Date:         Wed, 19 Mar 2003 22:50:43 -0600
Reply-To:     Open Wheel Racing <openwhel@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Open Wheel Racing <openwhel@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Subject:      Re: still not starting..
Comments: To: Tom Young <tomyoung1@ATTBI.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Hi Tom,

    Remove the #3 / #4 valve cover (driver side), turn engine clockwise
until the valves on #3 (cylinder toward front of car) are just crossing, in
other words, one beginning to open, the other beginning to close. When they
exactly across one another, or just at "overlap", the crankshaft is at Top
Dead Center on number one cylinder. Mark your pulley at the split of the
case. This is "O" degrees! Don't turn the engine again, until you follow
instructions below.
    Remove the distributor cap. Your distributor rotor should be pointing
toward the very fine notch on the very top lip of the distributor housing
( look close, its small and looks like a knife cut in the metal). With the
key "on", hook the "ground wire" of a test light to the #1 (points side)
terminal of your coil, ground the probe of the test light some where on the
engine. Rotate the distributor counter-clockwise until the light just comes
on, with the rotor pointing at the notch. You may want to do this a couple
of times just to be sure. Lock the distributor down. Now rotate the
crankshaft pulley counter-clockwise about two inches or so (the light should
go off), then very slowly rotate the pulley clockwise, the light should come
back on just as the mark you made in the pulley aligns with the case split!
    This is only a reference static timing at "O" degrees, you can't run
your engine at this setting, as it will not have enough power to pull your
hat off, and it will run very hot.
    At this point you should set your timing with a dynamic timing light, at
total timing, at the proper total advance and RPM's. You will need to look
up your distributor number (on outside of the housing), engine combination,
and set the timing accordingly.
    I hope this helps.

Howard



 I couldn't find a notch on my pulley to
> > save my life.
> >
> > Does anyone have a quick "rap" on static timing for me? I know it's not
> too