Need to know the factory timing settings for my 86gt 4speed. Alldata is pointing at what id assume 10° but it doesn't seem right car idles at ~900 rpm (finally) and I timed it to the 10° she runs but I can tell she's not happy till she hits ~3500 rpm than she flies with good acceleration. So if someone would give me a quick rundown on the timing procedure on this special car of mine it'd be very helpful. Im also running an msd coil and msd multispark 6 btm part number 6462 installed. If that makes a difference let me know thanks.

the catalyst sticker wants 10 degrees before TDC averaged between cyl 1 and cyl 4. put timing gun on cyl 1 set at 10deg. put light on cyl 4. note the position of timing mark. find a middle ground.

So since I got cyl 1 timed at 10° I now need to put the light on cyl 4 and meet in the middle of the 2?

see where the timing mark hits with the light hooked to fire off cyl 4.
note: after you time the engine to cyl #1
if its at 10 your golden. but say its at 8 so youd turn the dist to say where 9 would be. then check timing with cyl #1

in other words. find a middle ground between cyl #1 and #4

I have a similar problem to yours in a nearby thread, although it seems like mine is probably running worst lol. I am curious, do you have the new style star distributor?

I agree that the timing is 10 degrees. Off the top of my head I think it is the first VALLEY coming up clockwise (\/\/\/\/ ===> \ 12 / 10 \ 8 / 6 \ 4 /).

Also, I read in an older thread that instead of finding an average between 1 and 4 plugs, you can improve accuracy by connecting the timing gun to the coil wire to get all the signals at one time. It seems to work for me... although my 86 still isn't running right lol

Here are a couple threads I have bookmarked that might help you:

https://www.fiero.nl/forum/A...110502-2-101040.html

https://www.fiero.nl/forum/A...060811-2-071326.html

https://www.fiero.nl/forum/A...090907-2-092078.html (the hole in cap is a great easy reference tool btw)

Alright im gonna go give it a try and see how she likes it thanks guys

[This message has been edited by MeAndMyFi (edited 05-20-2011).]

Did you remember to ground the diagnostic terminal at the ALDL while setting the timing?

If so, then the outer ring on the damper that has the timing mark on it may have slipped on the hub and is giving you a false sense of where TDC really is. It's a common problem on original dampers given the age of the rubber that keeps the inner and outer pieces locked together.

True on the dampener but I did ground the ALDL I will check on the dampener and see if its out of wack

Don;t assume the coil is good, I had a crappy idle, and misses at lower rpms on my GT, I for the heck of it grabbed another used coil from another car, and just plugged it in, not bothering with the bolts and it ran tons better immediately. The connections were good and greased so I think the 25 year old coil was acting up, my car was also cutting out occasionaly on the road also.

I think the weak coil also made my cap and rotor corrode up. I had to clean it every month.

Having good wires, strong coil and good distributor cap and rotor makes a huge difference, however, my car liked 11* best.
Arn

quote Originally posted by 02greens10: Don;t assume the coil is good, I had a crappy idle, and misses at lower rpms on my GT, I for the heck of it grabbed another used coil from another car, and just plugged it in, not bothering with the bolts and it ran tons better immediately. The connections were good and greased so I think the 25 year old coil was acting up, my car was also cutting out occasionaly on the road also. I think the weak coil also made my cap and rotor corrode up. I had to clean it every month.

That's what im going to do is replace the coil it looks fairly new msd coil but it sat 2 years before I bought the car and was funny running it

Resurrect this golden oldie for an answer please. I have the EXACT same issue with my 87gt getrag. tested every single new part on my other 87gt auto and it purrs like a kitten and pulls hard as it should. No vac leaks, no codes, no nothing on either car. Everything is new and tested IAC, TPS, cap,plugs wires, everything. I have a lack of pull under about 3500 rpm. Not big lack, it just aint right. low end is just ehh and I know how a gt is supposed to pull. Moved from 10 deg to 8 today and changed nothing. Identical. compression is awesome, oil pressure rocks, as does fuel pressure. No vac leaks, everything works.

Well i found the problem was how the previous owner had the ignition setup. The msd "blaster" coil and the multi spark module was the problem i was having. The coil and module was fine but on the stock motor it ran like crap. Removed it put a bdand new msd coil and it ran perfect. No problems once it was installed and there was other issues with the car prior to me getting to that problem and after which lead me to replacing a whole bunch of parts only to find the motor had a turbo installed on the 2.8 and which he did not tell me and swapped everything out before me purchasing it. Basically i replaced alot of sensors because the old ones were shot probably from sitting. Sadly the motor gave up the ghost about 10k miles after purchasing it and has since found a new owner who lives in northern PA who was going to do a 4.9 swap. Sad to see 88,001 miles on the car before selling it for $500. Sadly i cannot really say what your problem might be.