Bill,
Unless I'm missing something here, an electronic trigger would give the same
results, given the use of the distributor. So unless you are using a crank
trigger, and I don't recall seeing any funny wires coming from the vicinity
of Peyote's firewall, as I have on at least one other TR3 <cough, cough,
wink>, electronic ignition would have the same timing inaccuracies.
Jack B.
> A good reason to use a electronic trigger instead of points. You still
> need to check though.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: kas kastner [mailto:kaskas@cox.net]
> Sent: Thursday, September 18, 2003 9:07 AM
> To: Catpusher@aol.com; fot@autox.team.net
> Cc: tarch@bellsouth.net
> Subject: Re: Subject: ignition timing
>
>
> One of the problems with the stock distributor is that the shaft is easily
> bent and this leads to an alternate point gap for opposite cylinders.
> Checking you will see that the static timing for example the number one
> cylinder is perhaps 10 degrees, but when you turn the engine over to the
> number four cylinder the timing is as much as 2 or 3 degrees less or MORE.
> Therefore you have an engine that is operating with either too much timing
> on alternate cylinder or not enough. In the end you find that though you
> have programmed only 30 degrees of total timing into the engine you are in
> fact carrying 32 degrees or more on other cylinders, and those cylinders
> then are more prone to detonation.
>
> In the end the check for detonation is the window to the combustion
> chamber, the spark plug. Install clean (not necessarily new) plugs or even
> a couple cleaned plugs and run a lap or test length, pull the plugs and
> look for carbon specks and worse yet is tiny aluminum balls. If you find
> the tiny aluminum balls on the center insulator of the spark plug, unless
> you immediately do something about the timing the piston in that cylinder
> is not long for this world. If you are doing this check on a race track
> without air filters, do not confuse the tiny BLACK shiny balls for
> aluminum. The tiny black balls are RUBBER. They don't appear black until
> you look very closely and are easily confused in appearance with aluminum
> which are also very shiny.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <Catpusher@aol.com>
> To: <fot@autox.team.net>
> Cc: <tarch@bellsouth.net>
> Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 2003 11:42 PM
> Subject: Re: Subject: ignition timing
>
>
> > > The way I set the ignition timing on my TR-4 is whilst driving to
> > > the
> race
> > > and
> > > cruising at say 4000 rpms, I press down on the accelerator and if
> > > the
> engine
> > > pings, I stop and retard the spark. If it doesn't ping I advance it
> until it
> > > does then back off again until it doesn't do it any more. After
> > > buying
> race
> > > gas at the track, I do it all over again during practice and then I
> > > go
> on to
> > > worry about something else because this seems to always work.
> >
> > <HP>This may work for street use, and is the way I used to time my
> > street TR3, but for a race motor the advance curve may exceed normal
> > combustion at any point
> > in the RPM range; and at high track speed you might not be able to hear
> > abnormal combustion until it is too late.
> >
> > >>BTW: bronze valve guides should be honed, not reamed (trackside
> emergencies
> > excepted)
> > Road Atlanta knows this!
> >
> > >
> > > It also appears that the engine will run a little hotter if the
> > > spark is retarded. This seems counter-intuitive, doesn't it?
> >
> > <HP> Retarded ignition sends the heat of combustion into the cooling
> system,
> > not out
> > via the flywheel.
> >
> > >
> > > So the question is, how do you real guys set your spark par excel
> > > lance?
> And
> > > how do you check it for each cylinder?
> >
> > <HP> 1 and 4 are easy, but make certain that your timing light will
> > work
> at
> > high
> > RPM (many do not work well there)
> >
> > You have, I hope, verified the motor timing marks???
> >
> > On the Dyno, under Load, is the only safe way I know to do
> this............
> >
> > Just mark the crank pulley for BDC & BDC max advance when you degree
> > the
> cam,
> > and you have 2 & 3
> >
> > <HP>
> >
> > >
> > > Richard Taylor
> > >
> > > TR-4
> > >
> > > Atlanta
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