Stupid Civic

97 Civic LX
D16y7 manual transmission
170000 miles

I put a new timing belt on about 2 months ago. When installing it, I swear I double and triple checked to make sure that the cam marks were aligned and that the mark on the crank gear and block were all aligned. But when I set the distributor timing, I have the dizzy all the way towards the front of the car (advanced I believe?) but I can only get it up to 10 degrees. The car runs fine, a little lag in the lower rpm, but it's pinging a little. I think my cam phasing is off by a tooth, but which way?? I was going to just loosen the idler pulley, mark the cam gear and belt, and slip it off the cam gear and move the belt over 1 tooth. But which way do I move the belt on the cam gear?? I've put about 3500 miles on it like this and my gas mileage is really just as good as before, but the pinging concerns me, and since 10 degrees is within the +/-2degree threshold I figure it can't do too much damage to run it like this?

apexi_rsx

if the dizzy is all the way toward the front of the car u need to turn the cam toward the front of the car as well . so if the distributor is all the way to turned toward the front of the car and the bolt is maxed out toward the back of the adjustment slide(firewall side) this is retarded timing. u will be advancing the cam to get it back and vise versa if the distributor is turned the other way. so if the distributor was turned all the way toward the front of the car then you will turn the cam toward the front of the car. set timing again with the service connector jumped.

Stupid Civic

Ok, so to advance the cam do I move the belt 1 tooth towards the firewall side so as to advance the cam gear in relation to the crank gear?

apexi_rsx

so if you loosened your distributor and tried to turn it . which way wont it turn toward anymore? if u cant turn it toward the front of the car the distributor timing is retarded all the way. then yes u need to turn ur mechanical timing back toward the firewall a tooth. u can go about 2-3 teeth either way and not cause any valve damage. if u were 90-180* out in cam timing u can cause some bent valves. you have a lot of room to play.

Stupid Civic

Ok, that makes sense. Also I looked at the distributor today and I was wrong, it is turned all the way towards the firewall, not the front of the car. So it must be fully advanced, while the cam timing is advanced by a tooth, correct? In this case you're saying I need to move the belt 1 tooth towards the front of the car then, which would retard the camshaft by 1 tooth?

apexi_rsx

correct. being that your hearing a pinging noise that would mean your timing is advanced severally. so pull it off and retard the cam timing a tooth(turn it toward the front of the car)