This ones I need help on, OK, lets make sure that I know what I am talking about first, to advance the timming you turn the dist, clockwise, you get more power, retard is counterclockwise, right. When you advance it you have a better burn in the cyl becuse the plug fires sooner burning more gas. When you retard it the plug fires later burning less gas but reduces the chance of detonation, more retard is needed in NxO2 engines and turbo engines. I have neither. NxO2 maybe later though. IF you have it retarded to far, you are actully spitting unburnt fuel out the tailpipe, is that what causes my car to have a nasty sulfer smell after a good couple of hard runs. 0-6000 rpms full throttle wide open. It is worse under retard not so much when the ignition is advanced. If you have read this far thank you. Now for the difficult problem how much advance is too much. I can turn the shaft so far forward that the wires are stopping it from moving (v-6 module to coil wires) and I have no ping, I am in Canada and am useing 94octane Chevron Gas. Should I pull the shaft so that I can get more advance by moving it one tooth over, or should I pull the plug wires and move them all one notch over then just turn the shaft the other way, so that I have more travel (moving all the wires over one space is an old timers trick) I do not want to ruin a brand new cat, I am tired of having a gas smell from my motor and I want more bottom end. I hope that with all this info some of you motor wizards will be able to help me out. Confused, David *sorry if my spelling is way off*

Time the distributor to OEM spec. The Fiero ECM's do not like it if the distributor is off by more than a degree or 2. ECM controlled cars must be reprogramed to do what you want. If you are running so rich you smell it then you likely have other problems.

I get this smeel sometimes... Orge what could it be??

I'm not Ogre but, The smell is coming from the Catalytic converter. You more than likely still have the "OLD" bed type cat. The sulfer smell is a by product of an old cat, "I don't remember the chemistry stuff." Bed type cats are worse about this than newer three way cats. Good time to upgrade to a more envirofriendly and higher flowing cat! Ogre hit the points I'm fuzzy on! Did he write ORGE?

My Cat is a brand new Walker High Flow cat just had it installed 4 days ago. My old one was empty, and I do mean empty, there was nothing but a shell left in it.

Capt Fiero: I think you are turning the distributor in the wrong direction. The rotor is spinning clockwise. So, to advance the timing you want to turn the distributor counterclockwise, and to retard the timing turn it clockwise. To bring the timing to factory spec. and gain some more bottom end I think you need to go counterclockwise. A timing light makes things much more precise, but you could just keep going until it pings which will be between 6 and 12 degrees depending on gas octane and your motor.

Hope this helps,
See ya,
Dave
LIFE

I saw a short news blurb recently about how catalytic converters are actually worse for the environment than using no cat converter. Since then I have heard no follow up news on the subject. What gives? Personally every car I but the cat comes off immediately. Better mileage more power and better sound.