How much timing can you guys run on your 2.8s? I'm beginning to think Redraif's balancer is off. The car has NO power with anything less than 14 degrees timing, and even at 15-16 it doesn't ping! Maybe the wrong timing tab (I don't think its ever been changed)? Will a scanner show the actual timing, so we can know for sure?

 

Don't go by your timing marks. I rebuilt my top end last year ('86 2.8L\Auto) and checked that the marks were lined up. The car never ran right. 10,12,14, & 16*'s. It got better the higher I got. So I went off the balancer tab. Not sure how far it's off and the car runs great! No pinging and power thru all! I'm sure now that I'm off by a tooth even thou I checked. My point is you can have the same issue...turn the cap and test...

 

I may have to do that.I did notice that the timing tab can be mounted in two different positions...maybe a previous owner put it in the wrong one????

 

I don't think that the tab was moved. I meant either your off by a tooth or have a worn chain. But if moving the timing helps...so be it.

 

The chain is new, and its not off a tooth...plus, the car was able to take more timing than I thought it should even before I swapped the timing chain (though I only had it at 14 before...never went with any more). Now the car didn't perform nearly as well as I thought it should, even then, so maybe its off a few degrees (slippage of the outer ring of the balancer maybe?). I'll bump it some more tonight and see what happens.