When Setting The Timing And All Else Fails, Read The Manual, But I Don't Have One | FerrariChat

When Setting The Timing And All Else Fails, Read The Manual, But I Don't Have One

Discussion in 'Technical Q&A' started by donaldh2o, Dec 7, 2003.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

  1. donaldh2o

    donaldh2o Karting

    Nov 10, 2003
    143
    Irvine CA
    Full Name:
    Don
    My '76 308 Workshop Manual says to set the timing on the car:

    "Turn the crankshaft in the working direction until reference mark +6' on the flywheel corresponding to cylinder bank 1/4 will line up with fixed index on the clutch bell and clylinder 1 is in the compression stroke."

    That's Italenglish for: "Reinstall the distributor for the 1/4 bank using +6' for TDC."

    Problem is my car has been "Euroized," and my Workshop Manual is for the U.S. version. The flywheel on my car is marked 3', TDC, 7', and 37', in that order. I'm assuming that 7' becomes TDC (static setting) for installing the distributors.

    Does anyone know if and where the pages of the Euro Workshop Manual describing the timing and distributors are online so I can download them? I think those are the only differences between the U.S. and the Euro manual.

    The car has single points and using my brand new whizbang, super deluxe benchtop distributor dwell tester, I'm able to set the point dwell exactly at 39'. The tester, designed specifically for testing Ferrari distributors, allows me to adjust and lock the point dwell while the distributor is spinning, a great improvement over other testers.
     
  2. Steve Magnusson

    Steve Magnusson Two Time F1 World Champ
    Lifetime Rossa

    Jan 11, 2001
    25,039
    30°30'40" N 97°35'41" W (Texas)
    Full Name:
    Steve Magnusson
    Do you have the print no. (XXX/YY) for your "'76 308 Workshop Manual"? IME the WSM may not correspond with later years of the same F model, and the OM for your exact year/version is a better source of ignition and fuel system specifications (and the only "308" WSM I know of is from 1973).

    Your flywheel markings (3 deg ATDC, TDC, 7 deg BTDC, 37 deg BTDC) correspond to a later R1/R2 point US 308.

    TDC ("PM") is TDC regardless of the other flywheel markings so your words are a little mixed up, but bottom line is at 1000 RPM idle you'd set your single US point system to the be firing cyl #1 at the "straight bar" mark near the 7 deg BTDC label when idling (for a stock-ish US single point set-up).
     
  3. donaldh2o

    donaldh2o Karting

    Nov 10, 2003
    143
    Irvine CA
    Full Name:
    Don
    TDC ("PM") is TDC regardless of the other flywheel markings so your words are a little mixed up, but bottom line is at 1000 RPM idle you'd set your single US point system to the be firing cyl #1 at the "straight bar" mark near the 7 deg BTDC label when idling (for a stock-ish US single point set-up).

    Don't think my words are a little mixed up. The general assumption is that all distributors are installed using TDC as the starting point, then setting the advance by turning the distributors. Apparently not so, in the 308. The manual (U.S. version) specifically says to install the distributors using +6' as TDC. (See original post)

    I think the TDC (PM) marks on the flywheel are more pertinent to installing the cams and valves than installing the distributors.

    Thanks for the info that the "3' TDC 7' 37'" flywheel is for a later U.S. R1/R2 setup. I'll have check my service records. Maybe when I had the Euro cams installed, the Ferrari shop also installed the single points. Hmm??
     
  4. Ken

    Ken F1 World Champ

    Oct 19, 2001
    16,078
    Arlington Heights IL
    Full Name:
    Kenneth
     

Share This Page