Toyota MR2 Message Board - View Single Post - HELP! How do I / where can I find <insert FAQ here>?!?

blazinmr2 · 10-31-2005, 05:12 PM

Step 5: Hooking up the timing light.

In order for the timing light to work, it must be connected to a +12 volt negative ground power supply. Normally, this power supply is the battery. Obviously, we can’t use the battery on our cars since it’s way up front. You’ll have to find a +12 volt supply in the engine compartment. On the left rear side of the engine compartment, you’ll find a black fuse box. Squeeze the tabs on this fuse box and pull up to remove the lid. Inside you’ll see a red rubber boot with a "+" on it. Pull this boot back to reveal two bolts and nuts. This is your +12 volt supply. Outside the fuse box, but not far away, you’ll see four large bolts, which are attached to the left rear strut. This is a good ground connection. The power leads for the timing light resemble miniature jumper cable clamps. As shown in the picture below, connect the red (positive) clamp to one of the two bolts under the red rubber boot in the fuse box. Connect the black (ground) clamp to one of the four bolts attached to the strut. Now you’ve got power!
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/w...xeTU0MQ%3D% 3D
The last step to hooking up the timing light is connecting the inductive pickup lead to the #1 cylinder sparkplug cable. Here, it is best to have an inductive timing light as opposed to an electronic timing light. Electronic timing lights are connected between the sparkplug and sparkplug wire to determine when that particular sparkplug fires. These aren’t the best choice when dealing with electronic ignition. If you accidentally touch something you’re not supposed to, you’re going to get a nasty shock of about 40,000 volts. You certainly wouldn’t need any coffee the rest of the day! Inductive timing lights, which can be had for as little as $30, are much safer. You simply clamp the inductive pickup around the #1 sparkplug cable as shown in the picture. The sparkplug cables are labeled with white numerics.
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/w...xeTU0MQ%3D% 3D

Step 6: Checking the timing.

If you already know how a timing light works, then this step isn’t really necessary. But for those of you who are totally new to this (like I was) it’s a good idea to become familiar with how the timing light operates before attempting to advance the timing yourself. Double-check the timing light connections and ECU jumper to make sure everything is hooked up correctly. Also, make sure that the timing light wires aren’t dangling down inside the engine compartment. You don’t want them to be near any moving parts. If everything checks out, get in the car and start the engine. (Make sure the emergency brake is on!) The engine should still be warm, so just let the car idle normally. Now, walk to the back of the car and pick up the timing light. This picture shows what a timing light looks like:
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/w...xeTU0MQ%3D% 3D
You’ll notice it has a trigger. When you pull this trigger, the strobe light flashes in sequence with the #1 cylinder. From the passenger side, lean over the engine and point the timing light at the timing tab and pull the trigger. You should see the white timing marks you painted earlier flashing between the 10 degree double hash marks on the timing tab. The timing light will only strobe at that instant when the timing marks on the crankshaft pulley match the 10 degree marks on the timing tab. The white timing mark should be steady next to 10 degrees, not jumping around. If it is jumping around, make sure you’ve shorted the correct pins on the ECU, otherwise you won’t get an accurate reading. Also, make sure your line of sight is parallel with the strobe light. You should be looking directly down on the timing tab. If you try to read the timing marks from an angle, you may experience what are called parallax errors, meaning the timing mark will appear to be in a different position since you’re looking at it at an angle. If you’re having a hard time seeing the white marks, you may have to turn the engine off and paint them again. It also helps to have someone hold the engine lid up so you can move the prop rod out of the way. This makes it easier to get directly over the timing tab. Once you have a feel for how the timing light works, set it aside and shut off the engine.

10-31-2005, 05:12 PM	#8 (permalink)
blazinmr2 Resident guitar shredder Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Pella, Ia Posts: 781 Thanks: 0 Thanked 3 Times in 2 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	Step 5: Hooking up the timing light. In order for the timing light to work, it must be connected to a +12 volt negative ground power supply. Normally, this power supply is the battery. Obviously, we can’t use the battery on our cars since it’s way up front. You’ll have to find a +12 volt supply in the engine compartment. On the left rear side of the engine compartment, you’ll find a black fuse box. Squeeze the tabs on this fuse box and pull up to remove the lid. Inside you’ll see a red rubber boot with a "+" on it. Pull this boot back to reveal two bolts and nuts. This is your +12 volt supply. Outside the fuse box, but not far away, you’ll see four large bolts, which are attached to the left rear strut. This is a good ground connection. The power leads for the timing light resemble miniature jumper cable clamps. As shown in the picture below, connect the red (positive) clamp to one of the two bolts under the red rubber boot in the fuse box. Connect the black (ground) clamp to one of the four bolts attached to the strut. Now you’ve got power! http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/w...xeTU0MQ%3D% 3D The last step to hooking up the timing light is connecting the inductive pickup lead to the #1 cylinder sparkplug cable. Here, it is best to have an inductive timing light as opposed to an electronic timing light. Electronic timing lights are connected between the sparkplug and sparkplug wire to determine when that particular sparkplug fires. These aren’t the best choice when dealing with electronic ignition. If you accidentally touch something you’re not supposed to, you’re going to get a nasty shock of about 40,000 volts. You certainly wouldn’t need any coffee the rest of the day! Inductive timing lights, which can be had for as little as $30, are much safer. You simply clamp the inductive pickup around the #1 sparkplug cable as shown in the picture. The sparkplug cables are labeled with white numerics. http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/w...xeTU0MQ%3D% 3D Step 6: Checking the timing. If you already know how a timing light works, then this step isn’t really necessary. But for those of you who are totally new to this (like I was) it’s a good idea to become familiar with how the timing light operates before attempting to advance the timing yourself. Double-check the timing light connections and ECU jumper to make sure everything is hooked up correctly. Also, make sure that the timing light wires aren’t dangling down inside the engine compartment. You don’t want them to be near any moving parts. If everything checks out, get in the car and start the engine. (Make sure the emergency brake is on!) The engine should still be warm, so just let the car idle normally. Now, walk to the back of the car and pick up the timing light. This picture shows what a timing light looks like: http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/w...xeTU0MQ%3D% 3D You’ll notice it has a trigger. When you pull this trigger, the strobe light flashes in sequence with the #1 cylinder. From the passenger side, lean over the engine and point the timing light at the timing tab and pull the trigger. You should see the white timing marks you painted earlier flashing between the 10 degree double hash marks on the timing tab. The timing light will only strobe at that instant when the timing marks on the crankshaft pulley match the 10 degree marks on the timing tab. The white timing mark should be steady next to 10 degrees, not jumping around. If it is jumping around, make sure you’ve shorted the correct pins on the ECU, otherwise you won’t get an accurate reading. Also, make sure your line of sight is parallel with the strobe light. You should be looking directly down on the timing tab. If you try to read the timing marks from an angle, you may experience what are called parallax errors, meaning the timing mark will appear to be in a different position since you’re looking at it at an angle. If you’re having a hard time seeing the white marks, you may have to turn the engine off and paint them again. It also helps to have someone hold the engine lid up so you can move the prop rod out of the way. This makes it easier to get directly over the timing tab. Once you have a feel for how the timing light works, set it aside and shut off the engine.