troym
Advanced Contributor
'97 5.7L, 2bbl mercarb, Thunderbolt V, Alpha-I (Gen II).
Went to check the base mode timing prior to setting the idle mixture and speed and discovered the timing mark tab missing. There aren't any signs of one ever being there. But it's not immposible that it was broken off and painted over, or may have never been there in the first place. The engine is a reman short block that was installed before I bought the boat. Lord only knows where the timing cover really came from. I never tinkered with the timing before this.
By rough Eye-ball method, the base timing looks to be close to where it ought to be. But with the information in the merc manual and existing condition I have, I really don't have any way to make sure it's right on. I went through the idle speed and mixture adjustment assuming the timing was right, but I couldn't keep the engine running below about 750rpm using a shop tach. My gut instinct is the base timing is off.
Question is: Should I replace the timing cover with one that has the timing reference marks, or is there any other way to get it dialed in?
Went to check the base mode timing prior to setting the idle mixture and speed and discovered the timing mark tab missing. There aren't any signs of one ever being there. But it's not immposible that it was broken off and painted over, or may have never been there in the first place. The engine is a reman short block that was installed before I bought the boat. Lord only knows where the timing cover really came from. I never tinkered with the timing before this.
By rough Eye-ball method, the base timing looks to be close to where it ought to be. But with the information in the merc manual and existing condition I have, I really don't have any way to make sure it's right on. I went through the idle speed and mixture adjustment assuming the timing was right, but I couldn't keep the engine running below about 750rpm using a shop tach. My gut instinct is the base timing is off.
Question is: Should I replace the timing cover with one that has the timing reference marks, or is there any other way to get it dialed in?