Setting Timing by Ear
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 3,108
Likes: 126
From: S.L.C. UT
If it was me I would park the car until you get a new damper. Then you don't have to worry about the damper coming apart, and you can actually set your timing, and know it's set right rather than hoping it's close.
I guess if it's your only form of transportation... you do what you have to do.
I guess if it's your only form of transportation... you do what you have to do.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 21,543
Likes: 3,216
From: Park City Utah
WHY won't this work well? I've done it a million times. This isn't rocket science (or even close) on mid 80's car. If it pings, bring the timing back until it stops. Ad a degree or two exta retard beyond that if YOU feel that you need the margin for safety.
I've set my timing by ear 100's of times, and "dialed" using the drag-track as a dyno, and even a hill/stopwatch as a poor man's dyno. There is absolutely nothing wrong with following that practice, if you understand what you doing and how the thing functions.
*I* feel that people who nay-say it, do so because they don't "get it". Maybe not but that's the feeling I get when Iread those posts.
I DO agree that you need to R&R the damper; it will only slide worse until ir comes off or rubs a hole through your timing cover.
I've set my timing by ear 100's of times, and "dialed" using the drag-track as a dyno, and even a hill/stopwatch as a poor man's dyno. There is absolutely nothing wrong with following that practice, if you understand what you doing and how the thing functions.
*I* feel that people who nay-say it, do so because they don't "get it". Maybe not but that's the feeling I get when Iread those posts.
I DO agree that you need to R&R the damper; it will only slide worse until ir comes off or rubs a hole through your timing cover.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 21,543
Likes: 3,216
From: Park City Utah
That is the BEST way, but in a pinch or on a budget, you can use a coat hangar to make a piston stop, mark you balancer (good or not) at both ends of the piston's travel. Use a tape measure to measure the small distance between the marks...then divid in 1/2 and make a mark. That is TDC. (untill the balance slips more!) At the very least, you can confirm the balancer has slipped or not, for no money.
Instructor
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 186
Likes: 0
From: Midwest
Setting by ear was a lot easier in the old days without ESC for sure. You set it at "just before ping" at max load, and called it good. It was almost irrelevant as to where the timing ended up at idle. If this was a problem, you had to file out the slots in the advance plate (or make the slots shorter somehow). I guess it would be hard to see 6 degrees of slippage by a rough guestimate of TDC. Congrats OP on dialing it in to your satisfaction. We were trying to help you get there faster.
Last edited by dynocar; Sep 13, 2011 at 08:50 PM.
Drifting
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,428
Likes: 7
From: Chewelah Wa
Back to the OP's subject of tuning by ear. I agree with how much easier it was to roughly set by ear befor ESC. With ESC, if you wait till you hear ping, knock retard is already maxed out which negates its important power robbing knock prevention function. What we have learned on the load bearing dynos and on the track, max performance occurs several degrees before detonation, so those old schooler's who wait till they hear ping then set back a little are usually not tuned for max performance. Experience will teach to error on the retarded side for max power.
