Tips for Setting Timing on a FS Ignition

S

sandbug

Member
I need some helpful tips on timing my Model A with a FS Ignition. I have been texting back and forth with FS Ignitions, and they have been helpful, but it's the weekend. I figure someone here could be helpful.

Hopefully, everyone is having a great weekend.

1) For testing and troubleshooting overall, the FS Ignitions page says "Disconnect the high voltage wire from the center of the distributor cap," - Is this the coil wire they are referring to?

2) When setting the timing (the car engine is on top dead center right now), should the distributor be turned at all, or start parallel to the engine?

Dist1.jpg

Dist2.jpg
 
Your questions: #1: Yes..it means the coil wire. No other electrical disconnect is needed. #2 No need to turn the distributor. Simply loosen the cam screw under the rotor and use the timing tool following instructions regarding the rotor position.


While you are at it you can LIGHTLY smear the inside of the rotor with Vaseline before replacing it...and put a few drops of oil down the cam screw hole.



If you can not locate the indention on the timing gear with the pin..which is quite common...pull #1 plug and insert a ruler or other metal tool into the chamber and you can either see or at least measure when the piston is at TDC.


I have been running the FSI "Zipper" for three years problem free. Easy to set, reliable, and looks original to anyone other than a Model A judge. It makes driving in hilly country MUCH more pleasant not having to constantly mess around with the timing lever while trying to double clutch to down shift on a hill.
 
FS ignitions has 3 different distributors ! Which one do you have ? If it is the Zipper then follow what German Guy said ! If it’s like mine then yes you turn the distributor pointing the rotor to which lead you are using for #1 , your distributor may not be parallel with your engine , use of a timing light is what I recommend !
I just went and looked at my set up, my number 1 is facing rearward, use the firing order 1,2,4,3 in a counter clockwise and install your plug wires. Some day when I have the valve cover off I may clock the drive gear so it looks more like original set up .
 
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I'm old. And my ideas are as old as me. I learned how to time an engine in auto shop in high school in 1960. It was a Chevy 236, a 6-cylinder engine where the distributor could be turned to any position and then clamped down. I was taught to find the position where the peak rpm was obtained but that more advance would not improve the rpm. This I later learned to call the knee in the timing. At the same time I learned how to work on and drive my Model A coupe.

Being old and with old ideas I like to be able to control the ignition with the lever on the steering column. To me this is just part of the fun of driving a Model A.

My advice to those with automatic advance distributors is to use the ignition lever to find the knee and then use the timing light and degree wheel to find what advance that is. Even if you have to use a stock distributor to find the knee. Then set up the distributor to give this timing when fully advanced. Then check again with the timing light.

Each engine is different and will have a different requirement for the ignition timing. Especially old style engines like the Model A. The modern ignition in your Toyota has a bunch of sensors and a computer to control the ignition. The computer is constantly searching for the knee in the timing, just like I am doing with the lever in my Model A.
 
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No need to use vaseline on electronic points.

I have been using Pertronix forever and am happy with them.

I once used the FS zipper dist and had problems; they said it was due to the HC head and their dist.
 
The engine was running fine, except I was getting pre-detonation at higher RPMs. I decided to re-time it, and here I am. FS ignitions set the curve for my engine and HC head. Since I have a B block, FS told me to find top DC with the number one plug out, and set my mark at zero there.

With the dist rotated to here, I can get it to start with the choke all out, and about halfway in the engine is purring. All the way in it will backfire and shut down.

Should I rotate the dist clockwise or counterclockwise, and how much to try again?

Nevermind the blue tape on the dist, it is to re-stick the FS decal edge with Shoe Glue.

Dist3.jpg
 
Finding exact TDC is impossible by noting when the piston is at top because it moves very little there. A much better technique is to mark both sides of TDC on the degree wheel where the piston is down the same amount, say 1 inch, and then mark the center of these two position. That is exact TDC. This is an old technique for finding TDC on a steam locomotive.


Backfiring and running well with the choke out is an indication that the mixture is lean. This can be caused by a number of things including clogged jets, the jet opening not at the right height, the jet hole not correct, and a low fuel level in the bowl.
 
I have a Zipper distributor which does not have the distributor base locking pin. This allows adjusting the timing using a timing light or by ear. It looks like you have the standard disributor base with the pin. If so, use the standard procedure for setting the timing. With cylinder #1 at TDC and the steering colum spart lever in the full up position (retard), position the rotor on cam pointing at #1 position spark plug contact in distributor cap. Looking down at the wide brass rotor tab I ususally position the rotor so the cap contact is approximately facing a point that is 3/16" to the right of the left edge of the rotor tab.
 
German guy said:
While you are at it you can LIGHTLY smear the inside of the rotor with Vaseline before replacing it...and put a few drops of oil down the cam screw hole.
Click to expand...

OK, I'll bite. What is the purpose of the vaseline under the rotor? Is that to keep it from sticking on?

I once read to put a little Vaseline on your household lightbulbs so they were easier to unscrew. I tried it once, the bulb got warm enough to melt the vaseline.
 
old31 said:
No need to use vaseline on electronic points.

I have been using Pertronix forever and am happy with them.

I once used the FS zipper dist and had problems; they said it was due to the HC head and their dist.
Click to expand...

Just a note on this. I installed a Brierly head on my banger using the FSI distributor. I was getting way too much advance. When I talked to Jim, he told me that FSI makes two distributors, one with 28 degrees of advance and one with 18 degrees of advance for use on high compression heads. I had the 28. I sent the distributor back to FSI and they recurved it to 18 degrees. Problem solved. Something to think about when you are upgrading an engine.
Warren
 
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