adjusting timing...

Foxfan88

My Grandpa has great wood.
Sep 13, 2004
2,487
4
0
Miami, Ok
Ok i bought a cheap timing light from autozone for 30 bucks, i thought might as well, i will probably need it anyways. Well when i shine the light at the balancer, i can see a mark and thats all, i cant see any of the lines indicating degrees BTDC or ATDC. Its spinning so fast with the motor all i see is the flashing marker and all i have to go by is the bracket. There is the hole and the pointer, then a little cutaway in the middle.

I have another motor so i lined up the bracket to the degree lines and it was the same length, so i tried my best to line it up.

Is there any easier way to do this??
 
  • Sponsors (?)


Clean and mark the balancer - I use paint or white-out to highlight certain marks on the balancer. Once you've done that, it's easy to see the marks. Cleaning it is easiest done I've found by bumping the engine over until the marks are facing the ground - then do it from under the car.

Once that's done, you line up your mark (I'd try about 14 degrees btdc with the spout out) with the edge of the pointer, not the circle.
 
Shakerhood said:
If you dont want a permanant line, just use chalk. Dont forget to up your octane in your fuel to match your timing adjustment, you dont want pinging!
with some of us, the mantra is to maximize the timing for whatever grade of fuel we run (i.e. if a timing bump requires higher octane, timing should be reduced. otherwise, it becomes basically a high-priced wash). :)

I use a silver sharpie marker to mark the balancer - works well I think.
 
Shakerhood said:
If you dont want a permanant line, just use chalk. Dont forget to up your octane in your fuel to match your timing adjustment, you dont want pinging!

Well the thing is, i'm trying to get rid of a small ping...

A i supposed to line up the groove with the timing mark???? Is this 10deg BTDC????

Also the guy seemed to have marked it already, he marked the cutcout in the balancer and got some of whatever he used outside the cutout, so thats what i see, that slop of mark thats outside the cutout.


Can someone please explain how to use the bracket and where to read the stuff?

arent i supposed to adjust the timing at a certain RPM???
 
Let the car warm up, pull the spout and adjust the timing to where you want it. You do not have to idle to a certain rpm to adjust it. You set the timing by lining up the top of the timing marker (See my pic above), and line it up with the appropriate number on the balancer. Once you are done, put the spout back in and call it a day.

Tim
 
I got it right, its at 10BTDC
Runs better, but noticably weaker.
Also the alt charges LOW when i'm idleing or at a stop, the car idles lower now.

I tried to put it at 14BTDC but it knocked, i have 91 octane, is this right???
 
It depends on the car, age/condition of engine, mods, state of tune and ambient temps in the area you live in. What's working for someone else may or may not work for you. I can run 16-18 degrees initial advanve on 87 octane with no pinging -- but I have aluminum heads which helps. Try 12 - see if that gets rid of the detonation, but allows the engine to be a bit more lively.