Distributor advance / retarding

[Richard Crawley]

The question is how do you know when the timing has been set to the optimum advancement ? is it that past this you get backfiring and that it feels like you have a rev limiter on at certain loadings on the engine ?

Set the timing statically in accordance with the timing settings for your model in the manual; you can also use a strobe but keep the revs at 800 RPM. If you have a vacuum advance, remove the vacuum pipe & plug/seal the end with a suitably sized implement; do not exceed 900 RPM when using a strobe or the auto advance may start to have an effect.

 

If it’s a PI set the timing with the dizzy micrometer adjuster centrally located & then fine tune the timing as MikeC suggests so that you can run maximum advance without any pre-ignition detonation; you should use high octane premium fuel (I use Shell) or you will probably have to retard the timing significantly to prevent detonation.