I have a 1.9 L 1985 Vanagon Engine type DH.  I = believe the Bentley shows timing should be 5 ATDC.  But this causes a few problems. 
 
First the pulley does not have any timing marks that = show 5 ATDC.  Only a single mark to show TDC.  I did notice the = pulley does have some partial holes in the back of the pulley that might represent something.  I believe this is for a special electronic tool used by = the VW dealers.
 
Second, the engine runs really bad at 5 ATDC.  = It seems to run best if the timing is BTDC.  In fact, the more I move the = timing BTDC (Rotate distributor counterclockwise) the better the engine = runs.  Eventually the distributor hits a side and can not rotate any = further.  Also when I reconnect the Idle Stabilizer, I noticed the timing jumps = all over the place.
 
So, what am I doing wrong?  Any = ideas?
 
Take care,
 
Paul