Hi Folks,

I've got a '63 544 with a B18D and it oddly has a 240 distributor on it. I'm having some trouble figuring out my timing and was wondering if anyone has access to the advance curve for this particular dizzy or any information on it.

I'm looking for what the timing is supposed to be at idle vacuum disconnected.

The dizzy is a BOSCH 0231170085

Hi Tommy,



Refer above - The Bosch 0 231 170 085 dizzy was used in B20A engine in the above cars.




Refer above - Timing setting for B20A engine with vacuum disconnected using 0 231 170 085 dizzy. Your B18 also have same baseline settings as B20A but using different dizzy which wasn't 0 231 170 085. No ignition advance curve was given in the literature of those years. B18=1.8litre, B20=2.0litre so I guess it makes sense different dizzy was used.


Amarin.

This appears to be really helpful. I wonder how close these settings could be with a B18D+ K cam...

Refer above - Ignition setting for B18D. There are 3 variations of B18D engine - B18D Type 1 uses A camshaft, B18D type 2 and 3 uses B camshaft. I think your K camshaft was an upgrade.

A-kam Lift: 10.5, Duration: 260
B-kam Lift: 10.6, Duration: n/a
K-kam Lift: 11.95, Duration: 268


The Bosch 0231170085 dizzy is a vacuum retard type. Also the original dizzy that comes with B18D. So the ignition has to be set (without vacuum) at a fairly advanced timing (22-24 BDTC) so that when vacuum is re-applied timing comes back to normal ie. being retarded to maybe 10-12 BDTC. And the plug still fires before piston reaches the top. A vacuum retard dizzy is usually connected to vacuum port on intake manifold. Whereas a vacuum advance dizzy is connected to vacuum port on carb (this setup on different engine).

In case you're wondering, I'm still doing maintenance on wifey's 3-cylinder 1997 Daihatsu with carb. Her first car. Didn't want to sell it off. As expected, the original Denso dizzy had worn out and replaced with 3rd party manufactured item. Hard to get original these days. The Denso had both advance and retard diaphragm. 3rd party quality not the same with original. So I had to play around with the timing.

Amarin.

Using the 085 Distributor is a common upgrade when you use either K or D cam and 2 SU carbs. But then you will not connect vacuum advance/retard, this has worked pretty fine with me.
regards Michael

Hi,

Just a thought, on my part, so don't take it to heart or to a bank!

I think you are getting all worked up over pretty much of nothing.
I mean, when it comes down to making the engine run correctly you are going to watch the burn deposits on the spark plugs and the color of the insulator's nose.
Using a vacuum gauge will also tell you a few things about what the cam is doing with the air.
Today you can use emission meters and dial your engine in better than it was originally.

The difference between the one year to the next for the distributor is a degree of change here or there. Sometimes it could be a change or was it not changed at all. Maybe it was a rotor or cap, a lower shaft bushing modification or a seal design.
The production on one over another can change on the "whim" of how many more engines will this modification fit other engines.

A change in spring tension or the amount of weight that's swinging about is what they were playing with when you are talking curves.
The whole the thing about mechanical mechanisms was the limitations it presented to the dynamics of the breathing and burning of the engine to begin with.
The following years of better fuel management has proven this to be true.

Again study the engines telling signs and adjust accordingly with a distributor machine.
That all the laboratory guys did to begin with and are still doing to try to keep the internal combustion engine alive all these years!

Unless you are one of those lab guys or a racing dude, I don't know how you are going to tell the differences.
If it starts hard, detonates enough to cause hearing damage or burns holes in Pistons the distributor is going to be one of you lesser problems.

So let's see what you end up with or doing. I very curious! (:)

Phil

See my long post in your "bad gas mileage" thread. You have some misconceptions regarding the 1975 electronic ignition system. -- Dave

I think one of the latest posts in this thread feels it's from a 1974, 1975.

the green book for 76 up ignition has the curves in it. if it's a 75 dist., the you need the big green book that's 75 only w/everything.

PDFs for the 75 Green Books in this list of downloadable files
TP 10892-1 [se] B20 Kjet.pdf
TP 11050 1 1975 240 Section 1 Servicing and Maintenance.pdf
TP 11050 1 1975 240 Section 2 Engine.pdf
TP 11050 1 1975 240 Section 3 Electrical System.pdf
TP 11050 1 1975 240 Section 4 Transmission, Rear Axle.pdf
TP 11050 1 1975 240 Section 6 Front End and Steering Gear.pdf
TP 11050-1 1975 240 Section 5 Brakes.pdf

OZ Volvo Tech Archive

https://ozvolvo.org/archive/

Amazing resource! Unfortunately I'm learning this dizzy was used in a 1974 and not 1975.

CB, that’s a nice repository of Volvo documentation.

Hi,

In my younger days if and when I needed information like that, I looked for books printed specifically for automobile mechanics. Not your parts store manuals that reference you to go to the dealer.

There were two titles that come to mind.
MOTORS and MITCHELL'S car manuals. They are printed for a short span of car year models in each book. They are broken down into sections for each manufacturers special way of making their stuff their way.
They also printed them for just foreign cars in the same way.
Local Libraries may have them or will get them from each other in their system.
You might even get a microfiche copy nowadays from their archives.
Some libraries have car data programs available.

With any of these sources you should be able to look up the distributors complete specifications.
There are some old distributor testing machines in auto electric rebuild shops to scrounge through.
I can't remember a name of the makers of those testing machines.
If you can find a nice friendly auto electrical shop they should have those sitting around and inside them they will also have books or charts with distributor data.

1964 engines were probably using points and condensers with mechanical advances beneath the breaker plates. These are used to retard the spark automatically upon being shut off.
At certain RPM's the weights swing out to a preset spark advance.
The vacuum diaphragm moved the breaker plate for more or less advance under sensed loads.

It would be nice to know what your present 240 distributor has in it or not?
I have often pondered all the fuss about distributor being made in so many flavors!
What is the issue when:
Engine all turn at the same speed and the electricity they use to spark the plugs does the same thing.
I mean how many different ways can you "time" the burning flame front in A combustion chamber to make that much of a significant difference?
But it's just a "paper chase game" to have created all this chaos to begin with, IMHO!

Good luck in your hunting!

Phil