[Vwdiesel] hillbilly tuning

[Sandy Cameron]

Well, a beautifull sunny day here in Disneyland-on-the-Rideau.

Thought I would get at the car I got last fall for my son.
You may remember it's the one with the flywheel about 60* off from TDC.
I guess the hammer mechanic responsible for that gaffe also did not
understand diesel timing either.

I had noted last fall that it seemed to be seriously advanced. Cold starts
were achieved in winter without pulling out the knob, and if the knob was
pulled out, it would not start at all.
It also made an awfull racket running that got worse if the knob was pulled out.

Soooo.... I popped off the belt cover today, loosened the bolts (yes, I
remembered the rear one), and rotated it forward (retard) a couple of pencil
marks. It sounded sooo much better.
I did it again, and it is better still, at least 4 pencil marks, doesn't
nail at all now at idle.Just a soft gentle knock, quieter than the V8
pickups around here. I may have gone slightly too far, will try a cold start
tomorrow and see how quickly it picks up. But it sure sounds nice.

I have only one question:
       Assuming adequate ignition, is there any advantage to running a bit
retarded timing?

Sandy