timing I was having trouble timing my Model A so a friend of mine came over to help. After insuring that the distributor was in good shape and the point gap was set at .022, he set the timing so that when completely advanced, it was at 28 degrees. Car runs great now but was wondering what the opinion was of this method of timing.
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Re: timing If everything is as Ford meant it to be, then the timing will be quite a bit retarded at startup. 28* at full advance is fine for most driving, but a tad low.
Timing should be right at TDC [0*] for startup and adjustable to 40* BTDC. [ which I think is too high] So, drive it for awhile then when the points block wears and the gap closes up a bit just reset the point gap to .020" and reset the timing. |
Re: timing Quote:
https://www.fordgarage.com/pages/bdi...toradvance.htm Quote:
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Re: timing Has anyone seen a plausible theory for why the quadrant permits 40° total advance, when Ford specifically didn't design the engine to run that way? Potentially they might have designed it to span from -10 ATDC to 30 BTDC, but this isn't supported by the factory timing instructions that I've seen. Perhaps it was designed so that it could be modified to start at -10 in extreme conditions?
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Re: timing Quote:
Ford really was "behind the times" in centrifugal or other advance. I watched the two NuRex vids on Youtube and according to him MOST other makers had made the change to centrifugal advance by the time of the Model A. Joe K |
Re: timing According to Ricardo (of Ricardo head fame) the engine does not have to be as advanced with a higher compression head. I have a 5.5 head on my car so I run about 20 degrees advance with the ignition lever horizontal. That means that with the ignition lever all the way up it is retarded to after TDC. I start the car with lever down a few notches which is where 0 advance is by the timing pin. When I time the car I set the lever down those few notches and use the pin to set the points to just opening. At idle I can set the ignition fully retarded, which is after TDC and it will idle very slow at that position.
You had to fiddle constantly with the timing on a stock Model T. The operator served the function of the engine computer in a modern car. The magneto timing varies all over the place depending on the rpm. Ricardo also said that if you are running very lean you have to have much more advance because the flame burns a lot slower. Who knows what the Ford engineers were thinking of but maybe they just wanted to cover all the bases. It could also be because of the difference in fuel back then. If the spark advance range is a problem for someone they can add stops to limit the travel. This might be valuable if someone not familiar with Model A's borrows the car. |
Re: timing Quote:
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Re: timing Thanks to you all for responding. I had never heard of timing this way and according to your responses, I understand the physics behind it. After timing the old fashion way (top dead center) I was skeptical about using a new system. Thanks again guys.
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Re: timing I have the same issue on my pickup. A Snyder 6-1 head and B cam. Have timed it so 20* is max advance. Obviously retarded on start, but no problem. Easy start, and heats up faster in cold weather. I just start it retarded and advance as soon as it gets running smooth.
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Re: timing the idea of maximum advance of 28 degrees was proven a long time ago to be the ideal for 4 cylinder motors. There is nothing about a model A that sets it apart from other 4 cylinder engines. It used to be that a driver of a Model A would learn how his car ran best. Nowadays people are looking for a hard and fast rule and that's unobtanium. Minimum advance at idle is very flexible. If there is a total of 40 degrees available I think it would be best to time it at 28 degrees at full advance a let the minimum be where it ends up.
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