How to use a timming light????

[DamnedButDetermined]

I have a friend that has one but i don't kow how to use it. I looked on 240sx.org and it says the stock timming at idle should be 15 degrees before top dead center. Is this correct? What do i point the gun at? Do i hhave to plug anything in to the gun? If my timming is off how do it adjust it?

thanks in advance,
-DbD-

[nokeone]

pretty sure you connect the wire from the light to the number 1 cylander...then find the timing marks on your crank and point the light at them...the light will flash everytime the spark plug fires...you want it to match up with the timing mark that is 15degrees BTD...actually pretty easy..

[RedlineRacer]

I thought only engines with timing belts work with timing guns. I tried hooking up my timing gun to my 240, and I never could get it to work right. Maybe my timing is off so bad that it never would light up right.

[nokeone]

nope...the timing belt is irrelevant...you still have a crank pulley...and it still has timing marks on it..

it's all the same thing as the marks are on the pulley..not the belt or chain..

:)

[DamnedButDetermined]

Okay i understand how to do it now, but I would think that even at idle the crank pulley will be moving too fast to see the little timming marks. This is of course completely untried assumptions.

When you say hook it up to the #1 cylinder...How do i do this exactly?

thanks for the help,
-DbD-

[nokeone]

Originally posted by DamnedButDetermined
Okay i understand how to do it now, but I would think that even at idle the crank pulley will be moving too fast to see the little timming marks. This is of course completely untried assumptions.

When you say hook it up to the #1 cylinder...How do i do this exactly?

thanks for the help,
-DbD-

well of course you want to find the timing marks before you turn the car on..but the light flashes in time with the marks so you can actually see them rather easily..

you hook it around the plug wire for the cylander...it should come with a grip thing at one end to do just this..

and then to adjust your timing just losen your distributor and turn it one way or the other until the marks and the light match up perfectly...

keep in mind..the mark that you want..15 degrees BTDC should be colored red, or yellow, or somethin other then just a notch in the crank pulley...this is to make it easier for you..

good luck

:D

[sykikchimp]

the timing gun will have (if I remember right) three cables, a pos, and neg. terminal clamp, and a spark plug wire hook dealy.. (not sure what it's called.. it will hook around the wire.

Everytime the #1 plug fires once, the timing gun *Strobes* very fast once. When you point the timing gun at the crank pulley with everything connected up, you will see the little marks appear on the crank pulley sort of like a flip book animation b/c the strobe only lights the pully every 360 degrees of crank rotation. understand?

I thought the 240sx base timing was 20 btdc? You should do some searches on timing adjustment. I think there might even be an FAQ on it. I'm running my timing at about 24 btdc right now.

[DamnedButDetermined]

Originally posted by sykikchimp
the timing gun will have (if I remember right) three cables, a pos, and neg. terminal clamp, and a spark plug wire hook dealy.. (not sure what it's called.. it will hook around the wire.

Everytime the #1 plug fires once, the timing gun *Strobes* very fast once. When you point the timing gun at the crank pulley with everything connected up, you will see the little marks appear on the crank pulley sort of like a flip book animation b/c the strobe only lights the pully every 360 degrees of crank rotation. understand?

I thought the 240sx base timing was 20 btdc? You should do some searches on timing adjustment. I think there might even be an FAQ on it. I'm running my timing at about 24 btdc right now.

Thanks both of you for the quick reply, and clarification. So the plug wirer "dealy" doesn't actually cut the rubber surround, but it does sense when electricity is passing through it?

Sykik...You say you are at 24 degrees BTDC...so what octane are you using? I have a 1990 fastback and as is it really doesn't like to have high octane fuel.

thanks again,
-DbD-

[sykikchimp]

I don't know about the KA-E.. I run 93 all the time. At 24 I would get knock with anything less.

Check in the owners manual, it should say what base timing is.

Correct, it doesn't cut the surround. it just loosly loops around the plug wire.

[DamnedButDetermined]

cool thanks,
peace

[240Driver39]

i think for sohc base timing is 15

[DamnedButDetermined]

Here are the results of my Timming Experiment...

Just as you said the marks were easily seen and the timming mark lines up with the third notch from the right. I don't know what degree this is, but all of the notches look exactly the same on my engine. I examined the crankpulley very well and couldn't find a difference in the notches.

So I am looking to get 15 degrees BTDC, but i don't know which notch this is. If you know please tell me!

Also if i need to advance the timming which way do i turn the distributor? Clockwise or counter clockwise!

Thanks for all the help so far.

-DbD-

[nokeone]

i don't know off the top of my head...but the notches are 5 degrees apart...the first one being -5 and the 5th being +20...and if you look at which way the pulley is turning you can decifer which is which...

basically whichever way it turns you know that the first notch to pass TDC is 20 and the last is -5...or the reverse..lol..i think i'm right though...a Factory Service Manual or a Haines would have it for sure..

that should do it though...:)

[sykikchimp]

did you search for how to check the timing?? I believe the proper way is to disconnect the TPS..

Turn distributer Clockwise (to the right) to advance.

It doesn't take much.

quick search: http://www.zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32969&highlight=set+timing

[DamnedButDetermined]

Honestly i did search like five different times and couldn't come up with really good information. I know that poste didn't come up, but thank you for the link.

From what i understand from you guys is...
The engine turns clockwise so the first notch that come around of the crank pulley is 5 degrees after TDC, 2nd is TDC, 3rd is 5 degrees before TDC, 4th is +10, 5th is +15, and 6th is 20 degrees before TDC.

If that is correct then i am running at 5 degrees before TDC (because the timming mark lines up with the third notch from the right), and that isn't correct.

I will disconnect my TPS this time, make sure i am at 650 rpm, and see if the timming is any different.

I really need to know the proper timming advancement/retard settings that correspond with the notches on the crank pulley.

thank you very much,
-DbD-

[-L(-.O)]

so how do you check timming in sr20det with individual coil packs?...

[burnsauto]

so how do you check timming in sr20det with individual coil packs?...

The FSM recommends that you unbolt the coilpack from the head, then run a spark plug wire from the spark plug (still inside the head) to inside the coilpack (if you can find a sparplug wire that lets you do that..) Then just hook up the positive and neg. cables on the timing gun..and run the other cable around the spark plug wire you rigged up to the coilpack on cyl. number 1.

also, you have to do the same as with the ka... turn car on, let it warm up, and unplug the tps.

ive set the timing on my sr before without going through all the trouble of rigging up the spark plug wire on the coilpack, and just wrapped the clamp around the wires for cyl. #1's coilpack. you just have to make sure youre using an inductive timing light. (which most are)

[S14DB]

so how do you check timming in sr20det with individual coil packs?...

09-11-2003:bash: