View Full Version : Ignition timing
Got hold of a timing light today, slapped it on the bottom pulley timing marks and they were WAY out, the mark on the pulley was about 4-6" above the one on the cambelt cover.
So the timing was way too advanced.
So i set it spot on, marks aligned, went for a drive and WTF, it really has killed my engines power completely, its like driving with the handbrake on lol and feels flatter than my old 1200. Amazing how much difference moving the dizzy 1" can make.
Surely the ignition timing spot on should be right for maximum power?
Obviously not.
craig green
06-09-06, 02:21 PM
No, not necesarily. I forget if the marks indicate TDC or the correct timing.
It was always the 'thing to do' years ago on SR's to swing the dizzy (forget which way) & make it go like motherfecker.
Ahh. Lunch times at college!
Aye swinging it towards the bulkhead does make it go 100% better, seems like the engine is producing a 1/3rd more power.
Think i'll just advance it until it starts pinking then back it off slightly. Lol
So that was a waste of 20notes on the timing light lol
craig green
06-09-06, 02:42 PM
Aye swinging it towards the bulkhead does make it go 100% better, seems like the engine is producing a 1/3rd more power.
Think i'll just advance it until it starts pinking then back it off slightly. Lol
So that was a waste of 20notes on the timing light lol
Advance.
Makes your tool kit look far more impressive. Sure it would prove handy in the future. Real pukka ones can be programmed to show 6deg BTDC etc etc.
Apparently the mark on the pulley shows 10deg BTDC, which is supposed to be the ignition timing for this engine.
Wtf,Lol.
Whether its because it has a difference head/inlet than the std SPi engine has altered the way it drives with the std timing marks im not sure.
The mark has nothing to do with "max power" since the optimal timing varies on all kinds of things (charge temp, A/F ratio, Air pressure, Humidity, engine temp etc) there cant be a mark for it
Seems a load of bo**ox then when people tell someone take it a garage get the ignition timing checked,Lol.
I'll just set it to what seems best. :)
lots of people would wind the dizzy round to max advance and kill their engine... if i didnt know what i was doing id take it to a garage to let someone with a bit more ability do it...
But a garage would just set it to the factory ignition timing and leave it at that, which clearly is not the best setting to have it on.
for your particular "modded" enigne its not the best.... but for a factory engine it is.. that why if you mod it you goto an RR tuner to have the ign setup.
or do i need to state the bleeding obvious every time?
or do i need to state the bleeding obvious every time?
Yes :thumb: :p
The whole point of my engine was BUDGET tho, so i'm not going to a rolling road and giving them money for what is almost a standard engine with no scope to change things like mixture,timing etc. :thumb:
so you'll wind the dizzy round till it dets ;) legend.
and also you wont know the gains youve made other than "yeah me raced dis gsi and me spanked it init" :p
Matt2107
06-09-06, 04:48 PM
Dont you just hate it how Stuart is always right. lol
craig green
06-09-06, 05:28 PM
I tend to think of it as always being an ar5e!
so you'll wind the dizzy round till it dets ;) legend.
and also you wont know the gains youve made other than "yeah me raced dis gsi and me spanked it init" :p
NO, i'll put it to where is just gets rid of the flat spot :thumb:
If it blows up, who gives a **** :)
Ad, i take it that you advanced the timing stobe to 10 degrees before tdc before aligning the bottom pulley marker. You can't just attach the strobe and then point? you have to set the stobe up first? on my stobe it has two buttons, before and after, so i just press it before 10 times and then shine the srobe over the pointer. Your ecu should know what the timing is set at.
The ecu controls the timing advance etc, according to haynes the ignition timing is not adjustable, but it obviously is as when you move the dizzy with the strobe on you see it advance/retard when you move the dizzy.
According to the light instructions it has no adjustment, it just has a button that turns the strobe on. :confused:
According to the instructions to it, its just point and shine? :confused:
Its a draper jobbie.
sounds like you wasted 20 notes! take it back imo. you need an adjustable strobe to do the timing. if you attach the crap stobe you have its firing a light a tdc, where the bottom pulley is -10, thats why you had a massive difference Lol! if the strobe is set to -10 then fired at the lower marker, they should match.
Your joking me,Lol.
This is the jobbie:-
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-DRAPER-XENON-TIMING-LIGHT-12V-pistol-grip_W0QQitemZ220022930296QQihZ012QQcategoryZ30921 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
The bottom pulley has a 10deg btdc mark, and 5deg btdc, so if the light flashes at the 10deg btdc mark then its flashing at the correct time?
Firing at 10deg btdc which is the ignition timing stated in the haynes manual? The strobe isn't firing when the engines at TDC.
the stobe is firing in accordance to where to have the dizzy set. what i do with my stobe is set it at -10 for the ignition, fire it down at the bottom pulley and move the dizzy until the line/light matches. then therortically the IGNITION timing is set at -10 tdc. yes?
How is your strobe setting it at -10 degrees tdc, if it isn't adjustable? its flashing as to where the spark is being delivered in no.1?
I get what you mean, but if the bottom pulley has a marked notch at 10deg btdc which the light them illuminates every time the plug fires, the ignition timing is set at 10deg btdc is it not?
As its firing every 10deg btdc?
Im not really sure tbh, might just go a garage and see if i can borrow there "proper" strobe.
No, If you set it to where the light matches, the timing will be 10 degrees out with your strobe, as you've already found out!
As you've already said the car ran flat as f**k with it set on your strobe. How do you know what degrees the dizzy is running at when you have moved it? the strobe will fire everytime it picks a trace up regardless. Try taking it to a garage and have it set up how i think it should be done, and see what the difference is in performance.
Ps, snap-on wouldn't have gone to the trouble of making the strobe adjustable, if it wasn't for a very good reason Lol!!!
True ;)
I've noticed Gunsons have adjustable dial too.
So how come they sell these lights that aint adjustable? Lol
Im slightly confused, as you say you need the light set to 10 deg btdc, but if the pulley is also marked at 10deg btdc, is the light not firing at 20deg btdc?
But your explanation does sound correct, i must have set it 10deg further retarded than normal with my light,Lol.
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