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RE: Distributor Timing

To: Rick & Lori <trinitygadget@alltel.net>
Subject: RE: Distributor Timing
From: "Robert M. Lang" <lang@isis.mit.edu>
Date: Thu, 6 May 2004 09:30:36 -0400 (EDT)
On Wed, 5 May 2004, Rick & Lori wrote:

> Dick,  I wholeheartedly agree with your suggestion as it happens to coincide
> with what I've been doing for 3 years now.  Bentley and his cohorts missed
> the boat completely on this issue.  

I hate to rain on the parade, but the Bentley TR6 manual is a factory
reprint. So if Bentley goofed, it's likely because they copied the
factory verbatim.

But we're missing the point here. The FACTORY was obliged to meet US
emissions levels _at idle_. The vac. retard reduces those emissions.

We as current owners of these cars have the hindsight to conclude that
the factory settings robbed the motor of power. BUT, this also means that 
we choose to make our motors produce more "bad stuff" in the name of more
power/better fuel economy.

> I'll take it one step further and repeat
> what others have said: advance it just to the cusp of pinging on a road
> test.  

I agree with this, but need to add that I do this because I don't trust 30
year old timing rings on OEM harmonic dampeners. Bear this out with the
fact that the factory race efforts learned this lesson the hard way (and
eventually drilled/pinned the timing ring to the inner ring to get precise
timing).

> I've settled on 8 BTDC with my 9.5 CR motor that way and it runs like
> the proverbial top.  This setting does change depending on how cheap I feel
> at the fuel pump.

As another data point, I leave my timing alone and _pray_ that the octane
ratings listed on the pumps is correct.

> Rick O.

regards,
rml
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