Why can't I adjust my timing while my engine is running?

[miles1400]

@genscripter good to know that they are hard to find, if i can find them at the junkyard i will grab them

 

[Thewespaul]

The DB2 should never be run without the mounting flange nuts tight. The db2 rotating assembly consists of two main parts, the rotor attached to the driveshaft and the head that it rides inside which is attached to the housing. These two parts have a clearance of +/- .00003" for lubricity between the rotating rotor that keeps the two pieces of metal from seizing, furthermore the timing gear set on our ford IDIs have a helical cut in such a way that its forcing the driveshaft rearward in the housing, so by leaving the drive bolts tight in the timing gear and the housing nuts loose you are allowing the head and housing to ride on the rotor which is being pushed off center because of the gear design, instead of the head/ housing being held tight and the rotor is allowed to run inside that fixed location... You are risking pump seizure or snapping a driveshaft doing this, and even without a catastrophic failure doing this will be putting side load on the transfer pump blades and liner thats the furthest rotating point from the center axis of the gear, so expect to see a lot of wear there as well as inside the rotor bore which is where heat soaking issues comes from. Don't risk it!

 

[IDIBRONCO]

The DB2 should never be run without the mounting flange nuts tight. The db2 rotating assembly consists of two main parts, the rotor attached to the driveshaft and the head that it rides inside which is attached to the housing. These two parts have a clearance of +/- .00003" for lubricity between the rotating rotor that keeps the two pieces of metal from seizing, furthermore the timing gear set on our ford IDIs have a helical cut in such a way that its forcing the driveshaft rearward in the housing, so by leaving the drive bolts tight in the timing gear and the housing nuts loose you are allowing the head and housing to ride on the rotor which is being pushed off center because of the gear design, instead of the head/ housing being held tight and the rotor is allowed to run inside that fixed location... You are risking pump seizure or snapping a driveshaft doing this, and even without a catastrophic failure doing this will be putting side load on the transfer pump blades and liner thats the furthest rotating point from the center axis of the gear, so expect to see a lot of wear there as well as inside the rotor bore which is where heat soaking issues comes from. Don't risk it!

Sounds like PLENTY of good reasons why the timing should never be changed with the engine running.