Ok, I have become the owner of an older Sears timing light, and it has a knob on the back. This is a step above what I have used before, but I do not have what I used before to figure out how to use it. Do I leave the adjustment knot at 0, or set it to the timing that I wish to achieve? I know that adjusting it makes the timing notch move, but I am not sure where I want the mark to show when it is set at any one point. Help?
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Dec. 13, 2009 8:08 p.m. mistanfo Dork
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Dec. 13, 2009 8:13 p.m. pitbull113 New Reader
you can set the knob at the desired timing setting and get the marks to line up to tdc or set the knob to 0 and get the marks to line up to the desired setting. your call.
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Dec. 13, 2009 8:15 p.m. unevolved Reader
I've kind of been wondering the same thing. So, if I want 11 degrees, I set the light to 11, and line up the marks for TDC? Makes sense.
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Dec. 13, 2009 8:18 p.m. pitbull113 New Reader
unevolved wrote:
yupI've kind of been wondering the same thing. So, if I want 11 degrees, I set the light to 11, and line up the marks for TDC? Makes sense.
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Dec. 13, 2009 8:52 p.m. xci_ed6 Reader
unevolved wrote:
I've kind of been wondering the same thing. So, if I want 11 degrees, I set the light to 11, and line up the marks for TDC? Makes sense.
Exactly, I probably have the same light as you. I always double check, by setting the light back to zero, but it has never been off!
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Dec. 13, 2009 11:41 p.m. mistanfo Dork
Thanks. That makes sense, I have to guess that some vehicles only have a mark showing TDC. When I first used it, I didn't pay atention to where the dial was, and my timing mark was lit up WAY off. Then I noticed that the dial was set to something like 35. Oops.
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Dec. 14, 2009 12:08 a.m. xci_ed6 Reader
Yeah, some have only the TDC mark, usually the ones that claim there is no adjustment.
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Dec. 14, 2009 7:50 a.m. VanillaSky Reader
When I set timing, I set it to "0" on the light and time it, drive around for a while and then set it by ear, then I check it with the light to see where I ended up. Never harmed an engine this way, but I err on the side of caution. Never more than a degree or two advance at a time.
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Dec. 14, 2009 9:10 a.m. Sofa King Reader
Be careful when you time the Miata. Some timing lights will show double the timing on a Miata. When I set my '90 to 18 degrees BTDC it would show 36. I don't completely understand why, but it made a huge difference. I bought a '92 that had been set to the stock 11, and it had no power. Turned out it was actually set at about 5.
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Dec. 14, 2009 8:29 p.m. wbjones Reader
so when setting the advance past what the book calls for , how much "extra" advance should cause a change to the next heat range colder plug...?
running ~ a total of 16° advance (10°) is stock setting.... is 93 octane enough or should there be a plug change and/or high test..?
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Dec. 14, 2009 10:28 p.m. bigbrainonbrad New Reader
I've been running 16 on 89 no problems and now that the weather has cooled off the low grade stuff is working fine. Only time I ever heard a ping was 100 temperature outside a/c on full blast and a third gear pull from just above 1000rpm's. I backed the timing off just a bit so I didn't have to use 93 octane after that.
