Engine prob

henry · rice boy Joined: 17 Oct 2001 Posts: 22

hey guyz
just a quick question , i have a 1.8l engine with a 30/70 cam 10:1 pistons, big ports, shaved 1.6L tx head on 1800 block ..
i tuned it with my timing light to 6 degreez b4 tdc , my question waz what sould i set the timing to ?
whats better 6 deg b4 tdc or 12 deg b4 tdc ?
does any one have ruffly the same engine setup as mine?
if so how many degrees off tdc do you time your engine..

thanks guyz
henry

GasGem · backyard mechanic Joined: 05 Nov 2001 Posts: 755

12 would be better but it would probably be pinging under full load, try 8deg and see how you go,

cheers
eggy

Racegem · backyard mechanic Joined: 30 Jan 2002 Posts: 987

Agreed. 8 - 10 should be fine. Though it can depend on the quality of fuel you run, how reliable your compression rating is, how good the rest of your ignition system is and what your distributor internals are like; ie, advance curve.
Trial and error can sometimes be the only way. Set it @ 8, give it a run. Adjust it up a degree or two, give it another run! Keep going till it starts to "ping" and back it off. Best done on a dyno.

Hope this helps,
Yonnee.

Twisted_torque · tinkerer Joined: 26 Feb 2002 Posts: 240

I realise there is a slim chance but does anyone in bris/surrounds actually work with or have a dyno and be willing to help a teenager tune his first gem? A proper dyno tune costs a fortune and I have been told they won't give me the max performance settings.

MatMan · tinkerer Joined: 04 Oct 2001 Posts: 280

Won't give you max performance settings? Dyno's are the best way to tune any engine and will give you the best performance possible. But of course, that's only if the operator can tune the car properly. But tuning on the dyno is much better than on the road.