I purchased this timing light yesterday, should be here shortly. Tool warehouse had a great price on it compared with summit and jegs. I hope it will also be able to read and set advance. Has anyone owned or used one like this?
Timing light
- Thread starter Dave-T
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Let us know how it works, that is a good price for a digital unit.
I have one just like it, it works great. All you do is mark your balancer and timing tab both at 0 degrees and then dial in the amount of initial advance you want on the digital unit and it will read the programmed advance at the 0 marks, once you turn the distributor to the correct place.
It also allows you to read the total advance by raising the engines RPM to what you desire then you just hold the advance button until the timing marks line up and you will know your total advance.
It also allows you to read the total advance by raising the engines RPM to what you desire then you just hold the advance button until the timing marks line up and you will know your total advance.
- Thread starter
- #4
What is total advance?
Let me get this straight, I have a line on the flywheel for TDC, and then a 7 degree BTDC marker. So I set the desired advance on the gun then line it up to the TDC mark or the 7 degree mark?
Let me get this straight, I have a line on the flywheel for TDC, and then a 7 degree BTDC marker. So I set the desired advance on the gun then line it up to the TDC mark or the 7 degree mark?
how to time a F or 2F with a digital timing light, First paint the round dot on the flywheel with some white paint. That dot is 7degrees BTDC (assuming you are timing a F or 2F engine) Then paint your pointer attached to the block with white paint. If you do it this way you will need to set your digital timing light at 0. This is really the only way to time a LC engine because the dot on the flywheel and the pointer on the block are the only timing references you have. Let your engine idle at 650 or 750 rpm and turn your distributor until the marks line up. Thats all there is to it.
Total advance is the amount of advance an engine can have without detonation. I dont know what it shound be on an F or 2F engine but a SBC should need around 32-38 degrees total advance. Your total advance is what is built into your distributor with the springs and weights it uses. So once you set your initial timing like i explained in the first paragraph, race your engine up to say, 2500rpm and hit the advance button until the round button you painted on the flywheel lines up with the pointer. So if your digital timing light says 20 degrees then you have 27 degrees advance, because you have to add your initial advance to know your total advance. Now you know your total timing, and if you have the time and paitience you can adjust your wieghts springs and stops in the distributor to attain the amount of advance your engine can handle.
(Note: the F and 2F engines are not going to benefit greatly from changing springs, weights, and bushing stops in the distributor. This type of tuning is more for V8 type engines, but it will not hurt your I6 to tune it to the best possible state of tune)
If i lost you there are plenty of references on the web but mostly for V8 engines
Total advance is the amount of advance an engine can have without detonation. I dont know what it shound be on an F or 2F engine but a SBC should need around 32-38 degrees total advance. Your total advance is what is built into your distributor with the springs and weights it uses. So once you set your initial timing like i explained in the first paragraph, race your engine up to say, 2500rpm and hit the advance button until the round button you painted on the flywheel lines up with the pointer. So if your digital timing light says 20 degrees then you have 27 degrees advance, because you have to add your initial advance to know your total advance. Now you know your total timing, and if you have the time and paitience you can adjust your wieghts springs and stops in the distributor to attain the amount of advance your engine can handle.
(Note: the F and 2F engines are not going to benefit greatly from changing springs, weights, and bushing stops in the distributor. This type of tuning is more for V8 type engines, but it will not hurt your I6 to tune it to the best possible state of tune)
If i lost you there are plenty of references on the web but mostly for V8 engines
Rest your timing gun near your starter and point it straight in the inspection hole when you do it.
Standing at the fender and pointing the gun at the hole is not accurate.
Standing at the fender and pointing the gun at the hole is not accurate.
I generally have no use for lights w/o the advance function - never used a digital but the advance dial is the only way to go. Pair it with an early adjustable dizzy and you are set!
I really don't understand why the advance feature is being talked about so much.
His 2F in his FJ60 has the "dual" vacuum advance on the distibutor and is a California full on smog equiped rig. You are suppose to remove and plug the vacuum lines when you adjust the timing. He lives at a bit of elevation 3,000ft (?) so if he dials in his timing as recomended in the FSM and his HAC is working correctly it should be "nuts on" on performance.
If someone can elaborate on the timing advance feature, I'm all ears because, as mentioned, I really don't understand why the advance feature is being talked about so much.
His 2F in his FJ60 has the "dual" vacuum advance on the distibutor and is a California full on smog equiped rig. You are suppose to remove and plug the vacuum lines when you adjust the timing. He lives at a bit of elevation 3,000ft (?) so if he dials in his timing as recomended in the FSM and his HAC is working correctly it should be "nuts on" on performance.
If someone can elaborate on the timing advance feature, I'm all ears because, as mentioned, I really don't understand why the advance feature is being talked about so much.
If you are timing it by factory specs then the advance function on digital lights has NO value. But if you want to get full performance then some tweaking will be nessisary to achieve it.
I personally time all LC engines i work on by ear, but if you work on some Hot SBC's and BBC's you need to know your total advance so you can make the best advance curve for your engine, and it is a hell of a lot easier with a digital light than with trying to put degree tape around the balancer and read it at 4000 rpm
Cruiserdrew
On the way there
Generally, about 2 degrees more advance than stock yields a bit more power without increasing the pre-ignition risk. I liked the adjustable advance light I had until I drove off with it on the fender, it fell off and I ran over it. Now I just have my old no-advance light.
- Thread starter
- #12
I really like this unit. You really get a nice product for the price. The RPM function is really nice. The instructions that came with the light are very poor, but once you know the basics it's very easy to use. I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for a versatile timing light.