Timing, Timinig Marks and "what would you do?"

S Schroeder · 09-01-2000, 07:23 AM

Hi all-
I posted a bit back saying I was really frustrated at the way my car was running and was thinking of throwing in the towel. Yesterday I dropped the car off at a different shop. They went through the car for a couple of hours. They want me to bring it back when they are less busy so they can really give it attention. They found sonething that makes me fairly upset. They turned the motor around multiple times and could not find a timing mark. They say it's not the first time they have worked on a 914 and had it missing. Here is my question - that being the case, how could the last shop have rebuilt the distributor and set the timing with any accuracy? Is it possible? After paying the 1st shop 275.00 to do this I am a little miffed and am thinking about making a call for an explanation. I'm not big into burning bridges, but more so, I am REALLY not into getting screwed over!
Any input is very appreciated-
Thanks
Scott S

John Rogers · 09-01-2000, 08:51 AM

The timming marks on the fan are pretty hard to see if they are not painted. On our 1974 I had to lay on the trunk with my head in the engine bay and very slowly turn the engine over and even then nearly missed them. There was some oily dirt that was on the edge of the fan and I cleaned it with solvent all the way around. To make sure the fan was on correctly I pulled the left rocker cover and after #1 intake went closed used a dowel in the spark plug hole to get exact TDC. I used white paint and marked the fan and then used red for the advanced timming mark. I was lucky that the fan was on correct but it could have been off. You might want to really verify the marks and paint them and then see which shop is screwing you around. Good luck.

bowlsby · 09-01-2000, 10:08 AM

There is also a corresponding TDC#1 mark on the flywheel that is feelable or seeable through a small hole in the trans case, with a mirror.

Check out the tech articles on this site for timing adjustment and maybe the one on clutch replacment for details...

JP Noonan · 09-02-2000, 06:09 PM

The replacement fans usally have at least TDC marked, from there look at the ignition timing article and there is a printable template to use to get the other marks. If the fan truely has NO marks it is from a later bus, the fan shroud on late buses has no sight hole in them and so no timing marks are needed.

There is no way to put the fan on wrong, there is a dowel that lines it up with the "fan hub" and a key that lines the hub up with the crank. Use the proceedure John Rogers layed out to find close to TDC for #1 then look behind the engine cooling tin on the back of the motor. There you'll see the inspection hole in the top of the trans, the slash in the flywheel should line up perfectly with the parting line of the case. That is DTC for #1

PeteD · PeteD's Garage

Okay, time to admit it, I had trouble finding my timing mark once upon a time(ing).

The natural thing to do is to look into the timing window and look at the side of the fan closest to the front of the car. After all, that side is so easy to see when looking in the engine compartment. After hours of turning the engine, looking, I for some reason stuck my body further into the engine compartment and looked at the side of the fan closest to the back of the car. "Voila", (actually that should be "Wonderbar!")the mark is clear as can be (and so is the huge timing notch).

Sad, but true... and coming for the guy who wrote the article on timing a carb'd 914... Live and learn...