I just bought it used. I was told it wasn't timed correctly. That is my main issue. I don't know anything about cars, so I need detailed instructions on how to fix this. I have a Chilton but I'm not certain about what I'm doing. I would also like to know if I could find someone or something to use as a resource for further problems as I'm sure there will be more.

 

Up on the top of the page in the red line there is a How-Tos section . Lots of good stuff in there, you should go check it out. Here's an article from there that should be useful to you
https://www.thirdgen.org/settingtiming/
Have fun with your car!
Henry

 

Thanks

 

There's only just so much that can be accomplished by "adjusting" the "timing".

First thing to understand is, The Perfect World is NOT, look up Spec in Book, whoop out Light and observe Mark and Tab, and make Observe match Book, and now everything is as good as it can possibly get and all that. Doesn't work like that.

Book contains Spec that was designed in 1992 to serve A NUMBER of masters. In approximate order of importance at the time, those masters were EMISSIONS, CAFE, EMISSIONS, good high/low altitude adaptation, EMISSIONS, CAFE, high/low temperature tolerance, EMISSIONS, warranty exposure, EMISSIONS, customer complaints of pinging, EMISSIONS, and ... oh by the way, how the car runs.

Not to over-generalize here; but I'm going to bet your priorities aren't the same as those, or in the same order.

Given that simple and unnecessarily obvious fact, what YOUR ideal timing setting is, MIGHT OR MIGHT NOT be the same as Book.

In fact, I'm betting, NOT.

Correct timing setting method for YOUR car the way YOU drive it in the place YOU live with the fuel YOU can buy today (quite a bit different from 24 yrs ago I can assure you) doing what YOU do with it and taking into account what YOU consider important to YOU:

Does the car run? Adjust the timing to where it does.

Make a good note of how it runs.

Adjust it. One of 3 things will happen: it will get better, it will get worse, or nothing at all. "Better" is entirely up to YOU: usually, for most people, it's some combination of snappy throttle response, good gas mileage, cool running temp, freedom from pinging (not picky about the fuel), and so forth. Only YOU can determine what's important to YOU.

The way you go about this is, you don't TELL the engine what "the right" timing is; you ASK it. It will tell you in no uncertain terms when it's getting happier or sadder as a result of whatever you're doing.

OK fine, you adjusted it.
Was it better, or worse?
Better: adjust it some more in the same direction.
Worse: adjust it back to where it was, then some more.

The process continues.

Better/worse?
Better: adjust it some more in the same direction.
Worse: adjust it back to where it was, then some more.

Better/worse?
Better: adjust it some more in the same direction.
Worse: adjust it back to where it was, then some more.

Better/worse?
Better: adjust it some more in the same direction.
Worse: adjust it back to where it was, then some more.

Better/worse?
Better: adjust it some more in the same direction.
Worse: adjust it back to where it was, then some more.

Better/worse?
Better: adjust it some more in the same direction.
Worse: adjust it back to where it was, then some more.

Better/worse?
Better: adjust it some more in the same direction.
Worse: adjust it back to where it was, then some more.

Better/worse?
Better: adjust it some more in the same direction.
Worse: adjust it back to where it was, then some more.

Clearly, you will eventually get it to a point where no matter which way you adjust it, it gets worse. Once you get there, it's RIGHT, for YOU. At that point then, whoop out Light and look at Mark and Tab, and write down what you see, so that in case some bozo comes along and thinks they know better than THE ENGINE does what its ideal timing setting is, you can put it back.

If I may paraphrase what one of The Greatest Ones in a completely unrelated field once said,

"If it RUNS good, it IS good".

It's just too easy. Listen to the engine and give it what it wants, rather than dictating to it what you think you want it to hear.

Of course if you live somewhere that checks it during inspection you might have to set it to Book once every coupla years; but you can put it back where it belongs once that's done and over with.