getting base ignition timing on v6

cheers again all....so I'm putting this thing back together, need to figure out how to time the distributor? I have engine at TDC #1, so should I just eyeball the rotor to the cylinder #1 wire on the cap# will that get me close enough? how will I know if I have enough adjustment in either direction?

quote Originally posted by dgsmooth: I have engine at TDC #1...

Just make sure you're at TDC #1 on the compression stroke.

Since it's a 3.4 swap, be sure you don't have a 3.4 harmonic balancer on it. Timing marks on the 2.8 should be positioned on your timing mark when at #1 TDC.

Once you have the engine broken in, you can fine tune the car by using the averaging method of cylinders 1 and 4, and with the ECM jumpered.

To give yourself a head-start, you can turn the engine to 10° BTDC, then set the distributer to cylinder #1. That should "dial in" 10 degrees of timing advance, from the get-go.

To make sure I had it lined up, I would use a marker to draw a line down the side of the distributer at cylinder #1. Then I'd use that line to mark the distributer base. With the distributer cap off, I'd line up the rotor with that mark. That should get it close enough so the engine will run. Then you can fine-tune it from there.

quote Originally posted by fierofool: Once you have the engine broken in, you can fine tune the car by using the averaging method of cylinders 1 and 4, and with the ECM jumpered.

Or you can do it the easy way and clip the inductive lead to the coil wire and set the timing on all six cylinders at once. The harmonic balancer for the 2.8 has the primary timing groove plus two smaller grooves 120° apart from each other.