Well, I can add another merit badge to my chest.... I successfully Installed a timming chain on another vehicle (non-volvo, please don't castrate me yet) and in the process bought another toy, a timing light. My assortment of tools is slowly growing. With any new found toy you just have to use it on any thing you can. So I thought I would check the timing on my 84 245. First, the mark on the pully is not as defined as expected, and second, it doesn't even show up during the check. Can my timing be off by that much or what? Ran out of day light so I will finish tommorow.

Later,
Will

Yeah, it can be off this much. But probably isn't. Just put a big paint glob on the timing mark on the pulley and search around. For fun if you can't find the mark, just mark the original location of the dizzy and loosen the dizzy and slowly turn it back and forth i.e., clockwise and ccw and look for the mark on the pully.

Clean the pulley and touch up mark with white paint

Check other spark plug leads first. Could be that things are shifted 90-180 etc deg. If you turn the engine to 0 (no 1 at tdc) the distributer rotor should point to no 1. This should not effect the running of the engine

Other posibility is that the pulley has shifted on the base, check if no 1 cyl is in fact on tdc when marking is. Does not effect the running of the car, can only be fixed with new pulley.

Finally, depending on the engine management system there could be very little to adjust. You might find that the distributer has firmly rust in place with no movement possible.

Reg,

Jorn