318 timing

[bubba_got_you]

318 timing
What should the timing on my 318 be? Can’t seem to find a chart or any info

[oldstuff]

318s are usually 3 to 5 deg. before TDC.

[W_A_Watson_II]

Different ignition modules will cause it to be different. My chrome Mopar Electronic is 35 degrees BTDC

[Lifer]

Are you sure about that, Will? Thirty-five degrees before TDC seems like an awful lot to me! I'm surprised that it fires at all with that much advance!

[Monkey Man]

I had problems setting up my timing due to a marked harmonic balancer making it impossible to read the notches, the simplest and most reliable method I have ever used is peaking the efficiency with a vacuum guage, simply slip it on where you have disconnected the vacuum advance from the distributor. I also cut a slot and made a cover in the rear cover on my firewall so I could loosen and tighten the distributor clamp without climbing over the engine with a custom bent spanner to get to the damn bolt...
There are some great articles on the net regarding peaking and tuning an engine with a vacuum guage, if you have multiple carburettors then I have found in my experience it is the best way to balance and check the tracking of these setups, a single Holley or Carter however is pretty simple to peak and it makes setting optimum timing a cinch.

Regards - MM

[W_A_Watson_II]

Lifer,

Yes, 35 Deg BTDC. I used my first Mopar Orange Box and Accell Super Coil back in 79/80 and was setting it at 8 Deg, and could not get the car to run. It would start but don't give it any throttle. After consulting the "Mopar Bible" in those days, I figured out I had to advance the timing to 35 Deg. Well, you couldn't get enough rotation out of the distributor with out the vacuum advance hitting the firewall, so I ended up moving the plu wires one hole,and once I hit the 35-40 Deg area she ran like a scalded ape.

On the M I used the Chrome Module and the instructions sate as below:

[Lifer]

Well, I guess ya learn something every day...even when yer an old fart like me! That's a good thing, of course, and beats the heck out of the alternative!