Setting Timing On My Own?

[Daboss]

Hey forum just need a few questions answered about timing. Ok Have a 95 r33 gtst and I am thinking of changing the poncams and the cam gears what I am wondering is how do I go about setting the timing myself already looked in the tutorials and used the search function just that there a a few minor details I need answers to.

1) When you are attaching the timing light to the first cylinder you have to take the coilpack off right, so how does it fire to make the cylinder move. Where exactly do you attach that part of the light to the spark itself or the wires in the coilpack loom and when doing this is there a tool u need to attach the spark to the now removed coilpack?

2) You have to remove the gear cover to expose the belt and shine the light on it right, and when you do that what exactly are you reading or looking for?

3)How do you retard or advance it, the car is in neutral and off then you do what turn the cam gear to a certain degree that is marked on it by way of any ordinary tool or is it more to it than that?

4)Also the tomei poncams are just a drop in or bolt in application right or do u have to adjust these too?

Just a few things I want to know before I invest in these items cause I think the mechanic is competent enuff to put the items in but I don't kno if he can set the timing and I wanted to be able to do adjust it a little on my own if I don't like the way the car responds after the upgrades. All help is appreciated thanks. Oh yeah I live in the Bahamas where we have no tuners so I have to learn it all on my own so thats why I want t o know how to adjust the timing.

[wrxhoon]

Hey forum just need a few questions answered about timing. Ok Have a 95 r33 gtst and I am thinking of changing the poncams and the cam gears what I am wondering is how do I go about setting the timing myself already looked in the tutorials and used the search function just that there a a few minor details I need answers to.

1) When you are attaching the timing light to the first cylinder you have to take the coilpack off right, so how does it fire to make the cylinder move. Where exactly do you attach that part of the light to the spark itself or the wires in the coilpack loom and when doing this is there a tool u need to attach the spark to the now removed coilpack?

2) You have to remove the gear cover to expose the belt and shine the light on it right, and when you do that what exactly are you reading or looking for?

3)How do you retard or advance it, the car is in neutral and off then you do what turn the cam gear to a certain degree that is marked on it by way of any ordinary tool or is it more to it than that?

4)Also the tomei poncams are just a drop in or bolt in application right or do u have to adjust these too?

Just a few things I want to know before I invest in these items cause I think the mechanic is competent enuff to put the items in but I don't kno if he can set the timing and I wanted to be able to do adjust it a little on my own if I don't like the way the car responds after the upgrades. All help is appreciated thanks. Oh yeah I live in the Bahamas where we have no tuners so I have to learn it all on my own so thats why I want t o know how to adjust the timing.

By the sound of it, in my opinion, you are not up to the task so get someone that knows what they are doing, otherwise you will stuff up big time and it will and up costing you lots more . You are confusing valve timing with ignition timing, you don't need to take any cover off to check ignition timing.

The ignition timing is easy enough to do but you will stuff up with the valve timing and may end up with a few bent valves ...

If you still insist of doing it get hold of a workshop manual and read up before you do it .

[Daboss]

By the sound of it, in my opinion, you are not up to the task so get someone that knows what they are doing, otherwise you will stuff up big time and it will and up costing you lots more . You are confusing valve timing with ignition timing, you don't need to take any cover off to check ignition timing.

The ignition timing is easy enough to do but you will stuff up with the valve timing and may end up with a few bent valves ...

If you still insist of doing it get hold of a workshop manual and read up before you do it .

True enuff. I just wanted to know if it was a fairly medium technical level tune. Ok which do u tune with the cam gears?

[Simon-S14]

you need to first set the base timing and then you adjust the cam timing with the gears, As states this is not a job for beginners... it almost always needs to be done on a dyno so you can see where your gains/losses are

[wrxhoon]

True enuff. I just wanted to know if it was a fairly medium technical level tune. Ok which do u tune with the cam gears?

Cam gears ajust valve timing ( if you have ajustable gears ). When you replace the cam belt these have to be timed with the cranc gear that drives the belt that turns the cam gears. This is the part that i think you are not up to and if you make a mistake you may stuff your cyl head . The ignition timing part you are talking about, the one you use the timing light , you should be able to learn how to check and set but you need a timing light and its done by turning the CAS .