Setting timing...

I finally need to do this, this is pitiful. I've read 'Your Operators and Care manual" and the FSM, but since it's an MB engine I believe it's all different... I have a Craftsman timing light now and got how to use it, except, I don't know how to use it... What do I shine it at and what do I set the knob to (O through 50 or something) on the back of the gun. What marks do I want?
Thanks

 

I believe I got it. There's a tri angle on my fly wheel that goes centered on a line on the bell housing when I put the timing light at 5* and turn the dist until it lines up. It's still missing but that's due to about 3 vacuum leaks. 2 fixed... Leaking spark plugs

 

I'm relying on memory alone... I don't know where I saw it? But it's missing really bad when I get on the gas. Its idling smooth at 5*. Is the triangle the mark I want?

 

you have one of those fancy timing lights, set dial to zero, you should have marks either on the flywheel or on the plate with numbers, line the correct # up with the pointer, and if you have vacume leaks you need to fix them first

 

also you need to be idleing near 600 rpm with doing the timming to your mechanical advance does not kick in. The miss could also be caused by your carb but fix the vacume leaks first.

 

I guess I need to get a vacuum gauge to test for leaks? How to I see where 600rpm is with no tach?

 

got a dwell meter? most of them act as a tach also, just 2 wires, one to coil one to ground, if you dont have points a dwell meter is just about usekess, can of starting fluid will show any vacum leak, if its sucking air when the either hits the spot the engine will change speed, you dont have to be exalty 600rpm just slow enough the counterweights in the dist dont start to open up, they advance the timing, if it is running fast enough that they are starting to open up and you are trying to set the timing it will be wrong, in theroy you would be less than the desired setting

 

if you get get an rpm change with starting fluid, which for some reason with my m38 I couldnt, use propan from a torch, works well. A vacume gauge is very usefull, it will tell you a lot about your engine, it is what helped me solve the problems with my m38

 

This just dawned on me......................................................................
I think I may have the 2 and 3 wires flipped! Would the engine run at all if they were?

 

yes and poorly might i add

 

Connect timing lite and start engine. Slow the idle untill it brarly runs. Set dial on toming light to "0" and adjust dist to 5* adv. Rev engine while watching timing mark and use knob to back the wedge mark back to "0" and keep revving engine higher and backing down the zeroing dial until the timing mark does not advance anymore. Look at the dial and read the amount of degrees shown on the dial. This reading is the maximum amount of advance your dist weights have built in. You can degree the advance by changing weights and spring tention and playing around with it. Such as low end torque or high end, you cand read it with that dial timing light. HTH

 

Thanks Walt! Perfect! I'll print this up and test it all tomorrow now! Thank you! Is this the same with Pertonix?





And, I R Dumba*$.... My 2 and 3 plug wires were reversed. 1-3-4-2
Didn't know the dizzy spun counter clockwise R)monkeys

 

Weirdest dern thing ever!
I have the dizzy in with the Autolite tag facing the floor, wires from Pertronix facing up. My number 1 plug wire is 5 o'clock and then clockwise from there, 3, 4, 2. Instead of how it should be, 1,2,4,3....
Could I have the distributor in upside down and that's why I see no marks on my flywheel for timing :?

 

1342 is correct for the L head, unless the chain driven model is different???? did you paint your flywheel? if so you may have covered the numbers up, will go look at the spare L head flywheel i got and see if i can help you out

 

Nope, no paint on the flywheel, and when hooked to the number one wire and set the light to 0, I just see a triangle
Thanks

 

maybe you have a newer flywheel that does not have the marks. As for you Dizzy, upside down, right side up it will work the same.

 

I know this might be of no help but you might want to time by ear if you have no marks. This is what it sounds like. Flywheel mark but no other markings. Do I understand this right?

 

a vacume gauge can tell you if your timming is late or early as well