258 timing adjustment?
 

Hi All,

I'm trying to get the timing on the my CJ5 '75 258 set at or near the sweet
spot. It seems to lack power and fuel mileage is suffering after I
installed a NAPA reman. distributor. Engine does idle and runs smooth.
I had it set at 12deg btdc. I backed it down to 9deg. It seems to run
better, but I also changed the airfilter before the timing adjustment. The
manufacture tag from toledo says 3deg +or- 2.
I've also tried to do the pinging test of advancing until a ping under load.
I got to 16deg+ and quit. Maybe it's my hearing, but I couldn't get any
"ping".
My elevation is 8000 feet above sea level. I feel like I'm getting confused
with all the adjustments. Please help.

Paul
'75 CJ5 258

Re: 258 timing adjustment?
 

Have you tried the recommended setting?

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

Paul Brogren wrote:
>
> Hi All,
>
> I'm trying to get the timing on the my CJ5 '75 258 set at or near the sweet
> spot. It seems to lack power and fuel mileage is suffering after I
> installed a NAPA reman. distributor. Engine does idle and runs smooth.
> I had it set at 12deg btdc. I backed it down to 9deg. It seems to run
> better, but I also changed the airfilter before the timing adjustment. The
> manufacture tag from toledo says 3deg +or- 2.
> I've also tried to do the pinging test of advancing until a ping under load.
> I got to 16deg+ and quit. Maybe it's my hearing, but I couldn't get any
> "ping".
> My elevation is 8000 feet above sea level. I feel like I'm getting confused
> with all the adjustments. Please help.
>
> Paul
> '75 CJ5 258

Re: 258 timing adjustment?
 

Have you tried the recommended setting?

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

Paul Brogren wrote:
>
> Hi All,
>
> I'm trying to get the timing on the my CJ5 '75 258 set at or near the sweet
> spot. It seems to lack power and fuel mileage is suffering after I
> installed a NAPA reman. distributor. Engine does idle and runs smooth.
> I had it set at 12deg btdc. I backed it down to 9deg. It seems to run
> better, but I also changed the airfilter before the timing adjustment. The
> manufacture tag from toledo says 3deg +or- 2.
> I've also tried to do the pinging test of advancing until a ping under load.
> I got to 16deg+ and quit. Maybe it's my hearing, but I couldn't get any
> "ping".
> My elevation is 8000 feet above sea level. I feel like I'm getting confused
> with all the adjustments. Please help.
>
> Paul
> '75 CJ5 258

Re: 258 timing adjustment?
 

Have you tried the recommended setting?

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

Paul Brogren wrote:
>
> Hi All,
>
> I'm trying to get the timing on the my CJ5 '75 258 set at or near the sweet
> spot. It seems to lack power and fuel mileage is suffering after I
> installed a NAPA reman. distributor. Engine does idle and runs smooth.
> I had it set at 12deg btdc. I backed it down to 9deg. It seems to run
> better, but I also changed the airfilter before the timing adjustment. The
> manufacture tag from toledo says 3deg +or- 2.
> I've also tried to do the pinging test of advancing until a ping under load.
> I got to 16deg+ and quit. Maybe it's my hearing, but I couldn't get any
> "ping".
> My elevation is 8000 feet above sea level. I feel like I'm getting confused
> with all the adjustments. Please help.
>
> Paul
> '75 CJ5 258

Re: 258 timing adjustment?
 

I like to set it slightly advanced so it pings under load then I back
it down 1 deg at a time until I can drive it with no pinging. It takes
a few trips in and out of the garage but in my books it gives you the
optimum setting. My 87 YJ 258 seems to want to be around 5 or 6 deg.

On Sat, 24 Jan 2004 09:45:57 -0700, " Paul Brogren"
<pibrogren@msn.com> wrote:

>Hi All,
>
>I'm trying to get the timing on the my CJ5 '75 258 set at or near the sweet
>spot. It seems to lack power and fuel mileage is suffering after I
>installed a NAPA reman. distributor. Engine does idle and runs smooth.
>I had it set at 12deg btdc. I backed it down to 9deg. It seems to run
>better, but I also changed the airfilter before the timing adjustment. The
>manufacture tag from toledo says 3deg +or- 2.
>I've also tried to do the pinging test of advancing until a ping under load.
>I got to 16deg+ and quit. Maybe it's my hearing, but I couldn't get any
>"ping".
>My elevation is 8000 feet above sea level. I feel like I'm getting confused
>with all the adjustments. Please help.
>
>Paul
>'75 CJ5 258
>

Re: 258 timing adjustment?
 

I like to set it slightly advanced so it pings under load then I back
it down 1 deg at a time until I can drive it with no pinging. It takes
a few trips in and out of the garage but in my books it gives you the
optimum setting. My 87 YJ 258 seems to want to be around 5 or 6 deg.

On Sat, 24 Jan 2004 09:45:57 -0700, " Paul Brogren"
<pibrogren@msn.com> wrote:

>Hi All,
>
>I'm trying to get the timing on the my CJ5 '75 258 set at or near the sweet
>spot. It seems to lack power and fuel mileage is suffering after I
>installed a NAPA reman. distributor. Engine does idle and runs smooth.
>I had it set at 12deg btdc. I backed it down to 9deg. It seems to run
>better, but I also changed the airfilter before the timing adjustment. The
>manufacture tag from toledo says 3deg +or- 2.
>I've also tried to do the pinging test of advancing until a ping under load.
>I got to 16deg+ and quit. Maybe it's my hearing, but I couldn't get any
>"ping".
>My elevation is 8000 feet above sea level. I feel like I'm getting confused
>with all the adjustments. Please help.
>
>Paul
>'75 CJ5 258
>

Re: 258 timing adjustment?
 

I like to set it slightly advanced so it pings under load then I back
it down 1 deg at a time until I can drive it with no pinging. It takes
a few trips in and out of the garage but in my books it gives you the
optimum setting. My 87 YJ 258 seems to want to be around 5 or 6 deg.

On Sat, 24 Jan 2004 09:45:57 -0700, " Paul Brogren"
<pibrogren@msn.com> wrote:

>Hi All,
>
>I'm trying to get the timing on the my CJ5 '75 258 set at or near the sweet
>spot. It seems to lack power and fuel mileage is suffering after I
>installed a NAPA reman. distributor. Engine does idle and runs smooth.
>I had it set at 12deg btdc. I backed it down to 9deg. It seems to run
>better, but I also changed the airfilter before the timing adjustment. The
>manufacture tag from toledo says 3deg +or- 2.
>I've also tried to do the pinging test of advancing until a ping under load.
>I got to 16deg+ and quit. Maybe it's my hearing, but I couldn't get any
>"ping".
>My elevation is 8000 feet above sea level. I feel like I'm getting confused
>with all the adjustments. Please help.
>
>Paul
>'75 CJ5 258
>

Re: 258 timing adjustment?
 

If you're finding it a little sluggish since putting the reman dist in I
would start there. The problem is most likely that the rate of advance of
either the centrifugal advance or the vacuum advance, or both, is off.
They just grab a set of springs out of a barrel and never consider what the
original advance curve looked like. Further evidenced by the fact that you
can't get it to ping at 16 BTDC. You can attempt to compensate by advancing
the timing but it's a pretty poor solution. On some vehicles you could
advance a long ways before you got it to ping but would then run into
problems with starting when hot, it'll fire against itself as it's cranking
and can even crack the starter housing. (that's when you get the sensation
that your battery's going dead, cranks, stops, cranks, stops).
You used to be able to buy advance curve kits for distributers,
consisted of several sets of springs and a different set of weights. You
want to get the advance in quite quickly, so go to the lightest set of
springs and set the timing to factory spec. Start from there advancing
until you can just hear it ping, then back it off until you can just hear it
start to ping under extreme load. Slight ping under very heavy load will
never damage anything, but you're at the point of maximum efficiency.If you
have to retard below factory spec to stop the pinging go to the next
stiffest spring. I never used a timing light when doing this,so I can't
tell you how far to back it off, besides which you really don't know how
many degrees you're "into the ping", so backing it off some pre-determined
amount may not be the solution.
Steve

" Paul Brogren" <pibrogren@msn.com> wrote in message
news:buu795$lo9k0$1@ID-190695.news.uni-berlin.de...
> Hi All,
>
> I'm trying to get the timing on the my CJ5 '75 258 set at or near the
sweet
> spot. It seems to lack power and fuel mileage is suffering after I
> installed a NAPA reman. distributor. Engine does idle and runs smooth.
> I had it set at 12deg btdc. I backed it down to 9deg. It seems to run
> better, but I also changed the airfilter before the timing adjustment.
The
> manufacture tag from toledo says 3deg +or- 2.
> I've also tried to do the pinging test of advancing until a ping under
load.
> I got to 16deg+ and quit. Maybe it's my hearing, but I couldn't get any
> "ping".
> My elevation is 8000 feet above sea level. I feel like I'm getting
confused
> with all the adjustments. Please help.
>
> Paul
> '75 CJ5 258
>
>

Re: 258 timing adjustment?
 

If you're finding it a little sluggish since putting the reman dist in I
would start there. The problem is most likely that the rate of advance of
either the centrifugal advance or the vacuum advance, or both, is off.
They just grab a set of springs out of a barrel and never consider what the
original advance curve looked like. Further evidenced by the fact that you
can't get it to ping at 16 BTDC. You can attempt to compensate by advancing
the timing but it's a pretty poor solution. On some vehicles you could
advance a long ways before you got it to ping but would then run into
problems with starting when hot, it'll fire against itself as it's cranking
and can even crack the starter housing. (that's when you get the sensation
that your battery's going dead, cranks, stops, cranks, stops).
You used to be able to buy advance curve kits for distributers,
consisted of several sets of springs and a different set of weights. You
want to get the advance in quite quickly, so go to the lightest set of
springs and set the timing to factory spec. Start from there advancing
until you can just hear it ping, then back it off until you can just hear it
start to ping under extreme load. Slight ping under very heavy load will
never damage anything, but you're at the point of maximum efficiency.If you
have to retard below factory spec to stop the pinging go to the next
stiffest spring. I never used a timing light when doing this,so I can't
tell you how far to back it off, besides which you really don't know how
many degrees you're "into the ping", so backing it off some pre-determined
amount may not be the solution.
Steve

" Paul Brogren" <pibrogren@msn.com> wrote in message
news:buu795$lo9k0$1@ID-190695.news.uni-berlin.de...
> Hi All,
>
> I'm trying to get the timing on the my CJ5 '75 258 set at or near the
sweet
> spot. It seems to lack power and fuel mileage is suffering after I
> installed a NAPA reman. distributor. Engine does idle and runs smooth.
> I had it set at 12deg btdc. I backed it down to 9deg. It seems to run
> better, but I also changed the airfilter before the timing adjustment.
The
> manufacture tag from toledo says 3deg +or- 2.
> I've also tried to do the pinging test of advancing until a ping under
load.
> I got to 16deg+ and quit. Maybe it's my hearing, but I couldn't get any
> "ping".
> My elevation is 8000 feet above sea level. I feel like I'm getting
confused
> with all the adjustments. Please help.
>
> Paul
> '75 CJ5 258
>
>

Re: 258 timing adjustment?
 

If you're finding it a little sluggish since putting the reman dist in I
would start there. The problem is most likely that the rate of advance of
either the centrifugal advance or the vacuum advance, or both, is off.
They just grab a set of springs out of a barrel and never consider what the
original advance curve looked like. Further evidenced by the fact that you
can't get it to ping at 16 BTDC. You can attempt to compensate by advancing
the timing but it's a pretty poor solution. On some vehicles you could
advance a long ways before you got it to ping but would then run into
problems with starting when hot, it'll fire against itself as it's cranking
and can even crack the starter housing. (that's when you get the sensation
that your battery's going dead, cranks, stops, cranks, stops).
You used to be able to buy advance curve kits for distributers,
consisted of several sets of springs and a different set of weights. You
want to get the advance in quite quickly, so go to the lightest set of
springs and set the timing to factory spec. Start from there advancing
until you can just hear it ping, then back it off until you can just hear it
start to ping under extreme load. Slight ping under very heavy load will
never damage anything, but you're at the point of maximum efficiency.If you
have to retard below factory spec to stop the pinging go to the next
stiffest spring. I never used a timing light when doing this,so I can't
tell you how far to back it off, besides which you really don't know how
many degrees you're "into the ping", so backing it off some pre-determined
amount may not be the solution.
Steve

" Paul Brogren" <pibrogren@msn.com> wrote in message
news:buu795$lo9k0$1@ID-190695.news.uni-berlin.de...
> Hi All,
>
> I'm trying to get the timing on the my CJ5 '75 258 set at or near the
sweet
> spot. It seems to lack power and fuel mileage is suffering after I
> installed a NAPA reman. distributor. Engine does idle and runs smooth.
> I had it set at 12deg btdc. I backed it down to 9deg. It seems to run
> better, but I also changed the airfilter before the timing adjustment.
The
> manufacture tag from toledo says 3deg +or- 2.
> I've also tried to do the pinging test of advancing until a ping under
load.
> I got to 16deg+ and quit. Maybe it's my hearing, but I couldn't get any
> "ping".
> My elevation is 8000 feet above sea level. I feel like I'm getting
confused
> with all the adjustments. Please help.
>
> Paul
> '75 CJ5 258
>
>