first of all, i want to let anyone who replies to this that you have to be very specific as to what you say because i know almost nothing about cars. i want to know how to advance the timeing on my 90 RS. i need specific instructions on how to do this. any help will be well appreciated. thx to anyone who applies.

 

Step 1: Buy a timing light

 

Step 2: Losten the 9/16 bolt underneath the cap and turn the cap. You'll want it around 8-12 degrees.

 

unplug the brown stiped wire by the A/C condensor(big silver can)
car at operating temp,loosen the 9/16 bolt under the dist, nail it with a timing light

 

Buy an inductive timing light from a local tool store or Sears. The cheapest I've seen are $30. Clamp the red clamp onto the positive terminal of the battery, and the black clamp onto the negative terminal of the battery, or a chassis bolt for ground. Press the button on the rectangular piece so that it opens, and put it around the number one spark plug wire (the cylinder closest to the front of the car on the driver's side). This makes the timing light flash whenever the number one cylinder gets spark. Make sure that none of the wires are caught in the fan or touching headers, etc.

Loosen the 9/16 bolt that is located right next to the distributor, usually on the passenger side and it holds down a clamp that goes around the base of the distributor. This is most easily done with a 9/16 distributor wrench, check your local tool store for one (a regular ratchect or wrench can be used, but the distributor wrench is a little easier). There's no need to pull the bolt all the way out, just loosen it until you can turn the distributor cap with some resistance.

Unplug the EST wire as mentioned above. This keeps the ECM from adjusting the timing while you are trying to set it. Start your car (bring it to operating temp as mentioned above if it is not already) and turn on the timing light, either by holding the button or pressing the "on" button on it.

Point the light at your timing tab, which is located just above the harmonic balancer in between the water pump and the engine. There is a mark on the harmonic balancer that you will be looking for that will correspond with a point on the timing tab, this tells you what the timing is set at. If you have trouble seening the mark, you might use some paint to make it more visible. If it's hard to read the timing tab, take a flashlight and look at it to see where the numbers are. If you still can't tell you might have to clean it off somehow.

Looking at it with the timing light, If the mark is too far toward the passenger side (too far advanced), turn the distributor clockwise to retard the timing and bring the mark back toward you. If it's too far toward you, turn the distributor counter-clockwise to advance the timing. Check the specifications for your car to find out what your base timing should be set at. There may be a label under your hood that gives these specifications, or you can ask someone on this board.