What's up guys I got a 91 trans am I'm trying to set the timing on. I set the timing to 6* btdc with the est disconnected. But when I plug it in it goes all the way up to 12 btdc and does not run right. The only way I get it to run decent is if I set it at 10* btdc with the est disconnected. Anybody have any ideas to what could be the problem. And when I put the light to it and Rev the motor the timing mark goes counter clock wise instead of clockwise.? I'd that the direction it suppose to go in?

 

It should be whatever you set it to with the connector unplugged, then when you plug it back in, should advance 20° or so. Should advance even more when revved. Free-revving it out of gear, should probably go to around 50 - 55° BTDC at 4000 RPM or so.

Advance = counter-clockwise, so that part all seems right.

Meanwhile, if you set it to some "number" that YOU think is right, but THE ENGINE thinks it's not, I suggest that you pay more attention to THE ENGINE than to what you think. Don't argue with it; you'll lose the argument EVERY TIME. It does not whup out some "light", use it to look at some "mark", then examine the contents of your head to see what you "think" is "right", and run accordingly. Rather, all it cares about, is when the spark occurs. And since the "mark" is ALMOST NEVER in the right place, whatever you THINK you're setting it to, isn't where it's ending up, anyway.

Listen to the engine. Give it what it wants. Eff the light if the engine wants something other than what the light says. More specifically, if retarding it a mere 4° (from 10 to 6 according to the "mark") makes it NOT EVEN RUN, then the mark is WRONG; and when it says 10° BTDC, it's probably actually more like 30 or 40° ATDC in reality.

Big difference between "mark" world and REAL world sometimes.

 

Yes that's what I was thinking that's why I set it to what feels better. Makes sense I got confused counter clockwise means it's advancing so that part is normal. But it still feels like it's missing a bit of power thou g but it idles and runs good but once u get on it it has terrible pick up.

 

So it was right when I first did it the 6* then when I plug the connector back in it jumps up to more etc.

 

Yes when you plug the connector in, your are hooking up the computer advance which then advances the timing more based on RPM / throttle opening.

That is correct and way it should work

 

Ok I got it I put it at 6* I'm going to drive it for awhile and see how it goes.