It sounds like you are dealing with the situation quite nicely. My guess
is that you have the wrong cover AND the wrong pulley, so your solution
is doubtless the best thing to do. Just remember that any timing
adjustments you make from now on are relative and not absolute -- by this
I mean, time it so it runs best, not to the numbers in the book. Yes, bad
timing can contribute to running on. And I don't see why this method
wouldn't work on your Sprite, as well. Good luck.
Evangelos Makris had this to say:
>A lot of thanks for all these helpful ideas! I really appreciate it.
>
>A closer investigation revealed the following:
>a. My engine block is painted Maroon Red, the cylinder head is black and the
>engine number plate (and official documents, of course) say 18V prefix.
>Already
>confusing.
>b. The timing pulley is NOT a harmonic balancer, just a very slim plain solid
>metal ordinary pulley, 5 1/8" (about 13cm) in diameter. So there is no way it
>can slip, I believe. What a mish-mash of engine components I hear you say.
>Thankfully that engine works beautifully. IT JUST RUNS ON a lot!
>c. The timing marks on the cover are "above" the pulley, between 10 and 11
>o'clock when facing the pulley from the front of the car, there are 5 teeth,
>counterclockwise from 0 to -20 degrees.
>d. I managed to find TDC by removing all plugs, engaging 4th gear and pushing
>the car forward. When piston #1 came to the top of its travel (visible
>through
>the #1 plug aperture) the rotor arm indeed pointed at the #1 HT wire. At this
>precise location the notch on the pulley points almost downwards, at 7
>o'clock
>so I got my correction fluid out and drew a small mark on the pulley, just
>below
>the 0 (TDC) mark.
>
>I'm borrowing a timing light tomorrow to complete the business.
>
>Questions:
>a. Did I do everything OK, so far?
>b. Can timing cure running on? My idle speed is down to 850 rpm (used to be
>about 1000) and the car has no emissions equipment at all, no gulp valve
>and no
>springs/holes on the HIF butterfly discs. The only breathing I see is the
>carbs
>sucking on the front chest cover.
>c. Can I use the same method on my Sprite that has no timing marks on the
>timing
>cover at all, only this time mark the cover (not the pulley) where the notch
>stops at TDC and roughly time it?
>
>Thanks again,
>Evangelos 73BGT, 66 Sprite
>
>
>
--
Max Heim
mvheim@earthlink.net
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1360 California Street
Mountain View CA 94041
650-903-0362
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