Dizzy Advance - How?

[Guest MiamiBlue1900]

I know this has been covered many times (as i've been reading for the last 2 days) and i'm sorry for appearing really thick but how do I actually advance the timing by rotating the dizzy?

 

What I mean is,

 

- what do I have to undo? is it the 2 bolts halfway down the dizzy that are through the slots?

- what do I turn?

 

I understand about checking for pinking then retarding slightly etc just not sure which bits to remove/unscrew/adjust

 

Any help would be greatfuly appreciated

 

Cheers

 

Oli

 

(1.9 that feels feels down on power after a...dare i say it...160 bhp rebuild)

[smckeown 1]

What I mean is,

 

- what do I have to undo? is it the 2 bolts halfway down the dizzy that are through the slots?

Yes

 

- what do I turn?

 

The entire distributor then will turn, as you have slackened the retaining bolts. Mark the original position first

 

(1.9 that feels feels down on power after a...dare i say it...160 bhp rebuild)

 

take it back

[Guest MiamiBlue1900]

Yes

The entire distributor then will turn, as you have slackened the retaining bolts. Mark the original position first

take it back

 

 

Cheers, I'll be trying that on the weekend then, after i've tested and sorted the vacuum advance (which has never had a pipe going to it from the TB!)

 

I'd love to take it back, get my money back (1500 quid) and go buy an mi-16 lump, but unfortunately it was about a year ago, I hadn't had the car that long when the big ends went and I went for the full rebuild. I know what your thinking...yes it was at a rather less reputable place somewhere near lancaster and after the things I've heard on here I wish i'd never been near them.

 

On the plus side, the engine seems to have been built to a good standard (if not power) and i haven't had any problems with it. It was only after reading about ignition advance on here did i remember that they said it had been set up to run on either 95 or super, so i am hoping it is retarded and I can reclaim some power. If not it's time to start replacing things and looking at their head work (if any was done at all)

 

Oli

[Guest MiamiBlueOli]

OK so now I know how to adjust the dizzy ignition timing I have a question. Does it really matter if it pinks at low rpm (bout 30mph) in 5th when you floor it? In actual normal driving I NEVER do this. In fact I believe this is very bad for the big ends as the oil pressure is low at those kinda revs, I always keep the revs above 1700ish and never floor it unless they are above 2500.

 

The reason I ask is because when I had my car tuned they said it was set to run on either 95 or super, which tells me the timing is slightly retarded. Now I use Ultimate (98 ron I believe) I wanted to advance the ignition to suit but even if I advance it slightly it begins to pink when doing the test as described above.

 

So, my question is if it pinks at very low rpm and wide throttle opening, does that mean it will be pinking throughout the rev range or not?

[pug_ham 244 3 Cars]

Generally pinking only occurs at a specific rpm when under load like you mentioned, 30mph in fifth but if it does the timing is out for normal running & you should adjust it so it doesn't pink at all imo.

 

The 1.9 should only be run on a minimum of 97*ron SUL or Optimax but the 1.6 is Ok on all fuels.

 

Graham.

[Rob_the_Sparky 9]

Max power is obtained a bit before the point of pinking, henace retard it a bit fromthe point at which it pinks. However, on a tweaked engine the ignition curve can be wrong so normal rules don't always apply. Trial and error reigns here...

 

Pinking isn't good for the engine (understatement) but if you never make it pink through careful driving then you could leave it as is but I wouldn't (a cautious soul me).

 

Rob