LUVTruck.com

Hello.

Just curious what other people are using for their ignition timing? I currently have mine set at about 9-10 degrees initial. I realize stock calls for 6 degrees... just I have no pinging at all, and the truck has more power with the timing bumped up. I said 9-10 degrees because I was trying to see the timing marks when it was sunny outside, could not see 100% accurately.

I have some after market parts: weber 32/36, pacesetter header, magnaflow muffler, pertronix points eliminator, .010 has been taken off the head, and the factory intake manifold has been ported a little bit at the base of the carb. Have about 20k on motor as well, lots of oil pressure.

I had the timing at 8 degrees, just nudged it up a bit the other day, and like I said the truck is running better. I do always use Redline SI-1 fuel systems cleaner, which does lower the octane requirement a little. This is not the first vehicle I have advanced the timing on, had a 1985 BMW 318i that I ran the initial timing at 12-14 degrees. Stock was 10 degrees. That car got 33-35 mpg on the highway after adjustements, was only suppose to get 30mpg on its best day. The engine never got hot, never any ignition pinging. I also had a pacesetter header on it and a better exhaust.

I can hear newer fuel injected vehicles ping, and mechanics say that is normal now. I know they have newer designed engines and all. I guess a dyno would be the best way to test... just curious what you all think.

Thanks!

With the low comp ratio (even with .010 milled off) a couple degrees of timing isn't gonna hurt anything I messed with mine from 8-10* when I still had the 4 banger and it never pinged. These are very stout engines would.be hard to hurt one with the timing being off, only way to really know for sure would be to check your egt's but for 3* there isn't much of a point in spending the money
I would think that gas today is a little more predicatble and stable than I was in the 70s so a couple degrees over stock shouldn't hurt anything. These are fun little engines to tinker with. Will never see wild HP without some boost but any bump in power over the stock 80hp is always nice!
Shoot man go and look up ozgemini.com its an Australian forum for the Isuzu/Holden gemini. Pretty much a car with the 1.6l version of our engine and some of those guys make some respectable HP turbo and n/a. The hp record for the 1.8 which is best suited.to boost (displacement and block thickness between cylinders 2 & 3) is in the mid 600s I wanna say right over 650 and it is QUICK. Google "gem racing" his car is intense but doesn't look like much! Its the maroon-ish one but the goldish one has a similar setup

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Luvless
1980 Mikado-Sold.

1993 Lexus SC400 my Daily
2004 Yamaha WR250F my new love in life
2016 Toyota Camry my girls ride

Advance until it starts to ping under load, then back it off until it stops. Then back it off just a bit more as a safety factor. Write it down.
It's been years since I even checked mine, but I think I set it at 12.

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'78 Chevy LUV,1.9,4sp,headers,31's,SAS Dana 30,Dana 20,SOA rear w/Aussie Locker, rough body, bought new 12/4/78.
'87 Trooper,2.3,5sp,headers,31's,ball joint flip & spacer,Aussie Locker rear,Superwinch hubs,brush guard w/5.5K winch,more to come.

Alright good to hear. I am going to play with the timing more on my next days off. Just trying to get the best gas mileage and power out of the engine. The truck runs great with all the upgrades I have done so far. I would like to do some head work and get a cam, just not right now it is camping season.

Yep I have been on that australian website. There is also a really nice exhaust manifold made in OZ for the 1.8's, meant for a turbo. Even a kit to run it straight to a weber carb. That would be nice to do someday... that is a lot of money though. I am happy with it being NA for now. If I had the money though.

Thx guys!

My first LUV had the timing set at 14 degrees. That was on socal gas which is much better than here in the northwest. I am currently running around 12 I think and it runs great.

Yeah the gem racing manifolds are really nice. Isuzu impulse turbo manifolds also fit the g series engines

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Luvless
1980 Mikado-Sold.

1993 Lexus SC400 my Daily
2004 Yamaha WR250F my new love in life
2016 Toyota Camry my girls ride

Are you guys running 12 with the vacuum connected or disconnected while you set it?

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1979 4wd Mikado. G200, Gemini 250 Turbo, Clive Cam, Offenhouser Intake, JE Pistons, maXspeeding Forged Rods, Blow Thru Weber, Trooper 5spd, Intercooled

Set the initial timing with a light with the distributor vacuum disconnected & plugged. Factory initial advance on a smog legal engine is about 6 degrees, it runs leaner than a de-smogged engine so you can't run as much initial advance. My engine is completely stripped, it can stand about 12 degrees initial before it starts to ping under load. When you reconnect the vacuum the timing will advance several degrees, that's what a vacuum advance does. Seems like total advance is about 26 degrees.

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'78 Chevy LUV,1.9,4sp,headers,31's,SAS Dana 30,Dana 20,SOA rear w/Aussie Locker, rough body, bought new 12/4/78.
'87 Trooper,2.3,5sp,headers,31's,ball joint flip & spacer,Aussie Locker rear,Superwinch hubs,brush guard w/5.5K winch,more to come.

I left the vacuum line on and set it at 12 degrees the other day. I know, suppose to remove the vacuum line. However, when I do there is no change in the timing with the light. I have a nice timing light, a good digital one that I can adjust the advance and retard on. I may bump it up to 14 degrees and see how it runs. I still have not heard it ping yet.

So far at 12 degrees it runs great. I do use 89 octane fuel as well, in Oregon we are now using fuel with 10% ethanol.

Next step, new head with bigger valves and a cam.

With vacuum lines hooked up normal (stock) there is no vacuum advance at idle. It advances when you open the throttle a bit like when you are cruising. Vacuum advance unit is strickly an economy device only.

You guys got me thinking yesterday when i was reading this, i pulled my distro apart and found that the points plate w/the bearing in it was sticky causing my timing to jerk around with the vacuum advance. so i tore it apart, cleaned it, lubed it up and put it back in. It was still surging like crazy under load. so i checked the mechanical advance and found it was working well so i left the vacuum un hooked and set the base timing at 10 and the mechanical is advancing to around 25ish(im guessing) so i took it out and drove it. Best performance i have gotten out of the truck hands down.