Ignition Timing Adjustment Mark on Crank Pulley

[sebas-1024]

Hello,

My car has a pretty bad idle when in Drive, it vibrates a lot and the steering wheel is hard to turn, so I decided to rule out bad ignition timing.

I believe I understand the process for adjusting it, the only thing I'm missing is the actual mark on the crank pulley, I understand that a mark in the pulley needs to line up with the 5º BTDC line when the timing light flashes (Figure 1), but for some reason I couldn't find it, it would help a lot to get a real picture of that particular mark. Thanks in advance for any help!

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Figure 1. Timing light and crank pulley

 

[curt-s]

You might have just lost the little white mark. There's an indentation; feel free to paint it white again to show up under a timing light.

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[DSMPT]

Set cylinder #1 at TDC in compression stroke and double check if the mechanical valve timing, CAS dot/notch, crank pulley dowel pin/notch position are set correctly.

 

[steve]

Set cylinder #1 at TDC in compression stroke and double check if the mechanical valve timing, CAS dot/notch, crank pulley dowel pin/notch position are set correctly.

+1
Because it's very common for this pulley to split between the inner and outer rings which can cause the timing mark to be off.

 

[sebas-1024]

You might have just lost the little white mark. There's an indentation; feel free to paint it white again to show up under a timing light.

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Ok, will look for those, hope they're still on the pulley, I saw some bits missing along the edges of it. Thanks!

+1
Because it's very common for this pulley to split between the inner and outer rings which can cause the timing mark to be off.

So even if I find the marks, they might not be reliable because the outer part of the pulley (which has the notches) might be spinning independently from the center of the pulley?

Also, I've never messed with the actual mechanical timing of the car, so if the rings are actually split, what do you use as a guide when adjusting ignition timing?

Sorry for asking a bunch of questions, I just wasn't prepared for DSMPT's suggestion.

 

[Justin DuBois]

So even if I find the marks, they might not be reliable because the outer part of the pulley (which has the notches) might be spinning independently from the center of the pulley?

Yes

Also, I've never messed with the actual mechanical timing of the car, so if the rings are actually split, what do you use as a guide when adjusting ignition timing?

You have to replace the Pulley. After the rubber has separated - its broken - and dangerous to leave on a running engine.

Sorry for asking a bunch of questions, I just wasn't prepared for DSMPT's suggestion.

This is a good one - there are no bad questions

 

[sebas-1024]

Yes

You have to replace the Pulley. After the rubber has separated - its broken - and dangerous to leave on a running engine.

This is a good one - there are no bad questions

Ok, if broken it should be replaced, got it. But if it's in one piece then should I be able to trust it for the ignition timing adjustment, or could it be off in that case as well?

 

[Justin DuBois]

Ok, if broken it should be replaced, got it. But if it's in one piece then should I be able to trust it for the ignition timing adjustment, or could it be off in that case as well?

You can trust it, or you can prove it. I prefer to prove it and then trust it.
A solid part with an alignment pin should be correct to the crank. You can prove this by using another reference, like a look down through the spark plug hole to see the top of the piston.
If you don’t have the timing covers on, you can look at the TDC mark on the front cover (oil pump) and align the crank using the mark on the balance shaft crank sprocket.