i check my timing by myself. i reach under the IC, rev the motor and hold the TL on the crank.
no need to really see what RPM you are at. you are just checking full advance timing.

you can check vac advance and retard at idle. just use the vac retard hose and connect it to the vac advance port and note advance.

Totally confused on Ignition Timing
 

First question. Is a 1979 California car the same a 86-89's for the ignition timing? I only have factory book to 1978-9.
Second question. All of the pollution control has been removed. This is not a track car, but I do enjoy the 1.0 boost when it is appropriate. What should I be setting the timing to?
Third question. Not sure with the control valve missing where I should be attaching that side of the diaphragm.
I thought I understood the timing design but after reading all of these posts I am confused.:confused:
Just putting the engine back together after installing new ARP studs, so want to make it right.

Handyjay,

I think you should start a thread of your own.

You will most likely have more questions as you progress.

By having your own thread, you will probably get more feedback, and it is easier to go back and reference at a later date.

Good thought, I will. Thanks

T77911S, There is no way I can fit my hand under the stock IC to move the throttle. Believe me I tried. Need to nail my sons feet to the floor to give me a hand to finish my testing.

Thats about how much my distributor is turned with a stock slot. I don't have a TL with the advance knob on it but sounds like I should. I'll do some math and place a mark where 10* more than where I am now should be and I'll bet it's past that by a few deg. I'll unplug and try it like that. Car sure runs a lot better than before.

Here's a picture of the Supertech pulley. It has individual timing marks for every degree all the way up to 50 degrees btdc.
looking at it can help.
It's not a double pulley so forget about air conditioning with it.
Going without AC in Florida sucks.

I would love it if the stock pulley had timing marks like this. Even a mark every two degrees would be a big help,you could still figure it out.

The only other way to know out your timing other than static timing at idle speed is a timing light with the advance dial to figure it out. There's only a handfull of those that will work accurately with MSD ignition because the multiple sparks below 3300 rpms confuse them. I know the one from Harbor Freight doesn't work. The expensive snap on one does work and some others do too.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1366653862.jpg

Here's how Fred Flinstone works: I made a degree wheel out of light cardboard, just in order to get the degree marks on something round that matched the pully diameter. Then, with positioning the cardboard up against the pully, I proceeded to mark degree marks on the pully every 5 degrees with a fine tipped permanent marker.

Someday I'll put something like a Superttech pully on there, but what I have suffices just fine for now.

I did you one better. I used a file and notched the outer edge of the pully at 10 degrees BTDC and again at 35 degrees after using a template like you described.

Holds up better than permanent marker or paint when using engine degreaser sometimes wipes the marks off.

Fred (not Flintstone)Meister

I've always wanted to do that to mine too, and a dab of white paint in the notch to make it more visible.
If I ever have both fan belts off at the same time I'll ask around for the math formula to figure out how far the notches for every 5 degrees btdc up to 40 or 50 should be from tdc and use a fine cut off wheel on a dremel tool to make the notches.

Or if I ever get a dial back timing light that would be good too.

I was going to notch mine every 5* as well. Just need the dia of the pulley at where the notches are and I can give you the dimensions. I'd do it here but since were going through another winter, or so it seems, I have chickened out working on the car in the cold as I don't want to rush anything.

I'd have to remove the pulley to measure the inner one. The outer one for the AC belt looks like 5 1/4" or 5 3/8" diameter using a tape measure and it's a little bigger.
I'd guess the inner one that gets the notches is 5" or close to that. Someone somewhere knows.

C = pie x D (circumferance = 3.1416 times diameter)

So, if your pulley is 5 3/8" diam, then 3.1416 x 5.375 says that the circumferance is 16.88 inches....or 429 mm. Divide that by 360, and every 1.19mm around the circumferance represents 1 degree.