I am having a problem getting the timing to 15* BTDC. I know that the crank and cam timing is aligned properly. But when I go to the ingnition timing with the jumper wire in place I can't get it to advance far enough. It will only go to 1*BTDC with the Dist. turn all the way counter-clockwise. Any suggestions? It starts and runs, but sluggish and no power.

 

are you using an adjustable timing light or a non-adjustable? if you're using a non-adjustable remember to mark the timing using the red slash and not the white cross. also make sure all accessories in the car are off and that the car is idling at the proper rpm (750 +- 50) or else timing will be off.

if that all checks out, then it MUST be crank or cam timing. it's very easy to get the cam sprockets a tooth off from the crank.

 

I am using a timing advance light that I use to use in my circle track racing days. You set the degree you want on the light and line the mark up with the other mark. I don't know how the cam and crank can be off. Not only did I line up the marks on the fly wheel, I also stuck a screw driver in the #1 cylinder and made sure the piston was at the very top of its stroke. The cams line up easily with the marks. I notice tonight that the light was not constant like it should be, so I tried it on my truck and it worked properly. Can the distributor slowly go bad or am I missing something?

 

With the adjustable timing gun, just set where you want it and it should be lined up with the white mark. Non-adjustable you have to line up with the red mark (15 degrees).

And you're tapping into the #1 cylinder plug wire, correct? Make sure it's not resting near the other wires, it might be picking up some interference.

 

If your working on a 5th gen the ignition timing is controlled by the ECU. Rotating the distributor only works on OBDI.

 

Hey guys, sorry to thread jack but I may have a similar problem.

I rebuilt my cylinder head a while back cause it was having problems, but I didn't check the timing of the distributor. I know for a fact that everything else (crank and cam) are timed correctly. It seems to run just fine except for a loss of power in the low rpm ranges. Could this be because of the dizzy timing?

I noticed that running 89 octane instead of 87 helped a little with the "jerky" acceleration during WOT. Also, It is a 95 accord.. and I think that uses OBDII.. i think.