The V8 Owners Forum -

OK chaps (and chapettes?)
I've just been and gone bought myself a second hand 35DLM8 distributor for my trike, and it arrived this morning. I was leafing through the trusty(?) Haynes manual to find out how to do the static timing.
With the old points distributor I just connected a continuity tester between the contacts and earth (with the ignition coil disconnected), and with the engine set at 6deg BTDC gently rotated he dizzy until the points just opened.
It occurred to me that I wouldn't be able to do this with the electronic module (because normally I'd have all the power off). Looking in aforementioned Haynes manual it says to position the ferrite rod just before the sensor... the trouble is my dizzy is the later type with the 8 spiked ring. Should I be setting it so the point of the spike is pointing at the sensor, just before, just after? Once I get it running I've got a strobe so I can get it spot on, but I need to get it in the ball-park so the engine will run at all...

Any hints?
Ian

PS yes, I did search the forum but couldn't find any hint. Google failed me too!

i use to set mine so rotar arm was near as pointing to number one on the cap then adjusted with strobe after it was running,
let me know if your new dizzy cures your idle prob mate as im no where near getting mine done yet as no parts still

Slothie wrote:OK chaps (and chapettes?)
I've just been and gone bought myself a second hand 35DLM8 distributor for my trike, and it arrived this morning. I was leafing through the trusty(?) Haynes manual to find out how to do the static timing.
With the old points distributor I just connected a continuity tester between the contacts and earth (with the ignition coil disconnected), and with the engine set at 6deg BTDC gently rotated he dizzy until the points just opened.
It occurred to me that I wouldn't be able to do this with the electronic module (because normally I'd have all the power off). Looking in aforementioned Haynes manual it says to position the ferrite rod just before the sensor... the trouble is my dizzy is the later type with the 8 spiked ring. Should I be setting it so the point of the spike is pointing at the sensor, just before, just after? Once I get it running I've got a strobe so I can get it spot on, but I need to get it in the ball-park so the engine will run at all...

Any hints?
Ian

PS yes, I did search the forum but couldn't find any hint. Google failed me too!

The actual position is not hyper critical to get the motor running, as I have slipped my dizzy into its hole a tooth out on the drive gear, and it still started and ran. Ran like a sack of rocks, but it was running. It wasn't until I put the strobe on it that I saw it was so far out.

When I had an old Opus distributor I used to set the pulley to say 6 degrees BTDC and just turn the distributor until a plug on the end of no 1 lead sparked. Then carry on with dynamic timing.

However when I upgraded to 35DLM8 this doesn't work as there is no spark. Is there a simple explanantion that anyone can give me for this please?

Steve.

other distributors are inductance type so the blades on the reluctor need to be moving fairly fast to generate the signal. Kinda like your alternator doesn't produce electricity if you spun it slowly by hand.

Thanks to all who've been helping me, I havem't forgot to report back, I've just not been able to get any work on the trike done for the last couple of weeks (it's a shame working for a living gets in the way..!) but I'm off all week next week, so if I don't get it done then I never will!!!!

I set my engine so no. 1 is at TDC. Then I line up the spike on the spider thingy with the pip, or just after it.

Fire it up, and tune by ear until it's running how I like it.

Chris.

Marki - Thanks for the explanation BTW.

Steve.

Well, I have the new distributor on, and it seems to be running OK. However, I didn't waste too much time tuning it, because I wanted to turn the inlet manifold around the right way, as discussed earlier.

It was while tracing the pipework that I discovered that the outlet from the thermostat was piped to the BOTTOM of the radiator, and the inlet to the pump was piped to the TOP of the radiator.

This is wrong, isn't it? I'm not going mad or something? The water does come out of the thermostat and into the pump?!

It's a wonder that the cooling works at all....

yes its round the wrong way your not going mad