timing 16 degrees advance is that crazy
 

Ok i have a 1.6 short nose i bought used.
IT has a Bipes timing retarder.
I checked my timing in the correct procedure and it reads 16 degrees advance.
I was concerned about the keyway being shoot. So I took off the valve cover and pulled the plugs put a dowel in #1 and spun the crank. It is hard to determine tdc because it seems like it as at the top for a couple of degrees, but it appears the tdc mark is correct or at least with in 2%.

Is it possible 16% advance and bipes pulling timing is the way the old owner had it set. I changed the timing to 10 and it runs like crap and even miss's a little some times at 3-4k rpm as bipes pulls timing.

I am really just trying to get timing 100% right for my upcoming MS diypnp install.


Please Help

Also I check compression at the same time
1= 195
2=190
3=185
4=200

all warm with no oil added and throttle open.

Is that ok?

It did not have any pinging or detonation as far as I could tell the old way it was set up and my other budy whos dad has a miata he helped tune and heard detonation before the dyno showed it at begi drove it and did not hear any pinging.

Did the balancer slip, giving you an incorrect timing light reading?

can that happend and how to I tell. I figured since the mark on the pully and the marks on the cam gears matched up both saying top dead center it was on correct.

Put the engine at TDC, then make the little tick mark in the pully match with the TDC mark at the plastic "gauge".
https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1326415040
Bingo:
http://www.miata.net/garage/hsue/crank/tdc2.jpg

I have no doubt that mechanically the cam and crank are properly synchronized, it's when you put the timing light on the car that you may have an issue related to the damper pully.

this is how I check for TDC
take all the plugs out
place the oil dip stick through the plug hole for #1 cylinder [the one in the front]
BEING CAREFUL NOT TO SCRAPE the top of the piston or the cylinder wall!!!
rotate the crank with a socket wrench until the dip stick stops rising
don't rotate the engine backwards, puts stress on the exhaust lobes
check the timing mark to the reference pointer

OK. I took off the valve cover but a screw driver in the #1 and rotated the crank clock wise. The screw driver would get to its highest point around 2% to tdc on pulley in pics above. The valve gears i and e with the arrow looking marks above The I and e on the gears where pointing straight up. So that leads me to believe the lower cam gear and pulley are in synce with the cam. Is that right you think. Like I said the screw driver was at its highest point for about 2% of rotation.

So if it is set right would 16 advance be crazy with the bipes pulling timing at 2800 less to 3500 where it pulls upto 12 degrees? Again i never heard a ping or anything.
And it def misses and bogs now with it set at 10 from 3500-4900rpm.

Again i am swapping to ms the weekend after this so i dont need it to run good now but i want the timing set right so all my adj and maps in MS have are from a correct starting point timing wise.

Thanks again for the replys.

Changed it back to 14 and now no issues 3-4k rpm.