Engine Timing by William R Blankley

more by William Blankley

An expensive farce if you go out and buy one of those electronic timing lights. It is not possible to illuminate the proper timing mark on the flywheel without melting the timing lamp on the exhaust manifold, a mirror helps if you are determined to do it this way. Whilst fussing with this I did not notice the sync lead connected to number one plug as it melted on the front of the manifold.

There is nothing so powerful as an idea whose time has come, there is nothing as together as a Manta whose timing is right.

A simple static timing set-up works well enough. Please remember to "Think Safety" at all times. My method of turning over the engine could ruin one's entire day if it went wrong.

(Handbrake ON Gears NEUTRAL Front of engine clear of SPANNERS Coil DISCONNECTED FINGERS?) The engine can conveniently be turned over by using a screwdriver to bridge the large terminal on the solenoid to the bottom small terminal. A quick flick is all it requires to jump it a fraction of a turn. Takes judgement of course, but that comes with practice.

To place things in some sort of proper order:-

First, a light bulb to go between the green lead to the points and the live supply. This can be the underbonnet lamp. If the ground lead is temporarily disconnected from the body of the wiper motor and linked with a short length of wire to the green lead to the points (pull the connector off the coil it has a rubber shroud and is a round terminal) the lamp will go out when the points open.

NB That the ignition has to be on for the underbonnet lamp to be operative.

1. Pull off the supply lead to the ignition coil, this is the flat tag with black and clear insulated wires connected to it. Park in the clear

2. Check the place on the distributor cap the lead from the front cylinder goes to. Make a mental note of the angle because you will be watching for the rotor arm to approach this point.

3. Remove the distributor cap.

4. Flick the engine round using the starter motor until the rotor arm is nearly at the front cylinder position, about one hour of the clock as it where.

5. Select an appropriate nineteen millimetre AF ring spanner and from the manifold side of the engine use the nut on the crankshaft pulley so as to be able to turn the engine a little at a time in the direction that it turns when running. It should be possible to very carefully insert a finger into the hole where the timing marks are visible and feel the ball as it comes opposite the pointer. By the way the pointer is so sharp on my cars that my fingers have been pricked, this is why I feel like sleeping for one hundred years?

6. At this point the lamp in series with the points should go out.

7. Presuming that one now wishes to adjust the timing; make sure that one has approached and halted at the timing mark from the normal running direction.

8. REMOVE THE SPANNER.

9. Slacken the distributor clamping bolt, move the distributor slightly clockwise and approach the correct setting from an anticlockwise direction. At the right place the lamp has just gone out. As a test, slight pressure on the points contacts should be enough to make the contact again. Do be careful with the clamping bolt, it only needs to be moderately tight, check the specified torque setting.

10. Now is the time to count the spanners and put it all back together then try it. The idle will probably have to be reset, but I seem to remember that has been covered before. Please check specially that the engine turning spanner is safe first!

Timing and automatics

I have never been able to locate the correct timing marks on the flywheel of the auto. In desperation the spark plug was removed from the front cylinder and top dead centre found by causing a portion of one point two millimetre welding rod inserted into the plug hole to be trapped between the piston and the cylinder head, near enough the top of the stroke. One has to be very gentle to avoid damage so on your own head be it. There is no substitute for skill, but if you don't try..........

You don't get it!

William R Blankley

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