Hello, I just finished a head gasket & timing belt job on my 2000 ex with a d16y8. It ran good aside from a lack of power when accelerating so I got my timing light and found that the timing marks on the engine lined up with the TDC mark instead of the 3 timing marks on the crank pulley with the light set to 12°.

With the engine at temp and idling at ±650 rpm I jumped the service connector and advanced the distributor all the way. The 3 timing marks are much closer, and it runs better, but they're still a few degrees counter-clockwise of the marks on the engine. While all the mechanical timing marks line up very closely to the naked eye, I suspect that my timing belt is off a tooth.

My question is, does the cam need to be turned clockwise or counter-clockwise 1 tooth to further advance the ignition to 12 degrees?

 

Your gun should be set at 0 degrees when adjusting the ignition timing

 

Doh. Thank you.

 

If your timing light has buttons or a dial to set ignition advance to a specified value, then you would shoot for the TDC (single white mark) with the timing light set at 12'. If you keep the timing light set to ZERO degrees advance, you would aim for the three marks close together which are typically two degrees apart. When viewed from above, and rotating the crankshaft counter-clockwise, you will encounter the 18, 16, and 14' markings (three close together and originally red on the middle 16' mark) and then the lone white TDC mark.