which timing mark?

[import racer]

Hey guys,so finally got the trans out of my old car.decided to take out pressure plate,clutch and flywheel.I noticed on the flywheel there was three lines with 20 over the middle line,so is 15 the line before the 20.Which line do i go by to check timing.

[ecogabriel]

I have an auto EFI car, but my 15 degree mark is marked red and it is the reference for the ignition timing, being surrounded by two smaller marks. The mark for the timing belt is marked T and in my car is painted white.

The ignition timing should be in a label under the hood; I may check my car's manual and see what it says for a carbed car (1986)

Hope it helps more or less.

[91lowrider]

My car is a 85 and timing is 18 BTDC +-2. The red mark on mine is the 18 and the marks before and after would represent 16 and 20. As Eco said look under the hood and it should tell you what the other two marks would represent.

[import racer]

Well there is a white t about two inches from the three marks and the 20 is red.So is the white t the mark to use when timing.

[import racer]

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z304/importracer1987/Picture008.jpg

[91lowrider]

The white T is for TDC. You only use that when setting piston #1 to top dead center. Once you find TDC start the car and let it warm up then point your timing light through the hole and turn your dizzy until the pointer is pointing at your red mark (or the other two marks next to it, which ever makes it run better)

[import racer]

So why do you have to find tdc before setting the timing?

[ecogabriel]

In the EFI car, when timing ignition the vacuum hoses must be disconnected and plugged, and the distributor set to 0 degrees (the T mark)
The reason for that (I suspect) is because the distributor also commands fuel injection.
When you re-connect the hoses it should go straight to the red mark (15 degrees TDC); a small adjustment of the ignition timing would not throw off the fuel injection timing, but a large adjustment probably would.
In any event, that is the way I remember doing the ignition timing on mine, but please check the service manual for the complete instructions; I cannot recall if you need to wait until the engine is fully warmed up to reconnect the vacuum hoses for instance.

[import racer]

So do i turn the engine till the t is lined up with the pointer after the motor is warmed up or before i start.

[import racer]

If the timing is 15 why is 20 in red.

[ecogabriel]

If your engine is EFI, then the ignition timing is 15 degrees TDC (unless 88-89s have a different ignition timing) but I'll double check with the label under the hood.

[cygnus x-1]

In the EFI car, when timing ignition the vacuum hoses must be disconnected and plugged, and the distributor set to 0 degrees (the T mark)
The reason for that (I suspect) is because the distributor also commands fuel injection.
When you re-connect the hoses it should go straight to the red mark (15 degrees TDC); a small adjustment of the ignition timing would not throw off the fuel injection timing, but a large adjustment probably would.
In any event, that is the way I remember doing the ignition timing on mine, but please check the service manual for the complete instructions; I cannot recall if you need to wait until the engine is fully warmed up to reconnect the vacuum hoses for instance.


Really this will work for carb or EFI. Generally it's sufficient to only check with the vacuum advance connected and just line up the red mark. But also checking with the vacuum advance disconnected (and lining up to the white mark) will tell you if the vacuum advance diaphragm is working correctly.

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[import racer]

Well i printed of the two pages from the manual so i guess i'll follow that,from what it says the carbed car is 20 on the flywheel and EFI is 15 on the flywheel.Don't know why there is a diff.

[ecogabriel]

Well i printed of the two pages from the manual so i guess i'll follow that,from what it says the carbed car is 20 on the flywheel and EFI is 15 on the flywheel.Don't know why there is a diff.

So yours is EFI or Carb? I bet I am missing something. SE-i is EFI, so the ignition timing is 15 degrees; however, it seems your flywheel is from a carb car.

Anyway, you have the right info from the manual.

Thank Cygnus for confirming that I am not so damn amnesic after all. :rant:

I got work to do: PGM-FI light on, code 12... my f... EGR system is acting up. NOt a big deal though; I no longer have to pass emissions, but I hate the light on.

[import racer]

Yeah I'm EFI ,the flywheel is from my carbed car.just thought I would save it,just in case I needed it.I plan to change it to 5-speed in the summer.

[marvis]

This is really stating to piss me off..

I have done my idle correctly, car is warm, Vac connected and it's nowhere near the ~15* mark, I can see TDC but I will need to rev it to see the timing marks..

This is on an A20A4 converted to manual.

WTF?

[import racer]

Well I borrowed a timing light today to check my timing.With the vacuum lines plunged off I could not see a white mark.With the lines back on advance I saw something about a 1/4 inch above the mark but not sure what.It's hard to see anything,do I turn it back or ahead to see the mark if it's above the pointer.

[cygnus x-1]

Well I borrowed a timing light today to check my timing.With the vacuum lines plunged off I could not see a white mark.With the lines back on advance I saw something about a 1/4 inch above the mark but not sure what.It's hard to see anything,do I turn it back or ahead to see the mark if it's above the pointer.

Just turn it one direction and see what happens. If that doesn't work then try the other direction. You won't damage anything. It might be easier to have a helper to hold the timing light while you turn the distributor. It might also help to leave the distributor bolts a little bit snug and then tap the distributor with the back of a screwdriver (or something else not metal) to nudge it a little bit at a time.

Since you're using a carb flywheel on an EFI car the red mark won't line up exactly with the vac advance connected. So just set it to the white mark with the vac advance disconnected and leave it at that. With the vac advance re-connected you will probably see the red mark but it will be off a bit. As long as the car runs good you should be fine.

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[import racer]

I'm not using a carbed flywheel,it's the original.It's just so hard to see anything in there.With the hoses off and plugged I couldn't see anything,with them hooked up I see something but can't tell exactly what it is.Right now it is set in the middle where it should be from what everyone says.But it doesn't seem to have as much power as it should,at least compared to my old 5-speed .Is auto really that much diff.Sometimes it feels like the power cuts in and out,have no idea unless it's the trans.

[pickupman6]

Yall keep saying the the pointer should be at the white make with the va unhooked and the lines plugged, but I thought it should be on one of the unlabeled marks. The white is tdc at least on mine, then there's another mark which is 4 degrees btdc(which is what base timing should be set at according to my manual), then there's about a 4 in gap and the red mark, which is 15 degrees btdc and as everyoine else has said is where it should point with the va hooked up.

[marvis]

Just turn it one direction and see what happens. If that doesn't work then try the other direction. You won't damage anything. It might be easier to have a helper to hold the timing light while you turn the distributor. It might also help to leave the distributor bolts a little bit snug and then tap the distributor with the back of a screwdriver (or something else not metal) to nudge it a little bit at a time.

Since you're using a carb flywheel on an EFI car the red mark won't line up exactly with the vac advance connected. So just set it to the white mark with the vac advance disconnected and leave it at that. With the vac advance re-connected you will probably see the red mark but it will be off a bit. As long as the car runs good you should be fine.

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I am running a carb flywheel with an EFI engine, would this be my problem?

[pickupman6]

@marvis where is it with the vacuum advance unhooked and the vacuum lines plugged

[cygnus x-1]

Yall keep saying the the pointer should be at the white make with the va unhooked and the lines plugged, but I thought it should be on one of the unlabeled marks. The white is tdc at least on mine, then there's another mark which is 4 degrees btdc(which is what base timing should be set at according to my manual), then there's about a 4 in gap and the red mark, which is 15 degrees btdc and as everyoine else has said is where it should point with the va hooked up.


You have a 4 degree mark? What manual is that?

I happen to have an Accord auto flexplate and there is definitely no 4 degree mark. Weird.

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[pickupman6]

Like I said its not marked its just a line on my flywheel about an inch or inch and a half from the t

[marvis]

@marvis where is it with the vacuum advance unhooked and the vacuum lines plugged
With the lines plugged it's just before TDC, but with them in I need to rev it to see the 15* mark etc.

[import racer]

Well I just turned mine to the middle,roughly where it should be.I am getting lousy gas mileage so i guess it was to far ahead.Took a break from that today to run wires for my amp,and when I pulled back the carpet and found a couple of holes by the dead pedal.So now I gotta fix those ,like I said before every one of these cars I had rust out in this same spot.Still not sure where the water came from.

[cygnus x-1]

With the lines plugged it's just before TDC, but with them in I need to rev it to see the 15* mark etc.


You know it would be much less confusing if you posted responses to your own issue in the same thread.

In the other thread you said you have a carb flywheel, so your red mark is at 20 degrees, not 15 degrees. Your vacuum advance is for EFI though, so it won't advance as far as a carb version. Therefore it makes sense that you would have to rev it a bit to get to the 20 degree line. It sounds like you've got it pretty close then. How does it drive?

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[import racer]

It drives OK but seems to be down on power when I step on it,unless it's just because it's auto.Sorry about the confusion,everything on this car is original.The flywheel off the carbed car was just for interest didn't know they were different.

[cygnus x-1]

It drives OK but seems to be down on power when I step on it,unless it's just because it's auto.Sorry about the confusion,everything on this car is original.The flywheel off the carbed car was just for interest didn't know they were different.

@ImportRacer

Oh, I was actually talking to Marvis, since he kind of butted in on your thread.

Your situation is pretty much the same though. First verify that the cam timing is correct by manually lining up the flywheel to TDC and checking the alignment marks on the cam pulley. Then with engine running (warmed up with vac advance disconnected) adjust the distributor so that the TDC mark lines up with the pointer. Then reconnect vacuum advance and verify that the red mark lines up with the pointer. Then you're done. If it still runs bad after that then there is something else wrong.

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[import racer]

The car is also hard on gas too,but no cel on other than egr.