89cmrodriver

i feel so dumb to ask this but ive never set timing...how do i do it? i just need it turned up a little so it will stop dieing on me...can someone help me??

thanks alot guys

427camaro

One way of 'setting the timing' is to turn the distributor cap. To advance, I believe turn it clockwise, and vise versa.

89cmrodriver

how do u turn it? is there a screw to loosen somewhere?

F585

Not the distributor cap... the distributor it's self just remove the cap and turn it.

427camaro

I'm not sure, but I know on some older cars, you don't have to take the cap off. All you do is loosen a screw, which I don't know which one, and it should turn. It may not require loosening a screw, have you tried it?

Ryan_Alswede

First you need to losen the bolt on the stem of the distributor that holds it to the block, NEXT unplug the black connector with the brown wires going into it. Located over by the A/C fan motor area. START car, hook up timing light, and aim and point. I believe 10* advance in park is what your looking for on the crank timing mark. Just turn the whole distributor until you get it right and tighten it back down. You'll hear the engine change tune when playing with the distributor, 100% ok just move it in small amounts and watch the light!!! Check it after it's tight to be sure it didn't move. Turn car off, plug back in the connect and you may have to clear the codes if the light comes on during the next Start.

2_point8_boy

ok, here's what you need to do.

There is a bolt on the back-passenger side of the engine at the base of the distributor. Get a flashlight, look down there and find it, it'll have what looks like a horseshoe attached to it and going around the distributor.

You'll need a 15mm socket, a swivel, a 6" extension, and a ratchet. assemble in this order: Ratchet->Extension->Swivel->Socket.

You will need to fit your hand down there to guide the socket onto the bolt head, but once it's on, you can lossen it just a tad.

Then you can grab the entire cap and twist it counter-clockwise to advance the timing, and clockwise to retard it. That's if your standing in front of the car, of course it's backwards if you like to work on your car from atop the windsheild (don't know why, but would be interesting to watch).

Once you have the timing set to wher you want it, tighten the bolt back down and drive happy. Stock timing is 10* BTDC, while I have personally found that my car likes to run between 12* and 14*. My car is kinda like my girlfriend, depends on her mood that day.

Hope this helps...

Ryan_Alswede

2_point8_boy thats great and all but you forgot to tell him to disconnect the computer advance while he is doing it, thats what the black connector with brown wires does. Other wise the computer will mess up what your trying to do.

2_point8_boy

dammit, I knew i was forgetting somthing. The EST connector comes out of the big black wire loom on the passenger side firewall. You can't miss it, it's big and gray. Disconnect it before you start the car to set the timing. Thanks Ryan_Alswede.

Ryan_Alswede

No the gray with white wire is the tach! It's the black with brown wires.

2_point8_boy

mine is grey and comes out of the loom over by the heater blower. I also have a grey one that is for the tach, but it's way closer to the coil.

dsaint1347

Is it normal for you see the numbers go back and forth? Mine goes from 10 to 12 back and forth. Does it mean my timing chain is loose?

2_point8_boy

is it a quick jump or does it go up slowly, then jump down, and back up slowly, etc? If it's the slow, regular kinda change, then it sounds like you might have a vacuum leak.

89cmrodriver

i think mines streched, im just gonna replace it, the idle is loopie and i think that is the cause, thanks for the help telling me how to set the timing, it did work out as yall said

Ryan_Alswede

Depends on the mileage, if your 100k or so I won't bother, sometimes the engine will miss and mess up the results on the crank, thats why it moves around.

dsaint1347

It goes back and forth pretty fast, I hear a hiss coming from the middle rear of the car but I can't find the sucker. I've used a mechanics stethoscope and tried carb cleaner (something like that) to see if iI hear it surge but no cigar.

89cmrodriver

my car has 150K

Ryan_Alswede

Then I would invest in a timming chain from summit for our engines, if you want perfect timing.

89cmrodriver

id give anything to get timing gears...to bad they dont make them for our cars...

2_point8_boy

you really can't have performance timing gears. The thought behind pullies is to change the ratio of turns that the engine accessories get off the crank, but the cam ALWAYS has to spin half as fast as the crank.

I may be wrong here, but I've never seen a set of "performance" timing gears, please correct me if I'm wrong though.

89cmrodriver

i think the advantage is, 1) if u drive the car hard as i do, u wont strech the chain 2) its a little more accurate 3) i love the sound they make

KED85

The $30 timing chain set from Dyna Gears is perfect.
I got mine at Pep Boys in Culver City. Ask for Joe the manager, tell him I sent ya.
All this work depends on engine age & wear & tear on the engine. Meaning if ya wanna exert he effort on an aged engine, ya can.
IT may help the engine last longer run stronger and it may not.
Sometimes it's better to let an old engine eventually die
Then injest new power from another running long block.
That's why I did the 3.4 swaps.