Tried timing my GE code engine. According to Bentley it should have a breakerless distributor and be fuel injected. I took the FI off it myself, and it already had a ? standard vacuum advance contact breaker distributor. Bentley says that a GE code engine with vacuum advance connected should run at 5 degrees ADC @800-950rpm. Mine runs best at around 35 degrees- yes 35 degrees- BDC on the strobe, pretty much as it had been set by P.O. I wondered if the pulley had been put back wrong, but referring to Ratwell this seems correct Cant hear any 'Pinking' but probably too far away in the drivers seat... My knuckles have just healed after the last engine swap, and I really dont want to knock the pistons out of it.. Whats going on??
Type 4's are timed around 27-32 BTDC. It's pretty hard to put the pulley/fan back on wrong because there is a locating pin on the end of the crank. However if the pulley has been taken off the fan then it can be. Best way to work it out is to manually set the timing and check what the valves at number one are doing. Also where is your distributor showing where number one is??
Ok great- of they are all that far advanced i'm not going to do the engine a mischief- why does Bentley give figures 5 degs before TDC to 10 degs after ??
Probably because that is the engine set for the bus. The timings l gave were for the 411 sedan models to show that it is not uncommon. Though I've not seen it on a bus set so far retarded. Out of interest does your engine stamp on the fan housing match with the one on the block?? You'll find it just in front of the crankcase breather box.
The HT lead for cylinder 1 (cylinder furthest towards the flywheel on the right as per embossed number on cooling shroud ) is on the right side of the distributor cap, nearest to engine lid. Is that correct???
#1 is about 5'o'clock on your dizzy, assuming the dizzy is fitted correctly and isn't an aftermarket oddball... GE code is 7.5 BTDC. You can't relocate the fan incorrectly as its concentric. If you had you'd managed to force it on there somehow you wouldn't get it flush and it would run eccentricly and you would have no fan casing or fan left. If your engine has been messed with and had bits taken off/added then you need to and set it and tune it to how it runs right, not to the manual
sound advice. Just did a round trip of about 60 miles with no ill effects, and got up a couple of big hills in 4th so I think Ill leave things be!
Something must have changed as running at 35 btdc @8-900 rpm would run rough and not last long , If the fan/drive ring has been taken apart then it can easily be put back wrong so you tdc mark is 90 180 or whatever out ,
Thats rather what I thought- but the timing marks as as per ratwell's pics. The tickover may be a smidge high (no rev counter so who knows?), the idler circuit does not seem to be functioning on the Solex carbs (although air is sucked through it, when I remove power from the solenoids on the main carbs the engine stops, and removing power to the idler solenoid has no effect), so I set up the tick-over a best I could on the main carbs.........On thinking about it, that probably means the engine is running too lean at tickover which may explain alot. If I am too lazy/ stupid ( the idler speed screw which looks like it should be a cross-head is a hexagonal nut which seems wrong, so god only knows whats happened to that!!) to re-build the carbs, am I better off bunging up the air intake for the idler circuit?
ooh and meant to say- and perhaps if I cant drop the tick-over much more I should time it with the vacuum advance blocked off as that may be advancing the timing at fast tick-over?
i had no timing scale or mark on the pulley. there were a few paint dots and saw marks on the pulley. i only had a basic light so i got a scale. the pulley was puzzling me as i couldnt believe there would be no factory marks. i took the fan off and then took the pulley off the fan. the pulley had been fitted back to front so the locating pin lined up but the mark was on the back edge out of sight. so make sure you are looking at the factory timing marks and if you are using the engine timing scale make sure your light is set correctly and you are not getting false readings. with the idler circuit do you mean the solenoids on the carbs or the pipes between the carbs and air filter? the carbs need to be set up correctly or they will not function. if they are idling on the mains and not the idle then the solenoid will have no effect. there was a set up guide on here somewhere but i will look and see if i have the link saved
Thinking about it the timing mark for a FI bus is at 30somthing degrees and not TDC this is for the bosch k jet setup , Is it the RED mark looking DOWN through the hole in the fan housing ? The TDC mark on the pully is on the back edge and will not fit back to front ???? Ratwel shows how to mark a pully i think
Thanks Ihu - the plot thickens!! The timing mark I was using was a factory-looking notch on the rear edge of the pully and looks to be at the right position relative to crank shaft bolts comparing with Ratwell's pics. I realised I was a bit quick off the mark with ratwells carb setup and did not set up the idler circuit. Problem being that the idler solenoid thread was stripped and the bodged repair was loose- the solenoid does actually work, but the best I could do was seal around the thread with PTFE tape- which will do a good job of insulating the solenoid!! If I earth the solenoid, I then have to set up the idler circuit correctly if that has not been bodged to death- is the Idle speed screw a hexagonal nut on later solexes, or is it been completely f*&^ed??
A GE engine would have been L-jet not K-jet and not all of them had breakerless dizzies, only the last of the run ('79) Best action is to make absolutely sure where TDC is, then make sure it is not advancing past 30° to 32° at 3500 rpm with the vacuum pipe off and plugged. Don't worry too much what it is reading at idle. Re-connect your vac pipe and your timing should advance beyond the max you have just set when you rev her up.
