To manually turn the engine for timing and point gapping

What size socket or spanner is needed to put on the front crank nut to move the engine to set the points to the top of the cam for re-gapping? This is my first attempt at replacing the points and resetting the timing. Any tips are appreciated!

I prefer to jack up the left rear corner, put the gearbox in 4th and turn the tire to move the engine.

The movement is very gradual so I can sneak up on the marks - easier of course with the plugs out as you are not fighting compression and the jerky movement it can cause.

But if you prefer a socket (or spanner) it is 1 5/16".

I put it in fourth gear and roll the car. Remember to take it out before starting.

I do the same. Very easy to do on the E-Type, as with the bonnet open you can roll the car just by leaning on the RH front tyre, while watching the points at the same time.

I do this if I need to static time. Worth checking for backlash in the system as well - the little dead spot that might be there between rolling forward and back. Could amount to a couple of degrees? Paul

Good point. If you’re setting static timing (rather than just the points gap), you need to be inching the car forwards until the damper marker is at the right position. If you overshoot, back the car up (still in 4th) past the point you need, and have another go inching forwards.

1 5/16"

nweujoipwebfiu

Having just went through this same dilemma with my car, I found a simple and effective approach. I took the rubber/ plastic protected handle of a channel lock pliers and used it as a leaver between the 1 5/16 nut and the 4 smaller nuts on the crank pulley. Even though it is at an angle, It worked very well, with the rubber protecting the nuts and allowing slow / minor rotation of the engine.

I had the spark plugs out to make the rotation quite easy.

Robert

Sounds like you have one of the S2s without a Powr-Lok diff George. That wouldn’t work on most Es, IMO.

Yes & oops.

Rolling forward would be the choice if that were not so. Pretty easy as pushing on the top of the front tire gives you a 2:1 advantage.

My posi-traction is too strong to lift one wheel and turn it. If you can do that, it’s not working.

LLoyd

A step backward, after making a wrong turn, is a step in the right direction.

Kurt Vonnegut

Once static timing is completed what happened to turning dist CW until highest rpm with no pinging and back off a tad ?

Patrick
'66 fhc

The FSM advice for my Series 1 is to use the vernier to a maximum if six clicks - about 1 degree - as a “fiddle”. It’s best to set the vernier up so that there is a good range of movement either way (adv/ret). This also permits proper movement for the vacuum unit. Advancing too far can give too much at the top end once the static setting sums with the centrifugal weights. Others will know more on how far to push things. Paul

Walter when you have the engine at 10 degrees btdc with rotor pointing toward the proper place take a ohm meter, or a trouble shooting probe with the wire to 12V and find the point where the points break by rotating the distributor and reading across the spade terminal on the distributor and ground. It should show continuity and then drop to zero, or the light will go out, when the points come apart. That is the point where the coil is fired.and where you initially lock the dist. to start the engine. You then do a proper timing with a timing light.

Thanks Terry, I assume this is after I have located point tab at the top of the cam (points open to the max) and set the gap to .014 to .016. Correct?

Correct. Always set the points gap before you set the timing, as the former affects the latter.

-David

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I installed new points and capacitor and put it back together after properly gaping plugs and points. Tried to start. No fire. Please see the pic of the old and new points. The new ones have a small plastic loop harness over wire post that the old ones (red) don’t have. I installed them with the plastic loop in place. Could this be the problem or is it more likely I busted something else. I didn’t fiddle with timing yet. Want to screw up just one thing at a time.

Hi Walter, electrically the same. The plastic post on the old points and the fully isolated steel threaded post on the new do the same job. With the points open you should see an open circuit between the base plate and the spring steel band and a short circuit when the points are closed. NOTE: with the new one the wire from the coil - as it presents in the distributor must connect on the underside of the bobbin - not on the top - that is to say it must be connected to the spring steel loop. Otherwise you have a full time open circuit. Perhaps that’s what has happened. Paul

A photo of the installed points might help diagnose the issue (since that is apparently what changed). In particular that 3-layer cake has to be assembled in the correct order for all to work.

That strap of plastic just keeps the halves together, a good feature actually.

Not the best pic but it looks to me like you may have spotted it! I will redo when I get home tonight. Many thanks!