340 starting

Got a 61 340 gas. Distributor was worn out, so put a whole new electronic distributor on it. It will only start at fully closed throttle[ dead idle]. Any thoughts on this. Timing not right, valves out of adjustment. or ? . Thanks for any help. Doug

tell us what u have done.and what u have the spec's at.

Was overhauled probably 25 yrs ago, haven't touched the valves since. Timing was set by the book when I put the new distributor on. Plugs are new. When running acts like it is running abit lean but can't find a n adjustable main jet screw on the carb. Also it only starts when you release the starter button, so likely need to go through the electrical connections and clean them up.

Next question, did you understand what the book was telling you when you set the timing? Someone who has never set timing on an engine before might interpret the instructions in the book differently from someone who knows how to do it. In fact the instructions in the book you're using may even be wrong.

Did you get the right advance on the new distributor? I don't know what the correct advance is off hand but if you get the wrong advance distributor, it won't run right.

It's very easy to tweak the timing while the engine is running. Mark the starting point of the distributor so you can return it to this position if you screw up. Loosen the hold down bolts to where you can rotate the distributor by hand. Leave the hard-to-get-to bolt loose, and just snug up the easy one to where the distributor won't move by hand. Start the tractor. Loosen the bolt slightly and very slowly rotate the distributor one way or the other while observing the running quality of the engine. If it gets worse, go the other way. If it dies, go back to the starting point you marked earlier, restart the tractor, and go the other way. When you find where the tractor seems to be running best, snug the outer bolt. Now you should be able to increase throttle. You can further tweak the timing at higher throttle settings.