UrQ's Head gasket progress

[Phil Payne]

> What I noticed -- none of the timing marks lined up!   Not the distributor
> rotor and corresponding mark, not cam wheel dimple and valve cover gasket and
> not the "O" on the flywheel.   I couldn't get 2 of the 3 to line up???   OK the
> 10 million dollar question, which way does the motor spin?   Standing at the
> front and looking at the engine it would appear that the engine spins
> clockwise.   If thats the case it would be my guess that the ignition is detonating
> before TDC as the dimple in the cam is one notch counter-clockwise from its mark
> when the distributor rotor is lined up with its mark...   Even so the flywheel
> mark is no where to be seen.   FWIW it also appears that someone put a white
> mark on the flywheel where the "O" is???   I checked through the old paper
> work and sure enough the timing belt and water pump where changed 7k ago.

The cam/distributor lineup is not that critical.  The engine is timed off the flywheel pegs -
the Hall sender in the distributor merely discriminates between TDC exhaust/induction and TDC
compression/power - so the ECU knows to fire on the latter.  Some ignition systems don't
bother and waste a spark on the former, too.  I think Harleys do that.

-- 
  Phil Payne
  http://www.isham-research.com
  +44 7785 302 803