mike914

Hello Everyone

I just got a cheap timing light from a buddy to check my timing.

Hoping I could get some advice as to what Im seeing

This is a shot of my timing mark against the gauge on the engine

Could someone tell me what my timing is?

The red Arrow indicates where the mark appears when the timing light flashes

Thanks

Mike

TimAT

Disconnect and plug the vacuum hose to the distributor. That "should" bring the "0" line on the balancer down closer to the 0 mark on the tab. I don't recall seeing a tab that was so hard to read- usually, even after they've been painted you can see the lines spaced at 2*. I wouldn't bet that your tab is missing the forward edge.

jackson

tab looks homemade & with no lines

just a piece of sheet with stamped A 0 R

JoeMinnesota

Isn't the area on the balancer that's been whited out and has a horizontal line your actual timing mark? Pointing pretty much at the zero? What motor is it? If it's a 350, good place to start (with vacuum advance hose plugged - golf tee works well) is to adjust that mark to around 8 degrees Advanced (or roughly where the paint spot is scratched off above the zero on that tab.

Bikespace

It's some number of degrees before top dead center if the red arrow indicates where the mark appears when running.

Thank your buddy, hand him back his cheap light, and buy a digital timing light with advance, like this Innova unit. Since you have, maybe, one mark on your homemade timing indicator, you'll be better off using the timing light itself to make the measurements.

mike914

Thanks for the advice

I will re-try with the advance plugged (I only have manifold advance no Vacuum advance on my dist.

The smudged mark I believe is my timing mark.

I could not get a pic of it running so I sent a pic of the mark inline with the indicator

The red arrow indicates where I'm seeing the mark with the timing light.

The engine is a 327.

lars

You really need to read my paper about how to set the timing. You're not going about this right, especially if you have a racing distributor with no vacuum advance - not a good choice for a street car. E-mail me for a copy.

Lars
V8FastCars@msn.com

theandies

What he said!

kdf1986

Email Lars for the paper on timing. Its a great tutorial on how to do this the right way.
kdf

Bikespace

Now that you have Lars' email, you can do it all correctly from the beginning.

CA-Legal-Vette

I’ll give you the only useful tip I have on using a timing light. I always have difficulty accurately seeing the marks, especially in lighted areas or outside, so I put some liquid paper on both the damper 0 mark and a mark on the timing tab. Makes it very easy to see. The tab mark might be a bit of a challenge for you.

Rescue Rogers

the A O R is Advance, 0, and Retard indicating which side of top dead center you are going. I would either buy a stick on timing tape or use Lars method for marking your balancer for advance marks. Without a timing tape or a more expensive timing light that has a dial in advance setting, its going to next to impossible to get any accuracy with that timing pointer.

firstgenaddict

IF you have an 8" balancer the circumference is 25.13272 = works out to .1396262222 per 2 degrees... which is just over 1/8"
You are about 10-12 degrees advanced if your mark is there... the long lines on the tab are 2 degrees.

mike914

Thanks for all of the help

12 degrees sound like we are going in the right direction

stingr69

This post is confusing.... "I only have manifold advance no vacuum advance on my dist"

Vacuum advance can be hooked up to a "ported" source or a "manifold" source. If you are checking timing with manifold vacuum advance source hooked up to the distributor, you will have a timing mark showing way above the timing tab when the timing light fires - just like you are seeing now.

mike914

Thanks stingr69

I meant to say there is no vacuum advance canister on my distributor.

So I hooked up a port from my Carb to manifold Vacuum.

I will plug this port and retry.

Thanks

Mike

TimAT

If there is no vacuum advance on the distributor, all the extra ports should be plugged. You'll have PCV, headlight vacuum, transmission vacuum (if automatic), and brake booster (if power brakes). That's all you should have.

Kacyc3

isnt there a line for HVAC?


Im surprised noone has said get an actual timing tab that bolts on and find TDC. Take a paint pen and mark the grove with the pen the wipe off paint from the surface of the balancer not the groove. It makes the mark easier to see especially when its bare metal and can reflect the light.

mike914

Hello TimAT

You are correct

I removed the line from the carb to the manifold.

Now all I have is the Headlights-Brake booster connected to the manifold.

PVC valve goes from the valve cover into the carb.

Nothing to the distributor

Bikespace

Did you email Lars yet? Did you get a dial-back timing light yet?

It should be really easy to help you once those two things are done.