I should have paid more attention but what I had was not color-coded. I also had some other springs from cannibalized distributors. I only changed the thin-wire spring, not the heavy one.
Somewhere on the web I found a site that discussed springs including assessing tension, gauge and the number of coils.
Soā¦ I spent some time today and put in the 41060 distributor w Pertronix unit. But when I went to set the timing, I discovered there is no timing indicator mounted to the sump. 8-( I looked for one possibly mounted on the timing cover, (since my car is a series 1.5 Iām never sure what to expect) but nothing there either.
So the car runs and starts ok, but nothing great, and I am concerned about not being able to time it correctly. I have a Snap-On digital timing light w integrated digital tach so I intitially set the timing to max rpm, using cylinder #6 by the radiator , but that would didnāt seem to drive all the wellā¦
Any suggestions to get the timing dialed? I was hoping the new distributor would make a nice difference and at this point it seems more of a negative.
Robert
Robert on my Feb 1968 E it is still down on the sump as in this diagram. Kinda a pain to set with a timing light. Seems like if you have the timing marks on the damper you could get it pretty close even without the pointer bolted to the sump. I often set timing by ear bumping the timing up until it pings under a good load and then back it off a little. Been awhile since I have messed with the timing on my E though.
David
68 E-type FHC
I have played with setting timing and road testing and adjusting my no vacuum '69 distributer. Finally I installed a Petronics D177600 and followed LLynnās advice below:
āIn the FWIW department hereās how I do it. The most important
aspect of your timing is what itās set at all in, optimal is
32-34 degrees BTDC at 3500 RPM vacuum line plugged(this is
assuming that your timing marks are correct-if not then you
need to research how to find TDC). Many distributors for
emissions equipped cars had a 20 degree distributor (40 at the
crank) and a vacuum retard dizzy as you know, this would set
your at idle timing around 8 degrees ATDC. Frankly I donāt
care what mine is set at at idle since the engine is under
minimal load at idle and if it idles well then just leave it
there. What I do care about is where its at when itās
operating under a load hence setting it with an āadjustableā
timing light for 32 degrees BTDC at 3500 RPM when the dizzy
should be āall inā.ā
Runs like it should.
Thanks JL & LLynn
Robert - It is the āback it offā step that youāre missing. How much is a little? When I did it this way I backed it off until RPM dropped by 100. But it is going to be trial and error, at least until you get a pointer.
Of course you should confirm which pointer you want by using your timing light to see where the timing marks appear when #6 fires.
Cars with the pointer up top have marks like these (at least mine does) - very handy:
Guys - its the 68-69 41207ās very slow advance in the 1500-3000 rpm that saps the power. The 40+ degrees happens at high rpm (4000+) and matters little. Who revs the engine there often?
The XK motor is torquer, and the fun starts right above idle. When you get the advance right you can live 2-3500 because it pulls like a freight train.
BOB - use a dial indicator to find TDC on cyl 3 (or 5 canāt remember) and you can make your mark on the side of the timing cover like an XJ . The mark then use the dial back feature on the timing light to time.
Dave
Yes, that would be using #3.
I actually added a pointer on the sump where it could be timed using #5. I also added timing marks on the pulley at 120Ā° & 240Ā° but for another reason.
So I went to the All British car show in Danville yesterday, and driving back stopped a couple times to tweak the distributor so that it felt ok driving at 3000 rpm or soā¦ I think I have it fairly close now, but will continue to try to get it dialed in.
QUESTION. I have two wires that now donāt have a home. The white/black which was connected to the distributor and the white/black which was on the coil. They are both free floating at the moment. Do I just secure with a zip, or should they be connected somewhere?
As part of that, as I was driving yesterday I discovered my battery gauge was showing it wasnāt getting a chargeā¦ I donāt believe these two systems are related, but thought Iād ask.
Thanks again for all the advice!
Robert
Just one wire. They are two ends of the same wire. Harmless but a zip tie may keep them from fouling on any moving parts.
You may need it if you switch back to points in an emergency.
Battery failing to charge is a separate problem. Standard manual diagnostics apply.
In using the timing cover pointer, vs the sump pointer, are you saying I should use tdc on cylinder #3, make my own marks, and time to it? I like the idea as the sump is almost impossible to see with the bonnet open.
I believe if you use the standard location on the front cover for the upper timing pointer you original timing marks will work with the light connected to #3 or #4.
Whether you can use them there may depend on whether they are on the face of the pulley (like the illustration above) or on the edge of the pulley (like my previous photo).
Obviously verify and set the pointer using a dial indicator or piston stop on one of those cylinders.
Excellent. I believe my marks are on the face, rather than the edge, but I could easily transfer them over, so I can use the timing case location that I can actually see!
THANK YOU!
Robert
If you really want to get spiffy Bob, find an XK engine XJ sedan at Pick N Pull. Grab the timing marker from the top side left of the engine and youāre good to go!
Still trying to figure out how you twist the distributor from under the car while looking at the timing marks.
Watch your fingers on the whirly bits!
A mirror, under the dampener, then use the timing light pointed at it.
Actually having the marks up top isnāt much better - I do not twist the distributor while watching the marks as they are on opposite sides of the engine.
What having the marks up top does do is spare me getting down there and back up again.
So I bought an OEM timing case marker from XKās and mounted it yesterday. I have timing marks on the OD of the balancer so that worked well.
I just want to confirm that when using the timing case marker I should set the timing off cylinder #3? (Instead of using #1 with the sump marker)
Thanks!
Robert
That sounds correct to me - but I think the pointer may have some wiggle room when mounting so you will want #3 (or #4) at TDC as confirmed with a piston stop, dial indicator or some other reliable device.
I would hazard a guess that " Llyns advice " might have been aimed at a V12 engine. However, I think you need to be clear if you want to set the timing at idle conditions, or at an operating RPM !!
Ahā¦ so hereās a question. I assumed when using the timing case pointer that you use the top edge, but want to be sure!
Thanks!
Robert
