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TR2/3/3A Set Static Timing on TR3B - Car Runs Poorly

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George,

Thank you. I'm pretty conviced that the pulley is installed incorrectly. So I need a digital timing light with advance/retard settings? The old fashion timing lights will not work? I'm not sure I fully understand what you are saying about how to calculating where TDC is. Again, I've never used a timing light.

Art
 
That's alright. I don't imagine the fellows that built your TR3 used a timing light either.
 
Art - I've tried to think of a simple way to sort out the timing mark, can't say I've come up with anything that can be easily explained in this space.

Maybe the thing for now is to continue to adjust by ear and by driving and when you have the distributor where things seem best then make a paint mark on the pulley where the pointer aligns with it. That won't tell you where TDC is but it will tell you about where the timing should be when you have a need to adjust anything later.

Someday you'll have the head or the timing cover off and you can easily solve the mystery of the TDC mark.
 
af3683 said:
I'm not sure I fully understand what you are saying about how to calculating where TDC is.
Click to expand...

1) Fabricate (or buy) a piston stop as Geo showed above.
2) Remove #1 spark plug, screw in piston stop in it's place. (You may need to turn the engine slightly).
3) Turn the engine forward slowly, until it stops turning (because the piston is against the stop). Make a mark on the pulley under the timing pointer.
4) Turn the engine backwards slowly, until it stops turning. Make a mark on the pulley under the timing pointer.
5) Remove the piston stop, reinsert spark plug.

6) Make a third mark halfway between the mark in step 3) and step 4). When this 3rd mark is lined up with the pointer, the crankshaft will be at TDC. The accuracy of this method is limited only by how well you divide the distance between the two marks, you can easily get better than 1/2 degree.

Using a timing light is somewhat problematic on these engines, because the centrifugal advance inside the distributor starts moving at or below idle rpm. That's not to say you can't do it, just that the factory setting of 4 BTDC may not be the best choice if you do.
 
Just to make sure you do not break engine parts, only turn the engine by hand when the engine stop is inserted. DO NOT BUMP THE STARTER! Also, the engine will be easier to turn if you remove all of the spark plugs.
 
It has been a long time so I am not certain, but I seem to remember a tr3 with the pulley on wrong and I was trying to time it also. What I did was move the timing light spark plug end over to piston number 2 and then I could see the marks come into play. I cannot remember if they were perfectly off or not. Another thing you might try is to drop a 3/16 or so by about a foot long steel rod into number one spark plug hole and watch it go up and down as the engine passes by TDC as you turn it over by hand with all the plugs out
 
sp53 said:
...Another thing you might try is to drop a 3/16 or so by about a foot long steel rod into number one spark plug hole and watch it go up and down as the engine passes by TDC as you turn it over by hand with all the plugs out
Click to expand...

You'd want to be careful with that as the plug hole is at a rather oblique angle on a TR... that method is easy on most DOHC engines.
 
sp53 said:
It has been a long time so I am not certain, but I seem to remember a tr3 with the pulley on wrong and I was trying to time it also. What I did was move the timing light spark plug end over to piston number 2 and then I could see the marks come into play.
Click to expand...

That would depend on how it was assembled. 6 bolts so 6 possible orientations. If it was exactly 180 degrees out (meaning whoever assembled the pulley lined up the timing hole with the keyway, a very reasonable thing to do), then the hole would would line up with the pointer when #2 was at TDC.

But based on the original comments, I'm guessing that it is only off by one hole (60 degrees).
 
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