Checking the Distributor Advance and Timing

It was suggested I think in some of of the reply posts to my message yesterday to check the distributor advance mechanism on my 135 to see if it was working properly.

To be honest when I first got her back from the shop and had all these electrical issues with my tractor, I didn't know how to check the gap on my points very well and took off the plate the points/condenser sit on and messed around with the screws.

I vaguely remember thinking what i did was stupid and tightened them up.

Would doing that be causing the misfiring?

My other question is I bought an old sears timing light at the base thrift shop. It didn't come with a manual to use it, but once you connect it, how do you actually use it?

I have a JD 1010 service manual and I think that tractor and mine both are timed the same (6o BTDC and it advances to 26o BTDC) however the Deere has a timing hole on the bell housing and on my Massey it's cast into the engine skirt with the radius rod in the way, so I can't see into the flywheel.

While I have my OEM Service Manual, conveniently it covers timing for the Perkins Gas, not the Continental Z145.



I read the articles on the left but not really having done this before I'm somewhat lost.

Thanks,

Christos

You want to set the point gap correctly BEFORE you check timing. The timing will advance if the gap is too wide and retard if too narrow.

The gap should also be set correctly so that the points have time to open and close at various RPMs. I would make sure the gap is set right and leave it alone.

timing lights, most of them have three wires, two go on the battery and the other wire on the #1 spark plug. Some of the newer ones have a pickup that clamps over the plug wire, the older ones have a spring that you put between the spark plug and plug wire boot. once the light is hooked up turn down your lights,start the engine, point the gun at the timing marks and pull the trigger you'll see the timing marks in the light flashes. You normally set the timing at an idle or specified RPM. If you speed up the engine you'll see if advance is working because the timing marks will move, eventually out of what you see with the light. Some fancier lights have a dial on them were you can set the light to flash so many degrees off the pick up signal, so if your looking to set the timing at 15* BTDC you dial in 15 on the knob and the thing will flash 15* late so you twist the distributor until you see TDC to time it. If you know the distributor is supposed to advance 30* at 2700 RPMs dial in 30* on the light run the engine at 2700 and you should see TDC in the window with the light.

www.vw-resource.com/tune-up.html
www.gofastforless.com/ignition/advance.htm

Read these.