Do you use a timing light ?

elwood

elwood

Well-known member
Hey guys, I'm working on a 50 car with a 8ba in it, there is a raised dot on the bottom pulley, and the pointer on the cover,
I always line the dot and pointer up, drop in the distributor, and kinda play with it from there.
I was wondering how to use a timing light ?
 
Check youtube, I am sure there is a plethora of videos on this subject.
12 volt neg ground or 6 volt pos ground? Choose a timing light that is compatible with your battery voltage.
Attach the power leads to the correct battery terminals. Clamp on the #1 spark plug lead. Start engine, point the light at the dot, pull the trigger and note where the light
is flashing relative to the dot. Advance or retard the distributor - move in a CCW or CW direction. Correct timing is 'right on the dot'. Put a drop or two of white paint on the
dot, making it easier to see.
Another way is to use a vacuum gauge. Adjust timing so that you have the highest reading, then back off slightly.
 
In addition to "wga's" advise...I have one of those inexpensive electronic tachometers that I think I got off of e-bay and placed a piece of the reflective tape that came with the unit right where that dot is on the pulley. It is real easy to see. Now I can set the timing and idle speed at the same time. That's all theory of course because I believe that in reality I do most of it by listening to how it sounds... except as I get older my hearing is declining, at least that is what my wife keeps telling me. Poor folks, poor ways.
 
I was trying to figure out how to make my 12 volt timing light work on my car recently & then I thought of a simple solution - I just hook my 12 volt timing light up to a spare 12 volt battery beside the car & then it works fine on my 6 volt pos ground system :-)
 
Just set the timing where it will run. Take it out warm it up. mash the gas at about 2000 rpm. keep advancing the timing until it pings a little ,then back it off till it stops pining. then your on the money .With the new gas and any mods to the engine there isn't any other way to get it right. Unless your lucky.
 
Good place to jump in i guess......I posted in regards to a good timing light and been reading the replys.
None of them are wrong but some are more right than others!
I work on Ts, Model As and Flatheads and there is no other group in the world so lost when it comes to actual engine timing. Seems as no one ever knows where TDC on the engine actually is !
Every engine needs a TDC exact timing mark placed on it sometime during the build.
Vacuum timing, spark knock timing and even starter kick back timing all work very well if you live in a cave somewhere !
(i am an old hillbily from Tennessee and have lived in a cave before and used all the above ) however that dont make it correct...:confused:
Find TDC and use a timing light !!!!!!!:eek::D
 
Hey guys, thank you all very much for the help.
I do know how to use a light, just never have used one on any of my flatheads..
I'm putting on of Jims units in a car for a customer, and wanted to use a light on it for a change..
So the correct timing " with a light " would be the dot on the pointer ? At what rpm ?
That's where I put the distributor in at, and they always start right up, and don't think Ive ever moved them from there much..
This car has had some over heating problems, and Ive heard timing off can cause this,
 
BUBBAS IGNITION said:
Good place to jump in i guess......I posted in regards to a good timing light and been reading the replys.
None of them are wrong but some are more right than others!
I work on Ts, Model As and Flatheads and there is no other group in the world so lost when it comes to actual engine timing. Seems as no one ever knows where TDC on the engine actually is !
Every engine needs a TDC exact timing mark placed on it sometime during the build.
Vacuum timing, spark knock timing and even starter kick back timing all work very well if you live in a cave somewhere !
(i am an old hillbily from Tennessee and have lived in a cave before and used all the above ) however that dont make it correct...:confused:
Find TDC and use a timing light !!!!!!!:eek::D
Click to expand...

Bubba, I think you are a little harsh putting everyone in your category of this group being lost and living in caves. These folks asking questions and offering advice on how they time engines are what this forum is all about. We are not as lost as you think.
JMO
John
 
Elwood, from what I learned recently you want the vehicle to be at a low idle of about 4-500rpm when checking for initial timing. The Dot on your lower pulley is set at 2 degrees BTDC. Good place to start. I asked about all the same questions about a month ago on here and these guys will teach you anything you want to learn, as long as your willing to listen. Luke
 
Thanks Luke,
Im always willing to learn, and I have learned a LOT from here, lots of good people here ......
 
oldford2 said:

Bubba, I think you are a little harsh putting everyone in your category of this group being lost and living in caves. These folks asking questions and offering advice on how they time engines are what this forum is all about. We are not as lost as you think.
JMO
John
Click to expand...

John,

No offence meant to any one person. Its The cars that make this a true statement. Starting with the Model Ts and no timing marks , then the As hit the street , at the very least they had a timing pin/bolt to set them up and then the flatheads with no timing mark until 1949.
Thats the way Ford wanted it for service and i cant argue with the thought that process worked for service.

My cave comment was meant toward myself more than anyone person as thats the way i learned to time engines with vac, throttle snap, feel and vac gauge , however after making a living for years teaching and working on cars , we no longer really need to do it that way when a timing light and TDC marks are very much prefered....

Again didnt mean to beat on any one person but hoping someone would read and think "how could we make this better"...?????
 
elwood said:
Hey guys, thank you all very much for the help.
I do know how to use a light, just never have used one on any of my flatheads..
I'm putting on of Jims units in a car for a customer, and wanted to use a light on it for a change..
So the correct timing " with a light " would be the dot on the pointer ? At what rpm ?
That's where I put the distributor in at, and they always start right up, and don't think Ive ever moved them from there much..
This car has had some over heating problems, and Ive heard timing off can cause this,
Click to expand...


Let me know how it runs. We often hear when converting from loadamatic vac distributors to one with mech advance, WOW my engine no longer over heats...amazing what the correct advance does for the engine...
l
 
With due respect to Jim and others, after one uses a timing light, don't you go back to post 6, and 'adjust to suit'? I know I do, no matter what the engine is. I almost always add a little more advance, but not much on flatheads. :)
I use a light to verify i'm not outta the ballpark.
 
bobH said:
With due respect to Jim and others, after one uses a timing light, don't you go back to post 6, and 'adjust to suit'? I know I do, no matter what the engine is. I almost always add a little more advance, but not much on flatheads. :)
I use a light to verify i'm not outta the ballpark.
Click to expand...

In my experience it depends on the engine. I work on collector cars only, I don't have a "modern" car daily car is a 1966 Cortina. Most stuff I work on I time it on a light, then out to my favourite back road hill for power timing. Almost always ill adjust the timing by seat of the pants, and get better results than with a light only.
Huge but here, stock flatheads, use the timing light to stock point and call it done, fringing with it on the road will not be fun. These things will fire "ok" with the timing off quite a bit. But not the best. Advance till you here a ping then back it off a tad, all the stock ones I've done that ping don't happen before power drops a good chunk, why would you keep advancing after that?
To much advance even a bit to much is just not good, it will cost power.
As you can tell I'm with bubba, get a tdc Mark sorted and use a light.
Martin.
 
I added a ring behind the crank pulley on my early engine and then added timing tape to it, after locating TDC. The timing is then very easy to adjust. But, how much is too much?
I set it at 24 degrees max, but think it could go more. Can't ever hear it ping.
 
Aren't we suppose to disengage the vacuum advance before timing with the light. I know that's what I was taught...slim
 
Ford procedure as called out in the Shop Manual "Disconnect the vacuum line between distributor and carburetor to eliminate the possibility of any vacuum advance. Start the engine and operate it at idle speed. Check timing with a timing light and make the necessary adjustments to align the pointer and the timing mark". Not promoting it or supporting it, just saying that's what was specified. If it were me, first off I would ditch the distributor, but that's another topic. I always use a timing light to check initial timing and would set it advanced from the Ford recommendation. Believe it is 2°, I would start a 4° advanced and play with it from there.
 
Kahuna said:
I added a ring behind the crank pulley on my early engine and then added timing tape to it, after locating TDC. The timing is then very easy to adjust. But, how much is too much?
I set it at 24 degrees max, but think it could go more. Can't ever hear it ping.
Click to expand...


Is this a stock engine pre 8 BA ignition? If so your pretty much on the button, you could advance a couple more degrees but it won't gain you anything. Think about what happens mechanically with to much advance. We don't want the piston trying to push up against a charge that's already well on its way to maximum push, we want maximum push at exactly the right time, a bit early or a bit late is a waste of energy.
With high compression heads and or dual carbs will want less maximum advance,
if you haven't got it, get John Lawson's book, this will answer this and many other questions, backed up with dynomometer.
Martin.
 
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