Hey guys,

As many of you guys know I had a slight problem with my stock timing cover. Something caused it to fail. We won't mention any specifics. :bb

Nevertheless, my father picked up a new one while on his way past Summit for me. As they all are in the catolog, non of them have the timing indicator.

My question is how do you set your timing without it. You can't. Even if I can get the old one off, how do you get it in the right position?

Perhaps I am missing something. I always seem to stumble upon my screwups about 3-4 months after the fact. Perhaps some of you can help me avoid that troubled water. That way you won't have to read my posts later. :D

Thanks guys.


[Modified by ski_dwn_it, 9:35 PM 6/28/2002]

 

i always used a piston stop. you screw it into the #1 sparkplug hole and rotate the crank(***by hand***)until you come to rest on the stop. you make a mark on the timing cover for a reference.you make a mark on the balancer that lines up with the one you make on the cover . you rotate the crank the opposite way so you contact the stop again. you make another mark on the balancer that alligns with the mark on the cover. the equal distance from the two marks will be top center of #1. you can measure the distance between the two marks with a caliper or a good tapemeasure and set your new pointer to the centerline of your two marks. it isn't the most accurate way but it has worked for me several times. be sure when you are working to check your balancer's origional timing mark sometimes they shift and will not be accurate. it is late so if anyone sees i have forgotten anything please set me straight... best of luck..

 

My balancer looks like its in good shape, but how do you tell if it moved?


Not real sure if I followed that whole disertation. :D

Nope I'm confused. Are you saying that you put the balance on. Rotate the engine around till you get to the stop. Mark the cover. Rotate the engine around the opposite way till the piston hit the stop again. Mark the balancer again to match the balancer cover mark. Make a centerline on the balancer. Then line up the center of the pointer with the centerline of the balancer.

Please not sure how this would work other than your stopping the pistion before it gets to real TDC. Then you are rotating it back around the other way and getting another point that is shy of TDC. The mid point of those two marks should be TDC right?

So wouldn't the original mark on the balancer be at 6* if the base timing was at 6* before the cover was replaced. And my other marks will fall somewhere around the original mark???

Need more help.. I think :cheers:

 

Summit also sells timing pointers that bolt on with the cover, and are in the "original" position as a stock cover with welded on pointer. Just tell them what size balancer you have to get the correct one.
Then tdc the #1 piston and make sure it lines up......

 

You nead to buy a bolt ontiming indicator.
Put your engine on TDC like Old salt is telling you to do and then bolt the indicator and make sure it is at 0.

Jay

 

If it were me (and I had a bunch of stuff going on with my timing at one point), I would buy a dial-back timing light. Then all you have to do is line up a piece of heavy gauge wire with the TDC mark you make on the balancer. Don't have to worry bout timing tape coming off (been there), don't have to worry about the 3 different styles of bolt-on timing tabs (been there) and the best part is, you will have positively located TDC so whenever you do anything from now on that requires TDC (like valve adjustment), you will be there in a flash.

Good luck, -Matt-

 

1) Actually, it looks like you did follow it. :cheers:

2) I take a piece of steel wire (read coat hanger). I bend a loop at one end and I remove a bolt from the timing cover. I put the wire through the bolt. It is the same way you make a timing indicator if you have ever seen articles for setting up a camshaft degree wheel. Now that you have a reference "wire", move your engine till the piston lightly hits the stop. Where ever the wire is pointing to on the balancer, make a mark with a Wite-out Liquid erase pen. Rotate the engine back the opposite way.make another mark where the pointer lines up to. Divide the two marks you just made. Now, halfway between those marks will be TDC. As soon as you locate that and make a heavy mark with the white-out pen on the balancer, ALSO make one on the crank pulley. This will let you know if the outer ring on the balancer ever slips!

3) Right

4) I am not sure I am reading your ? correctly. If you take an engine with the correct balancer and timing tab and rotate the engine so that the TDC mark lines up with the 0 degree mark on the balancer, you are really at TDC. Now if you lined it up with the balancer at 6 deg BTDC, your pistonis really at 6 deg BTDC.

I am going to make a post on a cheap piston stop here in a few minutes. Good luck, -Matt-

 

personally, I'd put the old timing cover on with 2 bolts hand tight and line up the balancer mark to tdc--Use this in conjunction with the screwdriver test. Then I would get the timing scale that bolts on the cover and verify it. I also like to use white touch up paint to mark the balancer mark ,the tdc mark on the scale , and my preferred timing setting on the scale.

 

Guys, "Old Salt" is dead-nuts-on. That is the proper way to find top dead center on any cylinder. I might just add one comment; When measuring the distance between your two marks, the area you want to use is the shortest distance, not the area that wraps all the way around your balancer. The distance is roughly 2" to 3", depending on the diameter of your balancer

Also, using a coat hanger as a pointer is tried and true. Works as good as any other system ~ except it isn't graduated, so calculating 6 degrees advance in the timing will be more difficult.
~ Purp

 

Thanks guys....

I went to autozone and happened to notice that they have pointer that are graduated. I decided what the hell I might as well take one home and compare it to the original. It said it would work for my engine and balancer size.

Brought it home and laid it on the old cover and found the bolt hole it would line up to best. It was dead nuts exactly the same. Its only about 1/4"further away from the balancer. But all the number matched up exactly the same!

One other tid bit of luck I have had, perhaps my luck is turning around. When I went to pay dad for the cover he said Don't worry about it the cover was only $7 bucks! What! I said. THey are like anywhere from 30-200 bucks in the catalog. He said, "Boy I don't think I paid that much, maybe I did." We went and found the slip. $7.95 they charged him! Looked in the look and he should have paid $70.95! As far as we could tell they must have it wrong in the registers. It chrome and reinforced to boot! Cool. I guess when you buy as much stuff as we do there, your bound to get a break some time.

Oh well, just a little good news for a change. :cheers:

Thanks all for your help with the timing issue.

One last thing if I may. Should I cut the lower back lip off the cover to make installation easier? Have read that it makes future installs easier. I am refering to the lip that goes to the inside of the front gasket on the pan. In other words, make it into an upside down L instead of and upside down U shape.

Lets here what you think.

Thanks again. :cheers:


[Modified by ski_dwn_it, 1:19 PM 6/30/2002]

 

I would keep it as it is for better sealing.

 

Ski, I have seen many covers "trimmed" as you described. I have heard of no problems. I have never done it, personally. On the next build up (soon) I plan to go for the $40.00 two piece style. Good luck.

 

Think I will keep it. I sure as heck don't want that pesky leak back!

 

I am following this thread, but what is a 'pointer that is graduated'??