car wont idle. just dies.. how do you set timing by yourself?

[Kevin]

so i put everything back together after hg. car starts and runs as long as i keep the rpms up.. but when i let go of the gas.. it just dies.. and i am supposed to wait and let it warm up then use a timing light and adjust the cps till the crank is at 10*... how does one do this alone? lol my car wont idle so i cant do it?

heres a vid off my cell phone so sorry for bad quality

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgWeNc3T-8s

[Tbredd7]

first of all I thought a heard a rod knock and I would worry about that before anything else. unless you just want to buy a brand new engine

[Bill UK]

Don’t worry Kevin your nearly there mate, No offence Tbredd7 but I can't see how anyone could distinguish between rod knock with the engine misfiring as it is. Your probably blowing a lot of black smoke out the exhaust, which is unburnt fuel, completely normal when the timing is out. If you can get someone to keep the engine running whist you turn the CPS slightly in either direction you should be able to get it ticking over to check the timing with a strobe light, worth a try before checking anything else.

[Kevin]

Thanks bill. Its definately not a rod knock.. its just real bad quality cuz it was taken off my phone.

so if i get someone to keep the car going. is there any optimal rpm they should stay at? and should they keep it as steady as possible.
ya i have a timing light i'll check it out.

[btwilson86]

Ok, timing....

With the upper timing cover off, verify that when your engine is at TDC, both cam timing marks (yellow marks) line up with the marks on the plate behind them (raised lines that go straight up). These will line up every other time.

Once everything is aligned, remove your cam position sensor. At the end of the shaft of the cps, there is a little gear that can spin freely. On this gear is a little dimple (kind of looks like a rivet), line that up with the notch on the cps shaft (it's a little cut out in the teeth next to that gear). Being careful not to bump the cps out of alignment, install it back in the motor (keep in mind your engine should still be at TDC with the cam timing marks straight up).

You should be able to easily run the car at idle now (provided you only have a timing problem). Let it idle up to operating temp. Turn the car off.

In the diagnostic box, put a jumper wire between terminals TE1 and E1 (like checking a engine code). Connect an inductive timing light to the number 6 (not 1) coil wire, and the power leads to the battery. Start the car.

Shine the flashing timing light at the crank timing numbers. You should only be seeing the notch on the crank pulley line up with the 10 mark. If not, loosen and slowly rotate the cps (with the engine running) until they line up. Once set, and with the engine running, pull the jumper wire from the diagnostic box. Your timing should advance to at least 12 degrees BTDC. If so, turn the car off and tighten the cps down. Remove the timing light.

You're done! Timing is easy on these cars for 1 person to do. The only time it may be annoying is if you have to shif the cps at all. Having another set of eyes would be great for that part, but not needed.

Hope this little write-up helps you out.

[Kevin]

hey arent wire 1 and 6 the same anyway? does it matter which one i hook up?

also.. i did that.. lined up both cam to tdc and the crank at 0*
then made the cps look like this

(photo curtousy of saeff from sm)

[btwilson86]

That's what I thought, but the TSRM says to use no. 6 so I figure that'd be the best route.

I never aligned the cps with the cover off, used the marks on the shaft everytime I did it. Looks like that should be the correct position though.

[Kevin]

there's marks on the shaft? lol

so what marks do you use? maybe this would be better?

[btwilson86]

Yeah, the little rivet looking pin on the gear is supposed to be in line with the notch in the teeth right next to it. Check this out: TSRM

[Kevin]

ok i'm looking at my cps right now and there's 2 rivets lol which one???