need help with setting timing.

Anonymous · May 25, 2004

Hello to anyone who may give me some help with setting the timing on my Commando. I know the setting is 28 btdc. However, how do I find out which is cylinder one to set timing? I see an indicator mark on the shaft. Where do I go from there?
Thanks
Ken Dalton kdda@chevrontexaco.com

Ron L · May 25, 2004

Assuming you have point and not a Boyer or Lucas Rita, find top dead center (TDC) by removing the spark plugs and using a wood dowel (pencil?) carefully turn the back wheel while in 4th until the pencil stops rising and begins to fall. Take off the intake and exhaust rocker covers. Rattle the rockers. One side will be loose (within clearances) meaning both intake and exhaust valves are closed. This is the cylinder on compression. Back the cylinder to about 26 degrees and carefully bump it to 28 (forward). Follow the ignition lead to the coil and note what color the low voltage wires are (white/black or yellow/black). The corresponding color in the points housing tells you which set of points to use. Rotate the advance mechanism to full advance and lock it with the stepped washer before moving the points plate.

Rotate the engine 360 degrees and set the other side.

Remove the advance lock, replace the valve covers. Check the settings with a timing light.

Better yet, get a Boyer or Rita, set it and forget it.

Ron L

norbsa48503 · May 25, 2004

Start by removing the gas tank and rocker covers. Put in fourth gear your going to use the rear wheel to slowly turn over the motor. Watch the intake valves when one is going into the head and then returning to it's rest point (where you set valve clearance)that cylinder is on firing stroke. With points both sides must be set on firing stroke so it doesn't matter witch one you start with. You now know were the engige is at now it's time to see how your wiring is done. The color codes for each piont set are black and white for one and black and yellow for the other don't assume that this is right out of the book check that the coil wires have not been switched between the coil locations They could be wired any way and will work but you need to know for timming. This is a good time to redo the wiring if it's not right to make it like the book to avoid later confustion. Ok now that your intake valve is back to the clearance point your close to the timming mark on the rotor, pull the timming inspection cover on the primary cover look inside there should be a black and silver gadge to get the mark on the rotor lined up to 28 degrees for points. You use different mark for Boyer ing. they are set at 31 degrees at 5000 rpm with a light. It is a real good idea to check the acuracy of your rotor mark at least once but this needs the use of a degree wheel and a dead stop TDC tool that you don't have if your asking about ing. timming. You can check that the rotor is not loose on it's core the older ones brake loose and cause al kinds of timming changing problems. Hope you have a Hanes manual for the rest of the intructions on setting the points with an old tail light with pig tails and alligator clips. If you don't have any manual don't even start this timming process. Once you have it on the mark it's a good to set the gaps real good on the points before pulling the plate. Time to remove the point plate and the bob wt. distributor to clean check and lube it. Most people like to than spend some time on the points cleaning and resetting the gaps and recentralizing the timming adjusters. Ok now it's time to relock the distributer into the cam using your light on your reajusted points to get it right. Norton cams turn CC while running so don't get confused. Now to set the timming you need to hold the distrubutor against the spring action to final set the timming of the first set of points. Most use the the movment of the whole plate to set this first set of points than the adjusters on the points for the second set. You will be setting the distributor to lock it down into the cam with the first set of points gaped and centeralized in thier adjustment this can be tricky with out the timming service tool (a washer) that holds the distributor full advanced for you. If you don't get the keeper bolt too tight you can slide the unit around with a pair of neddle nose pliars to get the light to flicker and than lock down the distributor. So now turn over the engine with the rear wheel and set the other set of points. Not done yet you should now recheck your gap to see that it hasn't changed and if it has reset it and than recheck the timming. Now your points are staticliy timmed, time to fine tune with a strobe, reset on each plug and recheck every thing again. After you taken it for a long ride good to check every thing again points tend to close with time running and heat. See why most people run Boyers? But it's real good fun to set points up and get them right if you think that this is too much try a tripple cylinder. norbsa

Anonymous · Jun 4, 2004

Thanks

norbsa48503 said:
Start by removing the gas tank and rocker covers. Put in fourth gear your going to use the rear wheel to slowly turn over the motor. Watch the intake valves when one is going into the head and then returning to it's rest point (where you set valve clearance)that cylinder is on firing stroke. With points both sides must be set on firing stroke so it doesn't matter witch one you start with. You now know were the engige is at now it's time to see how your wiring is done. The color codes for each piont set are black and white for one and black and yellow for the other don't assume that this is right out of the book check that the coil wires have not been switched between the coil locations They could be wired any way and will work but you need to know for timming. This is a good time to redo the wiring if it's not right to make it like the book to avoid later confustion. Ok now that your intake valve is back to the clearance point your close to the timming mark on the rotor, pull the timming inspection cover on the primary cover look inside there should be a black and silver gadge to get the mark on the rotor lined up to 28 degrees for points. You use different mark for Boyer ing. they are set at 31 degrees at 5000 rpm with a light. It is a real good idea to check the acuracy of your rotor mark at least once but this needs the use of a degree whell and a dead stop TDC tool that you don't have if your asking about ing. timming. You can check that the rotor is not loose on it's core the older ones brake loose and cause al kinds of timming changing problems. Hope you have a Hanes manual for the rest of the intructions on setting the points with an old tail light with pig tails and alligator clips. If you don't have any manual don't even start this timming process. Once you have it on the mark it's a good to set the gaps real good on the points before pulling the plate. Time to remove the point plate and the bob wt. distributor to clean check and lube it. Most people like to than spend some time on the points cleaning and resetting the gaps and recentralizing the timming adjusters. Ok now it's time to relock the distributer into the cam using your light on your reajusted points to get it right. Norton cams turn CC while running so don't get confused. Now to set the timming you need to hold the distrubutor against the spring action to final set the timming of the first set of points. Most use the the movment of the whole plate to set this first set of points than the adjusters on the points for the second set. You will be setting the distributor to lock it down into the cam with the first set of points gaped and centeralized in thier adjustment this can be tricky with out the timming service tool (a washer) that holds the distributor full advanced for you. If you don't get the keeper bolt too tight you can slide the unit around with a pair of neddle nose pliars to get the light to flicker and than lock down the distributor. So now turn over the engine with the rear wheel and set the other set of points. Not done yet you should now recheck your gap to see that it hasn't changed and if it has reset it and than recheck the timming. Now your points are staticliy timmed, time to fine tune with a strobe, reset on each plug and recheck every thing again. After you taken it for a long ride good to check every thing again points tend to close with time running and heat. See why most people run Boyers? But it's real good fun to set points up and get them right if you think that this is too much try a tripple cylinder. norbsa

need help with setting timing.

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Ron L

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