when i first got the car the timing was a little off so i set it the best i could with some crows foot wrenches.
well i didnt to good of a job so im takin my land yaht to get the timing
set 2maro at a local shop.
he said something about 8,9 or 10 degrees
i didnt have a clue what he was talkin bout,never fooled with timng much
what does my 302 need to be set at?
its not just a stock engine ive done carb,intake exhaust and a few odds and ends to it.
well this make a difference in hp?
The mechanic should be able to set it with no issues.That's what you're paying him for.You can't trust all mechanics (I don't),but,timing is pretty straight forward.
You could buy a timing light and learn to set it yourself... Prob be as cheap as paying someone and you'll have the light for the next time it's needed......
10 degrees is stock setting,you can up it a little till it starts to ping for a little hp gain. But that depends on quality of fuel you use. Like vinnie said the mechanic should know that.
Very true.There's tons of "how to set my timing" articles,and timing lights don't really cost a lot.
this mechanic knows his stuff,,hes done work for my family for a good 10 yrs..
i dont think i can get a timing light for 20 bucks,which is what hes charging me
i was just wanting to kno for myself what it was
I bought my light for around 20 at the local auto part store. the timing on my cougar is set at about 14 degrees. I've been wanting to advance it alittle but been lazy since the A/C compressor is in the way and I dont feel like pulling the distributor.
why would u have to pull the dist.
with my current timing position the distributor is up against the compressor. if I pull it and restab it I can get a better timing position.
o ok,,,does ur ac work????
Mine does, had it on a few days ago...
If it is the same as a 79 T-Bird with an automatic trans it is 8° BTDC.
12° if it is a California car.
Don't you have a decal on the fan shroud or somewhere with that info on it?
maw it was prolly on the stock valve covers
but i got some different ones for 88turbo
If you want to advance the timing, you should be able to easily. I have been able to get my car around 12 degree's just guessing by listening to the motor. I had my dad rev the engine while I was playing with the distrubitor, and I am probably well over 14 degree's right now. I have been meaning to get a timing light, but the money just isn't there. What I did was listened to how quickly the engine reved up and if it started pinging at all I stopped. Then I took it around the block listening close to see if it was pinging at different throttle and acceleration speeds. There is a hill by my dads house that I like to hit to see how fast cars are. stock 3.8 v-6 in a cougar is around 65, most of the v-8'd I've had were 68-71. This car was 65 before I started messing with it, and 73 after. I also am getting better gas mileage and more throttle responce. The hill is about 3/4 or so of a quarter mile if I had to guess.
got it set at 10 degrees,,it made a hell of a difference
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=3343
$15. Its a bit dim, but works pretty good as far as I'm concerned.
yes my A/C works and it works well. your making me want to go play with my timing. I might do that tonight. we will see.
he tried it at 8 and 9 and i didnt like it ao i had em put it at 10