Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi some time ago my timing was set by my local garage (ex moggy racer mechanic) at 10 deg BTDC as the teeth or timing marks have been broken off apparently.

I have been feeling for a while that she is too advanced as power on hills and acceleration is down a little. No pinking at all - never has pinked since I bought her. Car still driven daily etc and up to 60mph.

I want to check the timing by ear and understand the distributor body can be rotated each way on a warm engine stopping where the engine sounds fastest, sweetest etc and nipping up the clamp.

The only Youtube video I've seen shows this and I am happy to have a go. I do not have a bulb rigged up or strobe.

What is the purpose of the little wheel under the distributor - is that what I need to turn or do I rotate the distributor body itself. Haynes and Workshop Manual do not cover this method of setting the timing. She's not far out - starts on the button every day but is sluggish.

Cheers for any advice.

The little knurled wheel is for small adjustments - it should be marked R (retard) and A (advance). 10 BTDC is a LOT... Test if the vacuum advance is working...suck the pipe and watch to see if the plate in the dizzy moves back and forth as you suck.. Too much advance normally results in pinking - unless the engine is worn and the compression very low - in which case it may never 'pink'... I suggest a compression test to determine engine condition.

The small knurled wheel on the side of the distributor will adjust the timing by small increments. It's marked AR with arrows A for Advance and R for Retard.
Have a session on the road ,trying the changes and seeing the performance results. Have a piece of paper to hand and record the adjustments .e.g 5 clicks Advance or 4 clicks Retard , you can always return to your start position.

If you run out of adjustment left or right ,without the desired improvement, then and only then ,is the time move the whole body.( Your car is running...OK... so probably only minor adjustments are required.)

Before moving the main body " mark "( unless someone has done this already ) both the clamp and the distributor body with
a scratch, using a screwdriver. You can always return to your start position.
Some people like centralising the vernier adjustment small wheel, before moving the main body. so that you can move either way for the final small adjustments.

I suspect that you won't need to tweak the whole body.Just give the small adjustment wheel a try first
On other topic you could always make a little home made timing light.Two small crocodile clips,two bits of wire, a small bulbholder and a 12v bulb.Maplins should be a good source.

Bob

Thanks for the replies guys.

Turned the little wheel 8 clicks retard and got significant improvement. Started immediately rather than waiting a second or two with the key turned. More power and speed uphill but no pinking.

Thinking of continuing assuming it was 10 degrees BTDC. At 4 clicks per degree got 20 more to go or thereabouts.

Assuming it isn't a compression problem - no smoking and oil use is normal. Pulled over 60 today before I backed off - am I looking for pinking in 4th going uphill then dial it back a couple of clicks?

How do I know I have the right setting?

Sounds to me that you've cracked it.

How do you know you have the right setting ?

By adjusting a little more.....until the performance falls away ..then you know you've gone too far.To correct it this time put it back a couple a couple clicks, towards your new Starting point ( i.e where it is now ).
You will hear it / know when you've got pinking.
Well done so far.
Bob

If it was difficult to start before - effectively it was SO far advanced - it was kicking against the starter. So by retarding it - you are getting back to where it 'should' be (~ 3 degrees BTDC) . Pinking comes with too much advance - so as you retard, you are less and less likely to have any pinking. As long as it's going well, and not pinking - no harm will be done. Avoid the 'garage' that set up that 10 degree advance...... I still urge a compression test -and testing the vacuum advance....

Thanks Bmcecosse. I am happy to do a compression test but will carry on adjusting the distributor until pinking in top gear up hill. Am I right this is what I am looking for? then back off a couple of notches? Will report back in a few days.

Will need to buy a compression tester but they seem cheap enough.

You are right to avoid the garage I've been to - they set the carb too rich twice and it was only a colourtune that showed how far out they were.

The car usually kicks back against the starter so I assume the ignition is too advanced.

If the timing was 10 degrees it's now 8. Will keep adjusting and driving one degree at a time over the weekend. Certainly the first two degrees have made a noticeable difference.

One thing I forgot. The workshop manual gives HC 160 and LC 130. Am I looking for results in this range or should I be in the region of LC 130 using modern unleaded petrol?

Does anyone know how many degrees each division marking on the vernier adjuster is worth?

I'm sure I've read somewhere that 11 clicks on the adjuster is one degree, in the Pitmans Mini guide I think.

On Lucas 25D distributor it is : - 18 clicks to 1 degree.
From the central point the adjustment available is + / - 6.5 degrees
Source : - Rick Astley's Classic British Car Electrical Systems Page 106
Bob

Messing about with 'clicks' is a waste of time - what are you measuring?? Just swing the dizzy gently back and forth to get the best idle point.