Help on adjusting timing / '91 / 3FE (1 Viewer)

[fuzzywuzzy]

In my ongoing saga of trying to get my 3FE smogged I'm nearly about to pass, but my timing is off, literally. According to the smog tech I can be off by 3-degrees +/- from factory spec. As you likely know factory is 7-degree and the tech says I'm at 13 so I need to drop it down to no more than 10.

I've got the FSM and to be frank I've never adjusting timing before so I'm a little unsure of the process. As an example, how necessary is it to set the short between the TE1 and E1 terminals with the tachometer in the IG terminal etc etc? Or can I just use a timing light and adjusting the distributor?

TIA!

 

[ppc]

Shorting the two terminals TE1 and E1 places the ECM in "base mode" where it does not adjust timing so that you can set timing properly. After that use the timing light to set timing to factory spec. The difficulty with the 3FE is to see the timing marks.

 

[fuzzywuzzy]

Thanks @ppc - can you elaborate a little more re: timing marks. Not really noted well in the FSM. I think I remember something about the rear of the engine/firewall?

 

[paulzak]

There is a rubber cover over the hole. It's hard to find if you don't know where to look for it. It is above the starter (on the right side of the engine) a little bit closer to the driver side . A flashlight will help you find it. Once visible, there are 2 timing marks. One has one punch mark and the other has 2 punch marks .You'll need to consult the FSM to determine which mark is which. Hope this gets you in the ballpark.

 

[fuzzywuzzy]

So here’s an update and I’m seeing some weird things. Confirmed with smog tech who said I was holding at 2-degrees BTDC. I was not able to see the timing mark any range from 0 to 14 While idle was at about 650. Decided to move through all timing numbers and finally got the mark at the center of the hole at 46 with the TE1 and E1 short in place and consistently moved 7° to 53 without the short. Lowest I can get the for timing using adjustment on distrib is 26-degrees and about 510 rpm w/no short. Running rougher but have run out of adjustment on the distributor. At a loss, could distributor not be installed correctly?

 

[paulzak]

I'd check the position of the rotor at TDC per the FSM . As you suggest, it sounds as though the distributor may be off.

So here’s an update and I’m seeing some weird things. Confirmed with smog tech who said I was holding at 2-degrees BTDC. I was not able to see the timing mark any range from 0 to 14 While idle was at about 650. Decided to move through all timing numbers and finally got the mark at the center of the hole at 46 with the TE1 and E1 short in place and consistently moved 7° to 53 without the short. Lowest I can get the for timing using adjustment on distrib is 26-degrees and about 510 rpm w/no short. Running rougher but have run out of adjustment on the distributor. At a loss, could distributor not be installed correctly?

 

[fuzzywuzzy]

My brother-in-law, previously a mechanic was helping me and we ultimately went and purchased a little mirror to get a better look in the access hole. Late on he felt he wasn't seeing the right thing which is why he thought timing was so far off. With mirror he felt he was getting a look at things correctly and thinks we have it all set. Unfortunately smog place didn't have any more appts today so I'll have to wait until next weekend. Will report back.

 

[Chester]

Right side (passenger side) at about 10:45 if you're viewing the fly wheel as a compass rose. Looking straight back behind spark plug # 6. Timing light positioned beside the battery tray and shining over the top of the distributor. The rubber cover may not be there. A bit of white lithium grease around the opening helps it show up better.

 

[fuzzywuzzy]

We wanted to be able to sight over the top of the distrib but there's wiring that was very much in the way from whichever direction we were looking. The rubber cover was missing but I like the idea of the grease, hopefully it's timed right for now and we won't have to revisit this for a while. Previously the I wasn't allowed in the bay to watch the tech work but I'm going to insist this time, however, if they say that it's still out of spec I'm just going to take it to a mechanic and have they figure it out.

 

[Alleycats]

 

[Alleycats]

Above is the timing window and below are the timing marks on the flywheel. You 'can' get a sight line on the timing window from the front of the vehicle, it helps if you use a bright flashlight to find it first.

 

[fuzzywuzzy]

We saw that pic of the flywheel when we were looking at things, what's the difference between the double marks and the single? We were working off the large single one

 

[Alleycats]

The large one indicates 7 degrees BTDC.

 

[jonheld]

Some tricks that others have done to aid in timing a 3FE:
1. Open the bottom inspection plate under the flywheel and dab white nail polish on the holes in the flywheel to make them easier to see. Allow to dry.
2. Manually rotate the flywheel until the TDC mark is centered in the inspection window on the firewall. Mark the side of the crank pulley and continue the mark onto the cover plate. Rotate the flywheel until the 7 degree BTDC is in the center of the window and mark the side of the flywheel in a different color. You can now adjust timing aiming the timing light at the crank pulley.