to re-time it, I could not get the points plate to rotate enough to bring the points' fiber block near enough to the high point on the timing cam. It was off more than an 1/8 of an inch at the end of the adjustment slots. So, next I ground out the slots to see if I could bring it into spec. This was somewhat successful but I still could not bring the timing into the right zone--i.e., it's closer and runs better, but still on the retarded side. It starts and revs great and idles but, if left to idle for more than a few minutes, it starts to load up and eventually stalls. I am now suspecting that the cam may have been installed wrong and seems off by a tooth . This is why i'm pulling things apart.

Regarding the lifter block question, this bke has the stock hydraulic lifters and , once the hydraulic units are out, the tappets don't protrude above the lip of the lifter blocks, as they normally do with solid lifters.

 

Couple things -
Are the advance weights frozen?
are you using the correct marks on the wheels as they have changed through the years
and even that does not mean too much if they were swapped out at some point?
Perhaps wind it up on TDC and roll it backwards and see what shows up for a mark ?

 

Are the advance weights frozen? ... Common problem ... Advance plate, weights, springs ... Open it up and take a "look see" Careful on the aftermarket parts ... some are real crappy

 

The advance weights are good--and look pretty new. However, to be sure, I installed another new set of weights and points.
Regarding timing mark--this flywheel has the slash as the front cylinder timing mark. I see a dot as well, which comes up prior to the slash. I've tried setting things when the slash is in the center of the timing hole , as well as at the right edge of the hole. In both cases, the the point block still falls short of the cam high point. It is pretty close now after grinding out the slots, but no cigar. Btw, I also hold the fly weights at the advanced position when setting the timing. This, of course brings the high point closer to the point bump but not close enough for a perfect time--ie still retarded. I can't think of anything else but that the cam is off. By way of observation when trying to set the timing, if I could move the cam a bit to the left, i.e. counterclockwise, things would line up perfectly. Go figure.

 

Getting to be Very Difficult to get a Quality Mechanical advance mechanism these days...
You have tried simply Cranking the timing to More Advance to "see"
If the Timing Plate runs out of "Slot" it may be one of those Chiwanese Jobs... or, Friend had a ZEL once that just plain wasn't right...I Still have it as a Momento!!

Someone would have to be a very "Special" person to not be able to Time the Cam etc. in a Shovel... or EVO BTW

 

Are you doing this at RPM , static or what>?
I have always found static is a great place to start..
You can do it with the special little tool or sneak a set of pliers in there to get total advance.