Where do you set your timing?
Laughing Gas
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 898
Likes: 1
From: southeren Oh
Where it runs the best. And no that is not a trick answer. Turn it up till it rattles and then back it off a few degrees so it won't rattle.
Stock specs are for stock cars going to the grocery store.
Stock specs are for stock cars going to the grocery store.
Last edited by 80broncoman; Sep 1, 2007 at 04:43 PM.
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 288
Likes: 0
From: Northeast Wisconsin
FYI - the rubber hub inside the harmonic balancer on the front end of the crankshaft has a nasty habit of slipping, which throws the timing mark on the rim way off when you try to check it like "normal". At #1 TDC on my '87 I6, the timing mark is positioned at the very bottom of the balancer. I time it just like 80broncoman says, and it runs fine.
I'll have the Roast Duck
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 9,622
Likes: 109
From: Northshore, MN
Did the same. found tdc, white markered the zero point, then bumped it to 6 btdc, ran fine, bumped it to 8 btdc ran better, but copped out at higher rpm throttling, so i backed it to 6 btdc. i have an 85 block, 79 dist. and duraspark, and a non egr carb 1bbl. the non egr going to an egr spring in the dist i think is what throws it off between my two settings. I just live with it, it is a plow truck afterall, lol.
Postmaster
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 3,241
Likes: 3
From: Broken Arrow, OK
Cranking in the timing until it rattles then backing it off doesn't work on the EFI engines. They make best power between 14 and 16 degrees depending on what fuel you run, but they won't start knocking until you get over 25. On my truck the difference between 14 and 18 degrees on the dyno was about 10hp in favor of 14 degrees.
Tuned
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 307
Likes: 1
From: South Florida
Originally Posted by Silver Streak
Cranking in the timing until it rattles then backing it off doesn't work on the EFI engines. They make best power between 14 and 16 degrees depending on what fuel you run, but they won't start knocking until you get over 25. On my truck the difference between 14 and 18 degrees on the dyno was about 10hp in favor of 14 degrees.
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Postmaster
Joined: May 2002
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From: Broken Arrow, OK
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Joined: Dec 2006
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I just moved my timing from 9 to 12 and happened to have a vacuum guage hooked up. Seemed like my vacuum went from 17 to 20. I live close to sea level. A long time ago a mechanic told me that you could set the timing with a vacuum guage. I use an Accel coil and recently threw in plugs gapped at 46 because somewhere on this forum I read that you need to gap them a little wide to take advantage of the stronger coil. Between all that and going to mid grade gas I seem to be getting 22.5 mpg as opposed to 18 mpg unless of course I didn't quite fill it all the way up. It sounds like it's too good to be true.
