Timing wildly out

Using a strobe to check my 2.25 patrol timing after tuning it by ear it is about 45 degrees out on number 1 cylinder! I presume someone has not lined the timing marks up properly at some time when reassembling the engine. Is there another explanation?

The engine is also very lumpy (even though it sounds best where the distributor is set at the moment) but I discovered when trying the strobe on the other cylinders that I am only getting sporadic sparks on 3 and 4. So its back into the Ducellier to fit the genuine Land Rover points I got on eBay and take the Britpart ones out!

Getting the engine to run smoothly is taking longer than it took to repaint the whole vehicle and service the front axle!

have you checked your timing marks ???

Both valves on cyl 1 have to be completely closed
make sure to set your timing on cyl 1 not 2 ( which happened to me) and that your leads are connected in the right order (1-3-4-2)

Thanks - yes will check timing marks. I haven't had the engine in pieces so any such problem will be a legacy from before. Lead order is OK.

At least all cylinders fire up now that I have changed the points, but on the road it lacks power and will not accelerate in 4th

Just to check - I have a 5 bearing engine with a pointer on the alternator support which points to timing marks on the pulley wheel. This pointer seems to have been damaged as there is a kink in the backing plate and it is therefore pointing at an angle to the pulley. This presumably makes checking the timing rather difficult! So I presume I should take this off and straighten out the kink?

Things much improved with correction of a schoolboy error - I had connected the rocker breather to what I think is the vacuum brake connection in the adaptor below the carb which obviously introduced random air flow into the mixture! Timing still a bit lumpy but I bought a multi meter that tests dwell angle so I can get that sorted.

I also found out why the charge light was staying on as a previous owner had used metal push-connectors for the lead from the alternator which was shorting out on the manifold. These were hidden by insulating tape which was no longer doing its job and I saw the sparks when using the strobe in a darkened garage. So things get better every time I have a fiddle!

The timing never settled down to give me a spark every time so I think the distributor cam was on the wobble. I fitted a Powerspark kit today. It took me 5 minutes and has transformed the running - the dwell angle (irrelevant I know to an electronic system) and the tacho readings on my multimeter are rock solid so I know I have a consistent spark every time. Very good value and no external sign of the change.

Regards
Colin

all sorted out now ????
vacum brake pipe has to be connected to the brake servo unit ...