When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Then disconnect the EST, the wire described to you, connect the timing light to number 1 and other connections to battery, losen the dist. hold down just lose enough to turn, start car..set timing, tighten hold down, at this point I re-check timing, turn car off, reconnect EST..restart car,
Before setting the timing, make sure the engine is warmed up and at a warm (hot, low) idle speed.
Originally Posted by rick lambert
Actually, for clarification the ECM will retard timing if the knock sensor reads to high and sends that info to the ECM.
The ESC will cause the timing to retard, when it senses knock. But retarding is subtracted from the present state of advance. It would be rare, if indeed, possible for the ESC/ECM to remove ALL the advance, back to the base timing.
There is none. If you can't beg, borrow or steal a timing light, offer to pay someone the $5.00 to $10.00 it will cost to have it done correctly.
RACE ON!!!
no flames, but i beg to differ with you. i have set the initial timing on SBC many times w/o a timing light. here's what i did: with the #1 cylinder near TDC on the compression stroke, turn the crank and align your timing marks at spec, e.g. 4 degrees BTDC or whatever. now install your #1 spark plug wire with a sparkplug that is c-clamped to ground. now your rotor is esentially fixed in a position to fire the #1 cylinder. with your ignition "on", turn your distributor into the "fixed" rotor until you see the sparkplug fire. when it does, lock the distributor in place, and install all the wires in the correct firing order. when the engine is running, you can then follow up with the timing light to "fine tune" the timing. in most cases, if not all, you'll find that the timing is close enough that it needs only minor "tweeking". with this method, i have yet to have an engine not start on the first attempt due to a timing problem. all this assumes the rest of the ignition system is in proper operating condition.
