Date: Sun, 15 Dec 2013 00:06:44 -0800
Reply-To: Scott Daniel <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Organization: Cosmic Reminders
Subject: Re: Distributor Swap and Timing Issues - 88 GL with 2.1WBX
In-Reply-To: <52AD39AD.6040007@gmail.com>
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if you can unbolt the dist holder bracket from the block ..
13mm hex nut on a stud there ...then timing adjustment will be kept .
on a 1.9 you can't do that as the distributor has to be rotated some to
clear things ..then lift it up and out.
I think on a 2.1 you can do the above trick.
I would not get very worried about the exact timing.
do yo have a timing strobe light ? You should..they have other uses
besides just reading the dynamic timing while the engine is running .
Very handy tool .......a 'must have.'
they start at around 30 bucks ....just any basic inductive timing light
will do.
they can be used to find misfiring cylinders..even slipping accessory
belts ..
or intermittent ignition. A 'must have.'
then ...sure, Bentley says to do this or that ...
but really ..if you get it idling at around TDC or a barely a bit
advanced over that ...it'll be fine.
Avoid the temptation to make the idle really nice n' smooth by advancing
the basic timing too far ..
if you do that ..it'll be too advanced at high rpm which can cause
serious damage over time.
She just about any shop manual for pics of detonated pistons.
of course ...if it ever pings ...and you can lug it hard on purpose as a
test...you should never hear pinging ..that means too advanced timing
..or sometimes not high enough octane fuel, but these engines run on
unleaded regular just fine.
they are a tiny bit smoother on mid-grade gasoline.
I usually just run unleaded regular.
I share this ..I don't expect anyone to really jump on this ..but
believe me this works like a charm on any engine where you can adjust
the timing by turning the distributor.
Engine warmed up and idling decently.
Rotate dist the opposte way the rotor turns ..that advances timing
..advance the timing noting it idling faster and faster ..
when idle speed no longer increases with turning the dist ..that's WAY
advanced...like 40 to 50 degrees..
then next .turn it the same way the rotor turns, that retards it ..
retard it until it nearly dies.
Find the too extremes ...too advanced and too retarded.
put the dist right in the middle of those two extremes.
This works amazingly well on many cars.
but don't try it at home...it's only for extra clever 'out of the box'
type thinkers.
on a waterboxer ..no need to be too nervous ...they are fairly forgiving .
Worst thing would be too advanced timing for a long time.
with a timing light you can tell where the timing is at idle ..
around 0 to 5 degrees advanced is about right.
this from having timed about a thousand waterboxer engines over the years.
Scott
On 12/14/2013 9:10 PM, JRodgers wrote:
> Kinda groping in the blind here and have a couple of questions. Hope
> someone can explain.
>
> I need to swap a dead distributor for a live one - and I want to be sure
> the timing is right when I do it. As I understand, the engine should be
> turned by hand to the point where the 2nd timing mark is at top - ie the
> split in the case - which would be top dead center. This should bring
> the rotor finger center line in line with a mark on the distributor
> housing.
>
> For the engine from which I am pulling a known good distributor - I
> follow the same procedure. 2nd pulley mark at the split - distributor
> finger should be at the distributor housing mark. That being the case -
> the swap should be straight across - and any timing variances should be
> minor, requiring only a little tweaking - maybe.
>
> Have I got this right? Or am I missing something? The real issue is a
> dead hall sensor and given what I have on hand - this is the quickest
> way to getting my rig back up and running. I'll deal with a new Hall
> sensor later.
>
> As always, all input is appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
>
> John
>
