AH series timing?

[jinx]

iv an 1800 AN series thats just been rebuilt but iv lost the timing!
iv found the tdc mark on the fan and can get the motor running and seems to work ok ish! but id like to know what the timing should be set at - i have no manual-
its running a twin solex carb setup and a bosch 009 dizzy without vac advance
can anybody help?

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

AN engine? The owner's manual for the European 1.8 liter 914 (AN code engine) says 7.5 BTDC at 850 RPM, vacuum hoses disconnected. There "should" be a mark on the fan at 7.5 BTDC... Of course, that's not using the 009 distributor.

The 009 is probably one of the worst distributors for the TYpe IV application, BTW. The advance comes on all at once, and not an awful lot of it. You usually have to live with it being overadvanced at idle, or not having enough at high RPMs--or both! The Mallory is supposed to be the best distributor for a Type IV, and I think the stock 1.8 distributor is excellent as well. But neither one is cheap, and the 009 certainly is that!

--DD