They work pretty well when the carbs are in good condition but tend to lead to leanness due to the aforementioned spindle bearing wear on older ones. But certainly great for a beginner on carbs!
Are you saying 59 is not there? That’s not going to help
here tool https://rimmerbros.com/Item--i-RX1222LRRR
Thank you for that.
the dizzy is electronic, not a big fan of points...
.I've checked and set the BTDC at 6°. As a guide as there no guarantees of 0 play in the system
Thank you for your input.Thanks Mr P.
Not knowing how old the engine is, that 6 degrees may be OK or it may be too advanced for today's petrol. If in doubt, and yes this is a noisy thing to do, get it warm then wind up the tickover till all the advance is in, then loosen off and rotate the dizzy until you get the highest revs. I do my B series BMC engine at peak torque revs which from memory is about 3500 revs. Then tighten it up.the dizzy is electronic, not a big fan of points...
I've checked and set the BTDC at 6°. As a guide as there no guarantees of 0 play in the system
Thanks Mr P.
Alternatively the old school way is to run the car up and down a straight empty road, from one fixed spot to another fixed spot, accelerating from about 20 to 50 in top gear, if you can., (Choose speeds that will make the engine rev from low down the range to quite a bit further up) using a stop watch, or better still getting someone else to do it. Altering the position of the dizzy. The faster the acceleration, i.e. the shorter the time it takes to get from 20 to 50, or whatever, the better the engine is timed.
I'll try and adjust the idle first, adjustment of the timing to suit the unleaded went rightnrightniber my head.. There are about 5 things to try tomorrow. Thank you all very much.
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Every time I have converted to electronic I still carry all the bits to put it back to points etc
Just don't trust it!
Wifey had a Citroen BX at the time unleaded became popular, we tried to find out exactly where to reset the timing to, but before we found it, we managed to completely blow the first exhaust box with an almighty backfire! It sounded as if a bomb had gone off!I'll try and adjust the idle first, adjustment of the timing to suit the unleaded went rightnrightniber my head.. There are about 5 things to Tyr tomorrow. Thank you all very much.
This link covers this as well as the other stuff we have been discussing.
http://classicmechanic.blogspot.com/2011/05/ignition-timing-with-modern-fuels.html
Then why convert?
Added to home screen.Wifey had a Citroen BX at the time unleaded became popular, we tried to find out exactly where to reset the timing to, but before we found it, we managed to completely blow the first exhaust box with an almighty backfire! It sounded as if a bomb had gone off!
This link covers this as well as the other stuff we have been discussing.
http://classicmechanic.blogspot.com/2011/05/ignition-timing-with-modern-fuels.html
Or try this. What I do on my own RRC '86 3.5EFi - which the manual says should be TDC+/- 1 deg but is best at 6 deg BTDC. Unleaded.
''Its also worth noting that the best ignition timing in any given engine, is to achieve the most advance it can tolerate without pinking. ( Audible pre-ignition).
This is achieved by setting your V8 timing to about 4 deg. BTDC (assuming you've been through the distributor check list completely). Then tighten the distributor so that you can (with effort) still turn it by hand. ideally put a tip-ex mark or small scratch on the distributor body and engine block to record this spot.
Next road test the car and simulate high load by quickly shifting into a high gear or if Auto allow to change quickly up to 3rd or 4th Ideally you need to find a small hill or incline, now if you apply full throttle the engine should respond without pinking, find a safe place to pull over, open the bonnet and turn the distributor through a couple of degrees only, anticlockwise, this will add slightly more advance timing and if you do the same test, and repeat it until pinking is noticed you will be very close to your absolute best timing criteria
So now all you need to do is turn the distributor clockwise by the same amount by an amount to counteract the last adjust, retest for the absence of pinking and that the job done, you will have just achieved the best maximum timing position for your car''
''Its also worth noting that the best ignition timing in any given engine, is to achieve the most advance it can tolerate without pinking. ( Audible pre-ignition).
This is achieved by setting your V8 timing to about 4 deg. BTDC (assuming you've been through the distributor check list completely). Then tighten the distributor so that you can (with effort) still turn it by hand. ideally put a tip-ex mark or small scratch on the distributor body and engine block to record this spot.
Next road test the car and simulate high load by quickly shifting into a high gear or if Auto allow to change quickly up to 3rd or 4th Ideally you need to find a small hill or incline, now if you apply full throttle the engine should respond without pinking, find a safe place to pull over, open the bonnet and turn the distributor through a couple of degrees only, anticlockwise, this will add slightly more advance timing and if you do the same test, and repeat it until pinking is noticed you will be very close to your absolute best timing criteria
So now all you need to do is turn the distributor clockwise by the same amount by an amount to counteract the last adjust, retest for the absence of pinking and that the job done, you will have just achieved the best maximum timing position for your car''
Being a 3.5.carb, I'm at 6 bdtc at the moment. Could this still relate to this engine also. I mean if not it can be put back with nothing to lose if course.
Thanks @Ratae
Yep, yet another old skool way of doing it, which I am ashamed to say I forgot!
Once changed a girlfriend's timing belt at the roadside on her 2 litre Cortina Mk4, roughly timed it by listening/watching for the spark, at static, then drove it and retarded it until it stopped pinking.
Checked it later with timing light, it was surprisingly close.
(In those days you could get away with a bust timing belt, at least in a 2 litre. No more, eh?)
But without wishing to carp, am not absolutely sure this way is as good as it used to be, due to the weird characteristics of unleaded. But was forced more or less to do it with Wifey's Porsche replica thing . 1.8 Beetle engine on twin Webers. Don't really like "aircooled" lumps.
Being a 3.5.carb, I'm at 6 bdtc at the moment. Could this still relate to this engine also. I mean if not it can be put back with nothing to lose if course.
Thanks @Ratae
Yes. I can go a lot further advanced on LPG but would need to fit one of the dual timing devices to keep the ability to switch to petrol without lifting the bonnet every time
The main reasons being easier starting, no more points bounce at higher revs and lack of further need to change, reset points and condenser then reset timing, at every bleeding service! There are probably other reasons but I can't fink of em at the mo! It simply gives you a better more reliable spark.
(God, I sound like I'm trying to sell the bloody things!)
I agree with the benefits, I put the electronic system into the old armstrong and it started on every fire up and highlighted the duff carb the owner didn't want to repair. But started really well
I used to have a cheap neon timing light, absolutely useless unless it was dark.
frog hopper
Well-Known Member
I don't wish to be the duffer trying to tell you experts what to do but, (and I'm not being sarky).
I had a 1985 110 V8 on those poxy strombergs and had loads of trouble with the tickover, the problem being that the bi-metalic self adjuster inside the plastic coffin on the side was old and knacked. The result being that when the engine was warm it would make the tickover run away, to control it I had to blip the throttle every minute to drop the revs back down, a pain in the arris in town driving. This might well skew your attempts at tuning if this is happening.
My solution was to change to a nice pair of su's I got for a very good price, stopped all that malarkey.
I had a 1985 110 V8 on those poxy strombergs and had loads of trouble with the tickover, the problem being that the bi-metalic self adjuster inside the plastic coffin on the side was old and knacked. The result being that when the engine was warm it would make the tickover run away, to control it I had to blip the throttle every minute to drop the revs back down, a pain in the arris in town driving. This might well skew your attempts at tuning if this is happening.
My solution was to change to a nice pair of su's I got for a very good price, stopped all that malarkey.
Good suggestion, thanks frog.
tomcat59alan
Well-Known Member
I've still got a £90 timing light I bought 30 odd years ago,was expensive at the time its been collecting dust in the garage since I last used it timing the E type.
i used a timing light on the RR last year to check i was getting a regular sparkI've still got a £90 timing light I bought 30 odd years ago,was expensive at the time its been collecting dust in the garage since I last used it timing the E type.
