How to set your timing

A SIMPLE WAY TO TIME USING A PIECE OF BAILING WIRE, AN OLD SPARKPLUG, A PLASTIC PROTRACTOR, AND A CONTINUITY DEVICE.

Tools Needed:

1. A length of bailing wire about 18” to 24” long.
2. One thoroughly used/fouled 14 mm short reach sparkplug.
3. One bolt 3 to 3 ½” long with a 3/8” x 16 threaded bolt with threads at least 1 ¾” long.  (I used an allen bolt)
4. Use of a 3/8” x 16 pitch taper tap.
5. One plastic protractor about 6” long on it long edge.
6. One 4” long piece of fresh duct tape.
7. Two alligator clipped patch cords approximately 1 foot in length with alligator clips installed at both ends.
8. One detection device such as a buzz box, continuity light or volt/ohm meter with internal battery supplied.
9. One appropriately sized flywheel puller.
10. Three common screwdrivers; one medium, one slender, and one small enough to turn setscrews in connector block if necessary.
11. One long nose pliers. (Needle nose)
12. One very small adjustable wrench. (6 inch or smaller)
13. A ½” piece of electrical tape.

Fabricating piston stop:

1. Secure sparkplug in a vise.
2. PUT ON SAFETY GOGGLES.
3. Use a center punch or small cold chisel and a small hammer, break up and drive out the porcelain center and wire core.
4. Break off ground wire.
5. Cut threads through the metal body of the spark plug with tap.
6. Remove gasket.
7. Insert bolt from the top and twist it into the spark plug shell.
8. Clean up area.

Fabrication of alligator patch cords:

This doesn’t need to be anything special.  Use light wire and alligator clips that are about an inch long.  You can find them with cramp in straps and screw tightening forms.  I prefer the cramp on version.  I also solder the wires for a more permanent connection.  You can find all of these items at your local Radio Shack.

Setting up to find top dead center:

1. Remove flywheel.
2. Loosen the small nut on the points and remove the pigtail that is connected to the points.  It is unnecessary to tighten the nut down.  Tuck the free wire out of the way of the flywheel so it won’t tear away when the flywheel is turned by hand in later steps.
3. Remove sparkplug from the cylinder head.
4. Screw in finger tight the fabricated sparkplug shell with the bolt inserted about 1/3 of its length into the plug shell.
5. Replace the flywheel by hand but do not fasten.  You should be able to remove the flywheel by hand.
6. Tape the protractor with a piece of duct tape so that the center of the protractor is over the center of the crankshaft.  The 90° should be somewhere a little to the left of the top of the flywheel and positioned so that the gap in the flywheel is positioned over the points.
7. Tie the bailing wire around two stationary points.  (I usually tie it around the shift lever shaft and the kick-start shaft.  In lieu of the shift shaft just wind it around some anchor point.)
8. Turn the flywheel with the hand back and forth over top dead center while screwing the bolt in the sparkplug shell down toward the piston until the rotation of the flywheel stops against the piston.
9. Bend the free end of the bailing wire so that it points to the 90° point of the protractor.
10. Rotate the flywheel away from the stop and turn it until it stops again.
11. Note how many degrees it is from the 90° point.  (Example: Say it reads 76°.)  The difference would be 14°.
12. Rebend the wire to half the degrees between the 90 and what ever you found indicated.  (Example: 83°) This is top dead center.

  

Setting timing:  This pertains to those models with the flywheel on the right.  Reverse the rotation for advance and retard if the flywheel is on the left.

1. Rotate flywheel until points can be seen through the flywheel hole and the points are open to their largest gap.
2. Loosen point set screw.
3. Under close inspection you will see a fixed stop on the stator and a notch on the point plate where a common screwdriver blade will fit.  Turning the screwdriver with the setscrew loosened you will see the gap of the points open and close.
4. Insert a thickness gage between the points.
5. Adjust with the screwdriver until the thickness gage will slide through the points with a little drag.  The points should not be seen to open or close when the gage is inserted and withdrawn.  Typically the gap should be .014” to .015”.
6. Tighten the setscrew.
7. Clip the alligator patch cords to you continuity device with one end connected to the frame or engine.  This is ground.
8. Wrap a piece of electrical tape around the other clip to insulate it from contacting the metal of the flywheel and surrounding metal.  Connect this clip to the points blade spring or the nut.  (You remember the nut that you loosened to remove the condenser pigtail.)  Use the long nose pliers to fasten the clip to the nut.  Your fingers won’t fit.
9. When you rotate the flywheel before top dead center you will, at some point see a change in signal.  Note the degrees on the protractor.  This is the point where spark takes place.
10. To adjust the point in which the timing is supposed to take place, remove the flywheel and loosen the 3 screws that secure the stator to the engine.
11. Rotate clockwise to retard and counter clockwise to advance.  You will have to remove the flywheel each time to turn the stator.
12. Once the correct timing has been located, remove the flywheel once more and tighten the three stator screws.
13. Replace the flywheel.  Check that the timing has not moved.
14. Remove the flywheel again and fasten the pigtail of the condenser to the points.
15. Replace the flywheel and torque to 72 lbs./ft. or to that recommended for your model.
16. Replace all pieces on the engine and tighten snugly. 

You have now set your timing.  Easy wasn’t it.  Next time you can do it in as little as a half hour.

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