Pinto Timing Set Up

[Guest AndrewH]

Not too much abuse in answering this question please!!! - I know it is a basic question but I cant get it right and its getting annoying.

 

I have replaced the cam belt on a 2.0 ltr pinto - standard cam, bosch dizzy and I can't get the car running. Got it going for a while but lots of black exhaust so not right - too retarded?

 

I have followed the Hayes manual and set the crankshaft pulley on the TDC mark and positioned the camshaft pulley with the point upwards in line with the dot - right so far i think....? (the manual says car should be timed at 8 degree BTDC but not sure I do this at this stage?)

 

I have then positioned the rotor arm on the dizzy towards no 1 position - in line with the mark on the dizzy body.

 

But car not happy.

 

My suspicion is that the dizzy isnt quite lined up but I stupidly didnt mark the auxillary pulley and I moved it when fiddling with the rotor arm.

 

Is there a simple answer to help me get the car running so i can then fine tune.

 

Before I did all this the car was running well and i have just replaced coil, plugs and reconditioned the DGV5 carb - all of which work fine.

 

thanks

[richyb66]

Can't you loosen the dizzy clamp and have someone twist the dizzy round while you try and start it - should get it running at least and then you can get a light on it to get it spot on.

[ibrooks]

If you've moved the auxiliary pulley then yes the dizzy will have moved. It's going to be far easier to start from scratch with the dizzy timing and then use a strobe if you have one to get it right. If you don't have a strobe the following procedure should let you get it right enough by ear to drive it to someone who has.

 

First you need to get the engine to TDC on the firing stroke of number 1 cylinder.

Pull no.1 spark plug and stick your thumb over the hole. Turn the engine in it's normal running direction until you start to feel compression under your thumb. Now watch the timing mark on the crankshaft pulley and keep turning until it's at TDC.

 

We know that the spark needs to be around this point in the engine's rotation (within a few degrees anyhoo). Look which socket on the dizzy the HT lead from no.1 cylinder goes to. Now turn the dizzy body until the rotor arm is pointing at that socket.

 

This should be close enough to start the engine and allow it to tick-over without using the accelerator - it sounds like you're somewhere around here already.

 

Ideally this is when you connect the strobe - but if you haven't got one...... Disconnect the vacuum pipe and plug it with something. Now with the engine running at tickover slack the dizzy clamp and turn the dizzy whilst listening to the engine note. If you turn it one way it will slow and if you turn it the other way it will speed up. Get it running as fast as possible using just the dizzy to control the revs. Re-connect the vacuum and you should be fairly close to the correct timing. Now visit someone with a strobe or similar to get it spot on.

 

Iain

[Andy Spencer]

positioned the camshaft pulley with the point upwards in line with the dot - right so far i think....?

 

Its 2 years since I played with pintos but I'm sure the arrow points DOWN to the dot on the head? Just a thought but you'd probably have a lot more trouble if you were that far out.

 

Good luck - rest of advice before is very sound.

[Guest jhfozzy]

Not that we're perfect, but rob and I have just done the cambelt on his S7 and yeah, all the diagrams show the camshaft pulley arrow facing downwards. edited to say NO NO NO.

 

Damn memory, the pulley window is downwards, the arrow points up, as in the pic below. Sorry.

Edited October 16, 2008 by Fozzy

[Guest AndrewH]

ah it might be an age thing! my Pinto is out of a Mark V cortina and the manual definitely shows the arrow pointing up at the bottom of the pulley to a dot on the engine body. Mind you if I take TDC off the no.1 lobe on the camshaft through the oil filler the pulley arrow is about 15 degrees off centre from the vertical......

 

Got it going but very very lumpy and conks out without acceleration

[spg]

 

 

here's mine

[Guest jhfozzy]

Oh, yeah, the arrow, points up, lol.

 

I meant the window was down, damn, sounds like you did it correctly, other post edited to match.

[Andy Spencer]

Senior moment - just had a look and I was wrong, sorry guys, arrow points up. However if its out when No1 is at TDC then double, double check you're not a tooth out on the camshaft pulley, easy done, particularly when tensioning the belt. Also looking at your observations, check that your keyway on the backplate is intact and has not slipped a bit, giving you an incorrect reading, as they are quite flimsy, this happened to me years ago and bought a new backplate.

 

Good luck and sorry for leading you up a false avenue. Now, where are those tablets? !!!

[Guest MacMustang]

Hey guys,

 

I've noticed in a lot of the books that the dizzy can either have a vacuum advance or electronic advance. My dizzy only has one connector and that's what I presume is to the coil... Mine's a 88/89 2.0L Pinto which has a 205 block and EFI.... what should I be disconnecting when setting the timing?

 

Cheers

 

Adam

[Guest Deano 777]

Hi Adam all you need to diconnect is the vacume hose that is fitted to the side of your dizzy housing, blank the hose off with a pop rivet, when you have the engine running.

[Guest peter2b2002]

adam if yours is an efi you shouldn't move the dizy as its pre set by fords

peter2b

[Guest chris brown]

adam if yours is an efi you shouldn't move the dizy as its pre set by fords

peter2b

There’s no problem with moving it Peter well at least I've never found one. It's an EFI so no vacuum hose just slacken off the clamp bolt an using a strobe set it to 12 degrees BTDC at tickover (850rpm) lock it off and go for a short rum now reset it to 14 degrees BTDC and repeat run. Keep doing this until you find the best setting for your engine (I have never found two the same) Mine runs best at 16 degrees BTDC and pinks at 17 but I know of others that are best at 12 it all depends on the advance curve and final advance of the dissy and as most of us are running on ones that are 20 years old or more it isn’t surprising

[Guest MacMustang]

Unfortunately the previous owner already messed up the dizzy position so I had no choice

 

Think my problems are fuel/air so will have to find a way of testing these.

[Guest Dan_Beeston]

lock it off and go for a short rum now reset it to 14 degrees BTDC and repeat run.

 

For what it's worth, I'd recommend saving the short rums until you've finished playing with the car!