lokokkee

Tried to use my old timing light on the Scoob to see what sort of reading I can get, but couldn't get the strobe to flash. A no. of dumb questions that I need to ask.
1. Is this due to the distributor-less ignition design, i.e. the spark plug cable is not carrying the high voltage required to trigger the inductive clip of the timing light or else the latter is simply busted?
2. Which is the No. 1 cylinder, the one on the left or the right when facing the engine? First time dealing with a boxer engine.
3. Assuming I can get the light to work, what is a "normal" reading for a MY97 Turbo in terms of degree advance and if it is off, is it adjustable on a DIY basis?
Thanks for any help I can get.

scoobyboy

by the sounds of it the latter is busted, no1 cylinder is the one on the left as you look at the front of the engine,and no it's not adjustable on a diy basis providing it's a standard turbo as they don't have a distributor . the only way although im not sure if a my97 will do it is by the select monitor and then if you clear the memory it'll lose the settings.

lokokkee

Thanks for the info, Scoobyboy. The last time I used it on my other car, it was still working. If it is non-adjustable on a DIY basis, why put the markings near the crank pulley then? It is there for somebody to read obviously.

lokokkee

JB, thanks for the lengthy and educational post. Like u mentioned in the last sentence, things are really done differently nowadays. In the good old days, mechanics operating from a shed can tune my twin-carburettor Alfetta with nothing more than a screwdriver and their trained ear. I even bought one of those quartz spark plug kit to observe the correct colour of the flame in the combustion chamber. Then comes fuel injection and they need a garage tuning kit but I can still second guess their tuning with my own timing light. Now you need a degree in mechanical and electronics engineering to understand what goes on in the black box of the modern car, but the same people who serviced my Audi 90 quattro for the past 10 years are now servicing my Scoob, as the two marques are handled by the same local agent, not a very comforting thought.
I have no intention of tuning the car, just to double check that the car is running the way it should.

john banks

I would have thought to alter your timing you need to remap your ECU or alter the MAF and crank angle sensor with a load and RPM map.

The advance is determined by a map with some retard available if the ECU detects knock.

You cannot adjust ignition timing with a Select Monitor only look at it.

If your timing is way out it will be a sensor or ECU fault.

If you want to tune your engine, the best way is to remap fuelling, ignition and boost. Less good ways are to merely remap boost and within reason (usually up to fuel cut) the car will supply a fairly good dose of fuel.

But as usual, only get into adjusting ignition advance if you are happy with the consequences of it going wrong, and you know what to measure and the significance of it.

IMHO, you would need to be measuring, Knock, realtime display of timing, lambda, EGT and on your MY injector duty cycle.

The only simple mechanical tuning you can do on these cars is to increase the boost a bit - loads of threads on this - valves which either restrict or relief valves, or sometimes a combination of the two or an electronic boost controller.

Hope this helps.

Edit to say any global change in timing would be near to useless anyway, and adjusting on a stationary car and expecting it to cope on boost is not going to work.

BTW, I speak from a reasonable understanding of Scooby Turbo electronics, boost control and ECUs.

I have never used a timing light in my life and doubt I ever will. It is all done a bit differently these days.

[Edited by john banks - 2/3/2002 10:45:41 PM]