Jeep Repair: 2000 jeep 2.5 ignotion, camshaft position sensor, vacuum gauge

Question
I currently modified a 2.5 engine.  upgraded cam 264 gring .470 lift @ 214  114 lobe sep./  24 lb. accel injectors 4.0 liter throttle body/ trick flow spacer / msd 6a ignition and a dynomax cat back system.  i made one mistake i didnot realize that the timing could not be adjusted on this engine i modified the distributors fixed mounting plate to allow me to advance the timing.  afer some adjusting the vehicle ran awesome.  currently i sat it back @ top dead center and the vehicle lost a large amount of power.  i have reset the pcm ect. and realize that the adjustment i made only affected the injector spray timing.  i am stumped of how to get this running the way it did.  did this adjustment mess up the crank sensor or the hall effect or pick up coil in the dist.  any info would be appreciated  

thank you
tim kamer  

Answer
The moving of the distributor will advance and retard the spark timing as well as the fuel timing because the camshaft position sensor deals a great deal with the timing of injectors.

The first thing to check would be mechanical timing.  Make sure the camshaft and crankshaft are both timed properly.  After that I check to make sure the distributor is indexed properly.  If it's installed even one tooth off you may have poor performance.

Once you've verified cam and crank mechanical timing you MIGHT be able to check engine vacuum using a vacuum gauge.  A good engine should have about 18-19 inches of vacuum and not flutter.  If you've got a real aggressive grind in there then you will have a flutter and the reading will be closer to atmospheric pressure (zero inches of vacuum).

If you're finding yourself moving the distributor quite a bit to get it to run right then there's a possibility that you've got it one tooth or more off.
Doug