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Timing Marks

SaxMan

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I had my head poked under the hood of the Sprite this evening looking for the timing marks on the motor and for the life of me can't find them (I did find the remnants of an old thermostat gasket that I never knew was "down there"). My reference manuals weren't much help as the drawings and instructions are very vague. Looking online, there are some mentions of 1275s not having timing marks and the better bet is to get cylinder #1 at TDC and make your own mark and pointer?

The car does seem to be running fine now that I have the carbs synched up. I'm wondering if I already have a solution that is searching for a problem. Still, even if I don't make any adjustments, I'd just like to know how to check the timing.
 
Do you have the toothy-looking marker thing on the bottom of the timing cover? Mine did, but not ANY markings on the pulley/balancer itself (whcih is a 1275), so I had to add my own marker with a wire (once TDC was accurately established). There are a number of photos of these on this board. lower - secondary timing mark.jpg Of course, the tricky part is getting a precise mark for TDC, and there are several ways to do that. I then fabricated a wire pointer that was easier to see. timing mark - first attempt - dot at about 7 degrees.jpg
 
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Jeff Schlemmer (Advanced Distributors) sells a kit.

505378_290.jpg

Here's one I fabricated for a recent build:

WP_001402.jpg
 
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That's SO much nicer than the wire-based one I made and installed. :joyous:
 
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