Hey guys,

I always hear of advancing and retarding timing and I'm guessing that makes the mixture richer or leaner, but my question is exactly how do I adjust the timing? Am I somehow supposed to turn the distributor rotor clockwise and counter clockwise?

Anyways if somebody would point me in the direction of a nice article on setting timing and its effects (or give me an in depth exlanation) I would appreciate it very much.

-Max

 

I think there's a "how to" in Tech central at the main page.

The combustion byproduct of the timing is affected by advancing and retarding the timing, but should not be confused as "richening up" or "leaning out" the A/F ratio.

 

Advancing or retarding the timing will not richen or lean the engine. Forget that idea. To set timing I had to pull the Bellows off the front of my Phlenum, and look straight down to see the timing marks. You WILL NEED A TIMING LIGHT.

Too far retarded will cause the engine to feel bogish, the farther advanced you go the higher octane fuel you will need.

Higher Octane = Slower Burning.

To explain this: When you advance the timing you are causing the spark to ignite the fuel farther before Top dead center of the compression stroke. When you do this and the Fuel ignights too fast, you hear "Spark knock" which is the quivilent of hitting the piston with little hammers.

If you ever look at some older engines and see the little knicks in the top of the piston, "Spark knock" caused them.

By having Slower butrining (Higher Octane) fuel you essentially cause a slight delay in the combustion of the fuel. You more evenly distribute the explosion on the down stroke of the engine, giving you better yield of fuel, and more horsepower/Torque.

Does that help?

 

How do you know how much timing to advance? I've heard as much as you can without detonation, but then I've heard that you won't be able to hear it and the knock sensor might not pick it up either if its faint. So how do I tune the timing correctly?

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"Though I cruise through the valley of Rice I shall fear no turbo, for torque art with me."
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