my engine hasnt been set since I got the thing, so I went to the auto store the other day and picked up a dc timing light. Went threw the instructions on how to use it and still kinda feel lost abit on it. I had it hooked to the positive and to the negative on the battery, and i removed the number 1 spark plug wire and connected the clamp on the timing light there and cranked the engine. But im not seeing any lights at all coming from the timing light. Am I doing something wrong. Again I have never set timing on anything before so help would be appreciated. My distributer is loose enough for me to turn it with a hard twist, but what exactly and i looking for with the timing gun? Im also running a 274xtreme comp cam on a 406sbc. I tried adjusting it close to the mark by ear, but im sure its pretty far off to where I need it to be at. Help please

is your timing light a dial back style ??.your correct so far you didn't unplug the #1 wire from the plug did you,that wire stays connected to the plug.all timing lights have a trigger or button to push to activate the lights to make the strobe light flash.now with the timing light flashing point it at the timing pointer on your timing chain cover.this is a piece of metal with a bunch of #'s on it with 0 or TDC in the center of it. both sides of this "0" marker will be either BTDC or ATDC. now our motors run timing on BTDC anywere between 8deg BTDC or 14deg BTDC.
now as your timing light is flashing @ this mark look for a scribe mark or white line visible next to your timing pointer. this is the harmonic balancer spinning and you line that mark up with whatever timing mark you want .
now if you have a dial back timing light you operate it the same way but as you increase your rpm you'll notice the timing mark will disapear. now turn the knob or push the button to make your timing mark go back to "0" and note the degrees it took to get there.this will be your advance curve if you map it from let's say 1500 to 3000rpm in 500 rpm increments.now make sure when timing your motor that you disconnect your vacum advance and plug it off. if not your timing will be way off and will be hard to tune



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1972 chevy camaro ss
425HP 350sbc old school build-up

restification in progress 70's baldwin motion NHRA gasser with old school day2 parts
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if it's to loud your to old

Simple- if you don't leave the spark wire hooked up, there is not spark travelling through it, and the clamp (which can detect the spark plug firing) will read 0 rpm- hence no flashing light. simple fix- plug in the spark plug wire and leave the clamp attached. (around the outside, not plugged in the end or anything crazy like that.)

Ok , thanks a bunch guys, that must of been the case, I had the spark plug wire undone with the clamp on the spark plug, lol. Ill try that later on today when i get home. also whats a good degree to set a 274xe comp cam to on that 406 engine, I didnt see anything on the cam card.

Yeah, I think they're all inductive style timing lights thesedays - the 'clamp' senses the spark energy passing through the cable.
Even on the old style lights, the cable has to be connected.

tried it out yesterday and didnt work. so i returned the timing light and got another, still couldnt get it to work, theres no dial on the back of the light, its just a dc light gun with a trigger. I have the power hooked up to the + cable on the battery and the - hooked up to the ground on the battery, and then the clamp is clamped onto the number 1 spark plug wire. I crank the engine and im getting nothing. Ill try again today though. anybody no of anything else that could be my problem? thanks for the help

Just for "kicks" (sorry, had to throw that in there) put the clamp around one of the other seven wires and see if the light will work. Maybe number one isn't firing, if the plug is bad you won't see much with the timing light. The spark has to jump the gap to make the light fire.

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John Wright
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Ok, now go change all your passwords http://www.nastyz28.com/ubb/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by John Wright (edited June 01, 2005).]

After you find out if the plug is or isn't firing, you need to look at the coil to see if it is working or not.

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78Z/28 done up like 81 383,350T...
80Z/28 in restification 355,350T vortecs....
1971 Firebird in waiting
2002 T/A WS6 A4
www.geocities.com/z28f41/ (http://www.geocities.com/z28f41/) AOL IM Secondgenmanic

When you crank the engine, it does run? and with the engine running, you pull the trigger and still get no light?

yeh, the engine runs fine, ive been driving the car for about a month now, seems to be running fine, just the timing seems off. my trans vacumn line came off, so after I reconnected it, I noticed the timing was really off now. So I set it as close as i could by ear, just to get the thing drivable and so it can crank ok with any back fires. Engine runs at 160degree. we rebuilt this engine sorta recently, so it has new plugs, distributer, hot coil and such, and everything seems to be working fine, so its gonna really be a hit if the thing is not firing on a chamber, I am gonna go threw it tonight after work and see if the line is. Seemed like last night i unpluged the 1 wire there was a noticable miss difference which makes the think that its firing. The timing gun also came with a gold spiral spring, Do I need this for anything?

Well you seem to have the idea-

http://images.google.ca/images?q=tbn:uSs7QgiLxJ4J:altura.speedera.net/ccimg.catalogcity.com/200000/207900/207937/products/10690807.jpg

So with this picture we show the three clamps.

red to +, black to -, and the funky clamp goes around the #1 wire. usually you have to press a button or pull the trigger to get the light to flash. I can't figure why it won't work for you if you've got it all hooked up right. are you sure the battery clamps have voltage? got a test light to make sure with?

I can't help you with what timing you should use.. I don't even know what it should be for mine, other than factory spec.

hey guys, turns out I have a ghetto cheap timing light, I actually had to run a spring adapater to the spark plug then hook the plug wire onto the spring adapter. Finally got it to work though. So for everyone that buys the 29.99 autozone special beware that its differnt. Everything else was a breeze once i got the light flashing, thanks a ton guys!

<font face="Arial,Verdana" size="2">Originally posted by 5LiterEater:
hey guys, turns out I have a ghetto cheap timing light, I actually had to run a spring adapater to the spark plug then hook the plug wire onto the spring adapter. Finally got it to work though. So for everyone that buys the 29.99 autozone special beware that its differnt. Everything else was a breeze once i got the light flashing, thanks a ton guys!</font>

Wow you do have an old style light. I haven't seen one like that for several years(decades maybe). My first timing light was like yours, but that was 25 years ago. I thought they all came with the inductance type clamps nowadays. I learned sumtin' new today. http://www.nastyz28.com/ubb/smile.gif


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John Wright
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Ok, now go change all your passwords :)