By lining your timing marks up with the Tab, you insure you're on the compression stroke. Now make sure you're on #1 cylinder, which will be one nearest your intake (close to). By this point you should have enough wiggle room to get her started, and after it starts if you cant set the timing right (out a tooth), you can just pull the distributor up a little bit, twist the rotor then slide her back down. Now you have more room to play with. Also, make sure you pull the little plug out of spout connector thats not connected to anything (just lying there) while setting initial timing.
"By lining your timing marks up with the Tab, you insure you're on the compression stroke."
There is no way to distinguish TDC at the top of the compression stroke from TDC during overlap just by 'lining your timing marks up the the Tab". You have to have some way of knowing VALVE position WHILE looking at the timing marks to verify TDC at the end of compression. It's a 4-STROKE engine guys, not a 2-stroke....
"By lining your timing marks up with the Tab, you insure you're on the compression stroke."
There is no way to distinguish TDC at the top of the compression stroke from TDC during overlap just by 'lining your timing marks up the the Tab". You have to have some way of knowing VALVE position WHILE looking at the timing marks to verify TDC at the end of compression. It's a 4-STROKE engine guys, not a 2-stroke....
WORD!! i've done this... it sounds like you timed it to TDC on your exhaust stroke thus 180 off it helps me i dunno about you guys but label your dizzy cap so when you pull it off you know which cylinder your rotor is pointing to... just a thought