HI Guys, How can you tell if a motor has jumped time. My car has been running great. I started it up yesterday and it was rough running. Before I start looking for things I would like to know what to look for. It's a 1955 Victoria 272. Thanks.

A compression check and also observing the valve / rocker arm position at tdc on compression - they should be about the same.

Of all the times a jumped chain has been suspected on the internet, I cannot remember that being the actual problem even once.  It will probably be something far easier to correct.



Lawrenceville, GA

You could check to see if timing has changed. Has idle speed changed,is motor sluggish,check for vacuum leak.

The only time I ever saw a timing chain jump was back when I was a kid.  I was tuning my 56 Victoria.  I had used a piece of coat hanger for throttle linkage.  I revved the engine and my throttle stuck wide open.  We got scared and ran off.  I finally came back and shut off the key.  The timing chain was spaghetti after that.

Seriously, check the simple things first like points, condenser, wires and coil. How old is your gas tank?  The carb would be the last thing I would check, but it could be full of dirt.